Del Rio Grande 0917

SEPTEMBER 2017

BROTHERS & RIVALS Glory days of the Wildcats and Mustangs

GAMEDAY BREWS Uncommon suds for all four quarters

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Catch up with Del Rio’s gridiron superstars

SEPTEMBER 2017 $3.99

RAM PRIDE RULES! GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR Back to school doesn’t mean the end of summer fun.

Keep busy this fall with the best happenings in Del Rio.

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FAMILY FUN DAY Fort Clark Springs • All day starting at 9 a.m.

Kick off your Labor Day at Brackettville’s historic resort. For a $5 admission ($3 for member guests), enjoy swimming in the spring-fed pool after a fun game of volleyball.

When the sun sets, bring the family down for an outdoor screening of “Beauty and the Beast” at 9 p.m.

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DIEZ Y SEIS DE SEPTIEMBRE Brown Plaza • 6 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Celebrate Mexico’s independence day with the Brown Plaza Association.

Fresh food and drinks, live music and arts and crafts vendors will fill the plaza to make the evening a night to remember.

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MINI FARMERS MARKET Del Rio Community Garden 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Stock up on fresh produce while supporting local farmers at the Del Rio Parks Foundation’s monthly mini farmer’s market.

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PARENTS GAME Rams Stadium • Kickoff at 7:30 p.m.

Del Rio Rams pay respects to the ones who make it all possible: their parents. Come out in your Rams gear for one of the season’s best nights.

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OKTOBERFEST Whitehead Memorial Museum • 6 p.m.

Explore German heritage and dance to live polka music all with a beer stein in hand at the museum’s annual Oktoberfest festival.

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VIP TABLES $200 INCLUDES 8 TICKETS BUCKET OF DOMESTIC BEERS

1308 S. MAIN ST DEL RIO, TX 78840 830-774-7568 GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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FROM THE EDITOR

GAME ON! PUBLISHER Sandra Castillo EDITOR Karen Gleason CREATIVE DIRECTOR Megan Tackett WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Karen Gleason Megan Tackett Brian Argabright Special Contributor: Vanessa Salas Photography ADVERTISING Ashley Lopez Kim Dupill Albert Treviño PRODUCTION Roland Cardenas EDITORIAL karen.gleason@delrionewsherald.com 830-775-1551, Ext. 247 ADVERTISING sandra.castillo@delrionewsherald.com 830-775-1551, Ext. 250 STORY IDEAS karen.gleason@delrionewsherald.com

2205 North Bedell Avenue • Del Rio, TX 78840 delrionewsherald.com

Del Rio Grande is published by the Del Rio News-Herald.

No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without written permission of the publisher. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher of this magazine.

Editorial and advertising does not constitute advice but is considered informative.

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GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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f football is your game, then Texas has got to be your state.

From the die-hard fans of “America’s Team,” the Dallas Cowboys, to those of the Del Rio High School Rams, many of us live and breathe for football season, so this month we thought we’d bring you a football-flavored issue to kick things off.

Del Rio News-Herald Sports Editor Brian Argabright brings us “Ram Pride,” a look at the beloved high school football team and takes us back in history with “Rivals and Brothers,” which chronicles the story of Del Rio’s two former football teams, the San Felipe High School Mustangs and the Del Rio High School Wildcats.

Despite segregation, members of these two teams used competition and camaraderie to forge a single sports identity, laying the foundations for the integrated school district to come.

We also found a cross section of former Rams, Wildcats and Mustangs in “Where Are They Now?” and look in on their lives today.

Grande Creative Director Megan Tackett presents some specialty brews to sample during the game. Also check out her football selections in this month’s Grande Picks.

Staunch Longhorn and Ram supporter Deborah SalinasHernandez opened her closet to show us what the well-dressed fan is wearing this year.

Finally, we take a visit to Sidney Blanks Park on the city’s south side. Named for Del Rio’s first football great, Blanks’ legacy lives on to all who are struggling to rise above the circumstances of their birth.

