By the Numbers: The Valley's voice

McALLEN - Almost every Rio Grande Valley football fan's Friday night itinerary goes something like this:
Get ready, go grab a quick bite to eat, go to the game and when the game's over wait in your car and try to maneuver through exiting stadium traffic.
Oh yeah, and tune the radio to "Mr. Ni fu, Ni fa."
Since 1971, Hugo De La Cruz (his real name) has been behind the microphone at KGBT radio with his "Football Scoreboard" show.
And as much as he has, the show has become a staple in not only Valley football, but Valley culture.
For the 36 seasons the show has been on the air, De La Cruz and the Football Scoreboard are the latest installment in the Valley Morning Star's "By the Numbers" series.
While high school football has always been big in the Valley, it didn't reach every audience.
That's where the Football Scoreboard changed all that.
"There were a few programs reporting the scores in English," De La Cruz said in Spanish. "So what we did, was we'd put corridos for the teams along with the scores. For example, the Cardinals and Edcouch-Elsa and a few other schools had their own corrido. Then the people started calling in on the air."
As De la Cruz alluded to, the show's tried-and-true format is quite simple.
As scores from Valley high school football games come in, De La Cruz reads them off and sprinkles some corridos, or traditional songs supporting the teams, and other tunes in between. All the while, the popular band tune "Mr. Touchdown USA" is playing.
You'll hear corridos supporting the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets, La Joya Coyotes and other local teams in victory.
But if your team came out on the losing end, you might hear El niño llorón (a baby crying) or la risa (a hearty laugh) poking good-natured fun at that team's fans.
Fans of the Donna Redskins and Santa Rosa or Nikki Rowe Warriors will hear the famous "Cherokee" tune.
Then there's the popular term, "Ni fu, Ni fa."
De La Cruz explained that the term was simply a substitute for ‘zero' if a team was shut out. But with time, it became much bigger than that.
"Instead of zero, we started saying ‘Ni fu, Ni fa'," he said. "That's how the phrase started and it got pretty popular. Then I became ‘Mr. Ni fu, Ni fa'."
When all of that night's scores are complete, the real fun starts.
That's when De La Cruz opens up the phone lines and fans can call in and voice their joy or sorrow.
It's what makes the Football Scoreboard so great.
"I like every part of doing the show," De La Cruz, a devout fan of the Jackets said. "Like when we start to play the corridos and El niño llorón and others. "
Regular callers and guests frequent the show. De la Cruz, who besides being programming director at KGBT is also a Deacon at San Francis Xavier Catholic Church in La Feria, often hears from Padre Nacho Luna (of St. Benedict's Church in San Benito), a La Villa Cardinals fan.
In addition, the show appeals to all ages.
One memory for De La Cruz came last season, when Valley View topped Mercedes for their first-ever varsity win, 7-6.
"It was the first game they'd ever won," he said. "And the team members called in to the show from the bus. It was really neat."
When asked his biggest memory over the show's span, De La Cruz said an article in National Geographic magazine profiling the South Texas border region.
In the article, De La Cruz and his show were detailed, as was the custom of fans tuning in each Friday night. In that year's Battle of the Arroyo between San Benito and Harlingen was also mentioned.
"It was a very interesting article," De La Cruz said.
So after 36 seasons, just how long will the Football Scoreboard continue?
"Every year, it seems the show gets more and more popular," De La Cruz said. "The listeners are so used the show. Remember, that tradition is stronger than love (referring to a traditional Mexican song, ‘La costumbre es más fuerte que el amor')."

By the Numbers is a periodic series that corresponds the number of days until the start of the 2008 Valley high school football season with a memorable athlete or moment. Today marks 36 days until kickoff.