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University of New Mexico football coach Rocky Long remembers Brandon Ratcliff, an ex-Lobos standout shot and killed in Dallas, as a "kid with a player's heart."

"He loved to play football," said Long. "Every time he had a chance to put on the pads, he did it with a passion for the game. News like this hits you in the heart. It's a real sad deal when you hear something like this because you realize how young they are and how much potential they have."

Ratcliff, 26, whom police described as a peacekeeper, was shot Sunday along with three other men when a man fired an assault rifle into a crowd gathered outside a Dallas nightclub, the Dallas Morning News reported on its Web site today.

Ratcliff tried to break up a fight between two groups inside the bar at about 5:20 a.m. Sunday, said Dallas police Sgt. Gene Reyes, a homicide supervisor.

Security guards broke up the fight and patrons moved to the parking lot. A man who had been involved in the fight pulled out an assault rifle and started pointing it at the crowd, according to the police report. Then, another man who also was involved in the fight grabbed the weapon and opened fire, striking Ratcliff and others, police said.

"He was being the peacekeeper," Reyes said of Ratcliff. "We don't know the reason for the shooting."

Both the shooter and the man who initially had the assault rifle got away, according to the police report.

Ratcliff's 21-year-old brother, Dante Ratcliff, also was hurt in the shooting. He was struck in the left arm below the elbow and left leg below the knee. He was listed in stable condition.

Brandon's brother told police they weren't involved in the fight, Sgt. Reyes said.

"Brandon came from an awful tough background in Dallas," said Long. "I think he was the first one in his family to go to college. He made the most of it when he was here and I thought he was going to be a pro player."

Said Greg Remington, a UNM associate athletics director in charge of media relations: "He always had a smile on his face and loved to play football. He was big, strong, athletic and had a nose for the football."

Ratcliff, who played safety, came to UNM in 2000 and finished the season as the Mountain West Conference co-freshman of the year. He was an all-conference pick during his junior and senior years.

He played in 39 games at UNM with 33 starts, 216 tackles, eight sacks and seven interceptions. He also averaged 22.6 yards on kickoff returns in three seasons (2000, 2002, 2003) as a Lobo.