So, whether you cheer the Minnesota Vikings (Brian), the Seattle Seahawks (Megan), the Pittsburgh Steelers (Karen) or the New England Patriots (Roland), here’s an issue we hope you’ll all enjoy.

Karen Gleason Grande Editor

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CONTENTS 3

CALENDAR Make room on your day planner for these exciting local events.

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CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL Deborah Salinas-Hernandez shows off her Longhorn and Ram spirit.

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SEPTEMBER 2017 12

BROTHERS & RIVALS A look back at the Del Rio Wildcats and the San Felipe Mustangs.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Grande catches up with Wildcat Bill Haynes and Mustang Eloy Padilla.

GRANDE PICKS

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Gameday essentials for every football fanatic.

Stroll through Sidney Blanks Park, named for local football legend.

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GAMEDAY BREWS Quench your thirst from kickoff to postgame with these locally sourced selections.

OUT THERE

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RAM PRIDE News Herald Sports Editor Brian Argabright walks us through the Mighty Rams’ history.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Grande catches up with former members of the fighting Ram squad.

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SPIRITED SUPPORTERS Meet two of the Rams biggest fans showing off their game day moves.

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20 THINGS Former Mustang standout Danny Chavira opens up about lessons from the barrio.

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WHERE TO WATCH Best places and game day specials.

ON THE COVER: Del Rio High School senior Janel Meza has been cheering since she was seven years old and hasn’t skipped a day since.

Meza is wearing a women’s Rams jersey from T-Shirts Etc., 805 Veterans Blvd. Photo by Vanessa Salas Photography.

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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Del Rio native Deborah HernandezSalinas has taught for the San Felipe Del Rio CISD for 32 years and also taught Spanish at Klein ISD for five years. She currently teaches English at the Freshman campus and serves as the department chair.

CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL Story and photos by MEGAN TACKETT

Deborah Salinas-Hernandez Editor’s note: Freshman English teacher and department chair Deborah Salinas-Hernandez loves her Rams and Queens. But she takes her school pride to the next level when it comes to her alma mater, The University of Texas. Game day to her means head-to-toe Longhorn apparel, and every other day she keeps her style classic and comfortable.

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GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

For perfume I always wear Coco Chanel. I like the classic scents. I also have No 5 and Chance Eau FraĂŽche.

Fashion Icons My first and second grade teachers, Carolina Vasquez and Sylvia Urby, used to wear suits back in that time. They were like the Mexican barbies in our town. From my time people who impressed me were definitely the Jacqueline Kennedy type.

Form vs. Function When I first started teaching I wore a suit and heels. When I taught in Houston from 1996 to 2001 the women were required to wear hose and men had to wear ties. Over the years it’s gotten more casual because our classroom has changed. We do more group work now so heels and tailored suits aren’t comfortable in that setting.

Favorite Designers I like Carolina Herrera and Jones New York.

They don’t change every so often. It’s a classic look. And I like Calvin Klein and Liz Claiborne for a more casual look. Or anything in UT orange.

Mother knows best My mom is still very stylish. She’s classic. She is still very good about having her hair and

makeup done but that’s old school. She used to make clothes for my sister and me from designs out of Vogue magazine.

Fashion Philosophy At this age, if it’s comfortable I’ll wear it. I’m not going to put my feet through any pain. I’ve earned that. Just because a certain shoe goes with a certain outfit, if it’s not comfortable I’m not going to wear it.

This is my UT graduation ring.

I graduated from UT Austin in 1981.

Spend and Splurge I’ll spend money on shoes and save money on clothes. I love to shop, to look, but I don’t have to be buying all the time. When I lived in Houston I could walk through the Galleria and look at all the styles and colors that were coming up and then would go across the street to Marshalls for a much cheaper price.

Likes and Dislikes I like the 60s look right now, the loose clothes and the boho look. My big faux pas, my mother ingrained this in my head, you do not wear white after Labor Day, you wait until Easter.

