In the opening game of the 1972 season, he kicked the game-winning field goal, with 20 seconds left, in the 20–17 upset of two-time defending national champion Nebraska.
The UCLA soccer team also made it to the NCAA Finals in 1972 and 1973 while Herrera was a player, losing both years to Saint Louis.
On October 3, 1974, the Dallas Cowboys signed Herrera as a free agent after kicker Toni Fritsch was lost for the season with a knee injury and Mac Percival made two out of eight field goal attempts in the first three games.
[2] In 1976, Herrera competed with Fritsch to regain his starting job in pre-season and tied for the league lead in field goal percentage with 78.3%.
On August 14, 1978, Herrera was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a fifth-round draft choice (#128-Curtis Anderson), because of a contract holdout.
In 1978, Herrera underwent appendectomy surgery following the 15th game of the season and came back the next week against the Kansas City Chiefs to make a 31-yard field goal and two out of three extra points.
In Seattle, he became a fan favorite as part of a special teams unit that was known for its fake field goal plays, where he had to pass, catch, block and run.
On September 20, 1982, Herrera was signed by the Buffalo Bills to replace Nick Mike-Mayer during the strike abbreviated season (playing seven of the team's nine games).
[5] In July 1983, Herrera was signed by the Los Angeles Raiders, but he could not pass Chris Bahr on the depth chart and was cut on August 16.