Ray Rowe in action in the background (Photo courtesy of Ray Rowe/X).
As an homage to the people who helped trailblaze the NFL we watch today, we will highlight some of the Hispanic players from the first decade of the league. Check out the articles on other Hispanic trailblazers we honor each year here. One often underdiscussed group of such players is individuals of Spanish heritage. Spain is the only Hispanic country in Europe, making it a bit of an outlier culturally and geographically. We love outliers here, and we also love the Spanish players who have left their mark on the league. Read about these four individuals below!
The Brothers From Spain
To kick off this article, we will start with the sole brother pairing in the NFL from Spain. Jess and Kelly Rodriguez, also known as Ángel Jesús Rodríguez Ávila and Aquilino Fabriciano Rodríguez Ávila, respectively, were born in Áviles, Asturias, Spain. In Spain the first last name (Rodriguez) is the father’s last name, and the second last name (Ávila) is the mother’s last name. The brothers both dropped their second last name and shortened their first name, likely to acclimate to a less than immigrant-friendly society at that time.
Jess Rodriguez was born in 1901, and Kelly Rodriguez was born in 1907. We know very little about the brothers’ personal lives, including their childhood. We do know they immigrated in time to attend high school in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Jess was the older but smaller brother. He was 170 pounds and 5 ft 7 in. Kelly was 10 pounds heavier and three inches taller. Jess graduated from Salem University in Salem, West Virginia—the Salem very few knew existed. Kelly graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan, a private institution in Buckhannon, WV.
It’s NFL Time
During their professional football careers, Jess Rodriguez was a tailback, what we now today know as a halfback. Even that position is being rooted out. If you aren’t familiar with the concept of a halfback, think of a running back that blocks like a tight end. Kelly Rodriguez was just labeled a back. Both positions in the 1920s and 1930s were both offensive and defensive positions and were more ambiguous. The concepts of a running back, wide receiver, O-line, and the like were not as well defined. Most players would do most things in the chaos that was early NFL play.
Although Jess and Kelly stayed close for high school and college, they traveled outside of West Virginia to play ball. The older Rodriguez brother played one year in Buffalo, New York, for the Buffalo Bisons in 1929. The team was winless that season, and the team crumbled permanently due to the Great Depression. Kelly took his shot in 1930, playing for the Frankford Yellow Jackets of Philadelphia for a few games before possibly being traded in a business deal that occurred between the Yellow Jackets and the Minneapolis Red Jackets. The Red Jackets crumbled in 1930 and the Yellow Jackets in 1931, primarily because of the Great Depression. Kelly’s career crumbled right along with the franchises.
On a Personal Note
In this era, short careers and failed franchises were the norm. Times were hard, the league was new, and interest in the sport from fanbases was rare. It’s unclear how the brothers played, but they were brave to try at all. The Rodriguez brothers were a tough duo. Jess lived until age 82, dying in his hometown of Clarksburg, West Virginia, in 1983. Kelly lived until age 90, but it’s unclear where. Jess and Kelly were both born in August, two days apart, six years apart. They passed away in October, 10 days apart, 14 years apart. It’s uncanny how close their entrance and departure dates from this earth were.
Record Breakers
We have no way of knowing what records the brothers broke on the gridiron or in non-football-related ventures. However, they are the first and second Spanish-American players to play in the NFL. They are also the second and third players of Hispanic descent to play in the league and were the first and second Hispanic-American players in the league. We appreciate our trailblazers!
Ray Rowe
Somehow we know less about Mr. Ray Rowe than we do about the Rodriguez brothers. Raymond Henry Rowe was born in Rota, Andulasia, Spain, in 1969. Rota is a common American military base location in Spain. It’s unclear if Rowe’s family was in the service. However, we do know that he was back in America in time to attend high school in San Diego, CA, where he was a multi-sport athlete.
Rowe is a proud former San Diego State Aztec and Washington Commander. His X profile also indicates that he is a family man, as well as religious and patriotic to some extent. Rowe was a tight end in college and in the NFL. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1992 NFL draft by the Commanders. Rowe played for two seasons in Washington from 1992 to 1993 and one season in Minnesota as a Viking in 1994. And that’s all we know about Mr. Rowe.
Our Final Spainiard
Thankfully, we do know more about our final NFL player born in Spain. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is a familiar name to many current fans, having recently retired in 2023. The former wide receiver was born in Utebo, Zaragoza, Spain, in 1996 to his Spanish father, Joaquín Arcega, and African American mother, Valerie Whiteside. The two met in Spain when Mrs. Whiteside played professional basketball in Spain after a notable college career. J.J. was blessed with her athletic talents as well as two of his uncles on his father’s side who were professional basketball players in Spain and participated in the Olympics.
Arcega-Whiteside returned to the United States when he was six years old. He was a football player in Roebuck, South Carolina, as a high schooler. The talented wide receiver was picked up by Stanford, where he made a mark while playing from 2015 to 2018. In 2019, he was drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles. Like many players, college successes didn’t translate well to the NFL despite showing promise right away. Whiteside had two touchdowns in his three seasons with the Eagles before his time with Philly ended on IR.
Life Hits Hard
Between the 2021 season and the 2022 season, Arcega-Whiteside became a tight end. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks, where he was waived and signed to the practice squad. In 2023 he was signed by the Atlanta Falcons and was released on August 29th of that year. In one final attempt to play, Arcega-Whiteside signed with the Toronto Argonauts in January of 2024 before retiring in April of the same year.
It’s unclear what Arcega-Whiteside is currently doing professionally. He does have a background in international relations from college and actually interned with Condoleezza Rice. Maybe we will see the former NFL player in a more politically oriented position in the future. J.J. tied the knot with the former college dancer Brianna Lorena Garcia. Tragically, his mother, Victoria Whiteside, passed away in 2023 of breast cancer. She left behind a beautiful legacy to her family, including J.J. and the girls she coached high school basketball for, who miss her so dearly. Our thoughts are with the family.
In Conclusion
The Rodriguez brothers, Ray Rowe, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside spent a good time in the NFL, but not for so long. None of the four had a particularly remarkable career in the league. But as we often conclude when discussing underrepresented groups, it’s not about the actual NFL career often. Most players pass through the league with average stats for a few short years. The big shots that are household names are the exception. We honor these four Spanish gentlemen for their representation in the league and their impact on the NFL and society as a whole. May their stories motivate children today who may feel they don’t fit the typical mold of an NFL player. They did it, and you can do it too!