As long as my mom is alive I’m going to have to respect that. Because she’ll see it and say something. •

Bevo says, “Style is important!” Hook ‘em horns!”

It’s a QVC item that I wear all the time.

It’s 18 carat rose gold. I love rose gold.

My parents gave me this on the day I received the UT Exes Outstanding Teacher award because it was a big deal.

In 2007, SalinasHernandez won the UT Exes Outstanding Teacher award, selected from principal nominations across Texas.

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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GRANDE PICKS

In other parts of the country, fall means cozy sweaters and pumpkin spice everything. In Texas, it’s all about football. Whether you’re at the game or watching from the comfort of your couch, stock up for the gameday with this month’s selections.

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A. RAMS SHIRT Mandatory apparel for the die-hard Rams fan. Available in men’s and women’s designs in various sizes. $20 at H-E-B other local retailers.

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GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

B. YETI RAMBLER We’re not asking what you put inside, but Yeti ramblers keep your cold drinks chilly and your hot drinks toasty warm. $29.99 at Russell’s True Value.

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C. FOOTBALL Get off your cushion, stretch your muscles and throw this guy around for a few minutes during halftime. Nike football $19.97 at Hibbett Sports.

E. COWBOYS COOLER This insulated lunch box also doubles as a great six-pack cooler.

But don’t ask how we know that. $7.99 at Marshalls. If you need “six-pack cooler” suggestions, check out page 16.

D. JULIO’S It’s not a game day party without Julio’s chips. Extra points if you grab the salsa (you better grab the salsa). $2.98 at HEB.

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Game Day Brews Story and photos by MEGAN TACKETT

Football and beer go together like... football and beer. There’s no better comparison. These easy-drinking, Texas-made brews are the perfect beers to supplement your game day experience. Imbibe in the displayed succession for optimal taste progression. And of course, drink responsibly.

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GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

Twisted: A great alternative to your mass-produced lagers. Twisted Brewing’s Austin Lager starts your game off with a subtle sweetness and light floral aroma. It’ll go down as fast as the first quarter flies by.

Freetail: Freetail’s Bat Outta Helles German-inspired lager is subtly fruit infused, even-bodied and altogether yummy. It offers an easy transition from Austin’s traditional lager into something with the slight flavor increase. Great for the game or a barbecue with friends.

Black Kolsch Kick it up a notch after half-time. Saint Arnold’s Santo black kolsch offers a unique caramel-coffee profile while maintaining a surprisingly light-medium body. The flavors linger so you can savor each sip of this original brew.

Hopadillo Treat your fourth quarter anxiety with Karbach’s Hopadillo IPA. With a slightly higher ABV (6.6%) this brew offers a little more challenge than your everyday beer. The Hopadillo is everything an IPA should be: balanced with just the right amount of bitterness, pine, citrus and floral notes.

Did the game go into OT? Try these medium-light bodied selections:

ZiegenBock Texas amber

Saint Arnold’s Lawnmower German-style kolsch

Karbach Brewing’s Love Street kolsch-blonde GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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Brothers and Rivals A look back at football’s rich history in Del Rio

Contributed photo Former San Felipe Mustangs football player Sid Blanks, who became the first black player to play at Texas A&I University and the Lone Star Conference, went onto play in the NFL for a variety of teams including the Houston Oilers.

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ontrary to the beliefs of the young, high school football in Del Rio did not begin with the Rams.

Long before the first patches of grass were planted at what would become Ram Stadium, now Walter Levermann Ram Stadium, two high schools represented our community. And while they didn’t play each other regularly — they didn’t even play in the same district until 1969! — they each produced a bevy of great players and future community leaders.

They are programs that produced greats like Sid Blanks, Wayne Benson, Al Best, Danny Chavira and others. And they are the programs from which our current Rams can trace their lineage.

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GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

In the Beginning …

Football has been an organized sport in Del Rio for just over 100 years. According to a story published in the Del Rio NewsHerald in 1971, the earliest available record of a football team here was at Del Rio High School in the fall of 1914.

