 Villanueva, who was of Mexican American descent, played college football at New Mexico State University.A news director and broadcasting executive, Villanueva was a co-founder of Univision, a major Spanish-language television network in the United States.Villanueva graduated in 1956 from Calexico Union High School (the Bulldogs) and attended Reedley College, before accepting a scholarship to play college football at New Mexico State University.