According to the story, the team had 12 players – Curtis Osgood, Milton Smith, Ashton Garrett, Jimmy Garrett, Marat Thurmond, Hugh Goodin, Carl Friesen, Henry Horn, Louis Qualia, Bayless Miner, Oscar Morton and Buddy Cummings – and was coached by M.L. Stubblefield.

The team played on a dusty patch of land located at the corner of Spring and Washington streets, which is now home to the First Presbyterian Church.

Introducing the Wildcats It wasn’t until 1921 that Del Rio High recognized the importance and health benefits of having a football team. That September, the school board allocated $250 for the team and $250 for athletics as an actual class.

That same year, the team adopted a baby wildcat as its mascot. It appeared in the first team photo, sitting in the lap of quarterback and team captain Roger Thurmond. Shortly thereafter, the Del Rio Wildcats were born.

There were 18 players on that inaugural team, coached by D.C. “Bobby” Cannon.

Those players included Roger “Adam” Thurmond, Elvis Stewart, Alfred “Snag”

Contributed photo This photo shows the 1944 San Felipe Mustangs football team. The Mustangs began playing football in the late 1930’s and continued until 1970.

Laughlin, Henry “Heinie” Doty, Ross “Bubbles” Smith, Claude “Spike” Arnold, Frank “Rusty” Kirchgraber, Fred “Bucky” Dobkins, Ben “Benjamin” Cannon, John “Red” Harrison, Milford “Skeet” Walker, Reginald “Icky” Johnson, Owen “Garlic” Lindsey, Richard “Dynamite” Dick and Francis “Tuff” Whitehead.

The team played eight games its first season and went 4-3-1.

All but two games were played at home, which was Cowboy Park, located off Garfield Street. Opponents that first season included Ozona, Uvalde, Sabinal, Hondo, Crystal City and Eagle Pass twice.

If the football games didn’t thrill you, then the antics of the school’s mascot did.

According to legend, the team’s mascot, an actual wildcat, was chained on the field for each game. After every touchdown scored by the Del Rio team, the little guy would jump up and down at the end of his chain.

When he died a few years later, the wildcat, whose name is lost to the annals of time, was buried between the 20 and 30yard line nearest the west goal post. As the story goes, future Del Rio touchdowns were welcome with a faint tinkle underground, rumored to be the spirit of the original wildcat celebrating on its chain.

The Wildcats brought Del Rio its first district championship in 1922, earning the District 11 title over Eagle Pass, Sabinal, Uvalde, Devine, Brackettville, Laredo, Pearsall and Hondo.

It would be six more years before the Wildcats won another

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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Contributed photo. This is a photo of the Del Rio Wildcats football team from 1961. The team won the 14-3A district title that year.

district crown. However, that team is best known for a thrilling 13-12 win over Cuero to capture the bi-district championship.

Unfortunately, heavy rains and flooding literally washed away any chances of playing the next round of games, so Del Rio and Robstown settled things with a coin flip. Luck was with the Wildcats that day, and the record books show Del Rio as the regional champs in 1928.

In the Beginning … Part 2 The year 1928 wasn’t only significant in that the Wildcats were regional champs in football. It was also the beginning of Del Rio’s second school district and, eventually, its second high school football program.

In the summer of 1928, the Del Rio ISD initiated action to annex Val Verde County Common School District No. 2. One court battle later, the San Felipe Independent School District was born in the fall of 1929. In 1930, San Felipe High School was created and officially dedicated that December.

And with a new high school came a new football team.

The PTA helped purchase uniforms, and Joe F. Martinez was named the school’s first football coach and PE teacher.

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Nineteen boys came out for that first San Felipe team. They were Primo Calvetti, Fortunato Guerra, Antonio Moralez, Ubil Valdez, Ruperto Rodriguez, Arnulfo Ozuna, Raul Euresti, Severo Martinez, Guillermo Calderon Jr., Napolean Guarnelo, Ubil Frausto, L. Zertuche (no first name was listed), F. Fernandez (no first name was listed), Dario Cuellar, Joe Hernandez, Guadalupe Robles, Rico Peimbert, Sixto Dominguez and Joe Martinez.

Their first games were played against the Wildcats’ second team. And though the games were losses, optimism was high that the San Felipe team would be ready soon to eventually take down the squad from Del Rio High.

That original San Felipe team was known as the Tigers. According to the 1971 News-Herald article, it was Aurora Rodriguez, a San Felipe teacher and founder of the school’s pep squad, who felt the name Mustangs would be a better mascot. It is believed her time at Southern Methodist University, which boasts the Mustangs as its mascot, influenced her push for the renaming of San Felipe’s mascot.

In 1938, the Mustangs officially became the new mascot for San Felipe High and a new era began.

Mustang Memories The 1940s was a golden decade for the Mustangs.

In 1941, the team garnered its first victory over the Wildcats, a 27-6 shellacking, but things were just getting started for the purple and gold.

Former Wildcats star S.S. Peimbert became the Mustangs’ head coach and the team became a powerhouse. In 1946 they won the zone title but missed out on the district crown, losing to Pearsall, 2019.

Two years later, the Mustangs won their first district title, beating a tough Bandera team to clinch the crown, and they advanced to their first playoff game, which would be played at San Felipe Memorial Stadium against San Antonio Edgewood.

San Felipe and Edgewood waged a tough battle for the bi-district title, but the Mustangs prevailed, 7-6, and advanced to face Floresville Tigers in Floresville for the Region 10 championship.

Down 12-0 at halftime, the Mustangs rallied to score twice on a pair of Genaro Cuellar to Aguirre (no first name given in the actual game report published in the News-Herald) touchdowns in the second half and earned the regional title, 14-12.

Elias Guerra recovered a fumble and Dicky Mendes made an interception to set up each score. Danny Peña booted the extra points on both scores.

The regional round was the furthest any Class B team could progress that year.

The Mustangs defended their district championship the following year, and again won the bi-district title, defeating Nixon at Alamo Stadium, but they missed out on a second regional title when they lost to Port Lavaca.

Return to Winning Ways While the Mustangs were winning district titles, the Wildcats were going through a bit of a drought. It took 24 years before Del Rio High recaptured the district crown, upsetting Uvalde, 7-0, in 1952 to give the team, and head coach George Webb, the title.

In 1954, the Wildcats did it again. Coach Glenn Scallorn led the team to another district title, and then saw his team roll through Floresville, 27-6, to win bi-district, but a loss to Freer the next week brought an end to the season. Scallorn would win his second district title three years later.

The Wildcats also won back-to-back titles in 1960 and 1961, but a coin toss kept them from advancing to the postseason in 1960. In 1961 the Wildcats beat San Antonio Lee, 30-18, to win bi-district, but lost to San Benito in a third round game played at Marcy Martin Field, the Wildcats’ home and now site of the new Garfield Elementary.

The Wildcats’ final district title came in 1965.

Together … At Last In 1968, the cross-town rivals became district rivals when the Mustangs and Wildcats were thrown together in the same 15-3A district. Now the games meant even more, and both teams were eager to prove they were the better team in Del Rio. The Mustangs took the first district meeting between the two in 1968, winning 14-6.

The next season, it was the Wildcats who were victorious, edging the Mustangs, 21-14.

The 1970 meeting between the two teams proved to be the last, and in an odd sense of cosmic justice, the final meeting between the Del Rio Wildcats and San Felipe Mustangs ended in a 0-0 tie.

An End and a New Beginning A historic court order brought an end to the town’s two districts and created the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District. One district meant one team, so players from both teams consolidated to create one football team, which carried the Wildcats name for the 1971 season.

It was the last time Del Rio played in 3A. The roster of that historic team, coached by Claude Fest, included Felix Garcia, Hernando Hernandez, Ruben Martinez, Robert Jefferson, Jerry Fay, Mario Hernandez, David Simpson, Dan Schaertl, Jeff Kemp, David Gomez, John Sarazoza, Arturo Ramirez, Courtney Brien, Mike Scott, Rusty Chalk, Louis Guerra, Keith Stone, Walter Green, Frank Lowe, Glenn Banks, Bobby Rosas, Armando Paniagua, Reynaldo Andrade, George McFarlen, David Rountree, Robert Martinez, Mario Cuellar, Leon Best, Carlos Cordova, Humberto Barrera, Greg Funk, Tony Lomas and Victor Luna. •

News-Herald file photo This ad, which appeared in the Del Rio News-Herald, heralded the big games between the Del Rio Wildcats and Monahans and the San Felipe Mustangs and Devine. With two schools competing, businesses did their best to support both schools equally.

News-Herald file photo Former Del Rio Wildcats teammates Al Best, left, and Bobby Paul share memories of their old Del Rio Wildcats team. Best, considered one of the best football players to come out of the Wildcats program, passed away in 2013.

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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Where Are They Now?

BILL HAYNES

Bill Haynes today.

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illiam “Bill” Haynes has lived his life adhering to a maxim he learned on the football field: “Always do your best.”

Haynes was a member of the Del Rio High School Wildcats in the school years of 1964-65 and 1965-66. He played offensive and defensive positions, end and split end on offense and linebacker on defense.

Haynes, like his lifelong friend Joe Frank Martinez, went on to spend the bulk of his working life as a lawman with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Asked to recall his fondest memory

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Story by KAREN GLEASON

Bill Haynes then.

from his playing days, Haynes said, “The Cage. We had to get in that thing and go one-on-one. It was a tool used to teach the defensive players to stay low and not get up, not stand up. It taught you how to work down close. The idea was to push the other guy out, turn him over, get him on his back, whatever.”

Haynes said the number one lesson he learned on the football field that he carried with him into the rest of his life was simple but profound: “Always do the best you can, no matter what you’re doing. Do the best that you can, period.

Don’t just do what you can to get by.

Whatever I tried to do in my life, I tried to do the very best that I could.”

Haynes is now retired, but began his post-high school foray into the working world with three years in the U.S. Army, going from private to staff sergeant with a year-long tour as a cannoneer with an artillery unit in Vietnam.

When he returned to Del Rio, he spent the next 33 years in the Texas Department of Public Safety. After he retired from the DPS, he worked for more than a decade as a bailiff at the federal courthouse in Del Rio and six years as the chief deputy for the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office. •

Where Are They Now?

ELOY PADILLA

Eloy Padilla today.

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riendships and alliances built in childhood, cemented by a shared love of sports, can last a lifetime.

No one knows this better than Eloy Padilla, who now serves as administrative assistant to Val Verde County Judge Efrain Valdez, with whom he played football as a member of the San Felipe High School Mustangs.

Padilla played varsity football for the Mustangs in 1963-64, 1964-65 and 196566. His positions included playing as a defensive lineman, and tackle in his senior year, playing right tackle on offense and left tackle on defense.

Padilla worked for many years as an

Story by KAREN GLEASON

Eloy Padilla then.

attorney, and though he is still an attorney, he said he no longer practices.

Padilla worked for many years as an attorney for Texas Rural Legal Aid and also worked as the assistant city attorney. He also had a private practice in Del Rio. Padilla has taken his role as a community leader seriously, serving on a number of volunteer boards, including the Val Verde County Appraisal District board of directors and working as an amateur local historian.

It didn’t take Padilla long to recall the best memory of his football playing days.

“My best memory is beating the Devine Warhorses for the first time in October 1965. We came from behind in the closing

minutes, and we beat them 8 to 7. And it was the first time San Felipe had ever beaten Devine, ever, in history. It was an amazing game. It was awesome,” he said.

Padilla said there are many lessons he learned as a football player.

“Teamwork. I think we had an attitude of never give up and desire. I don’t know if this will translate, but we had a saying, ‘Queriendo puedes,’ which literally translated means, ‘Wanting, you can,’ meaning if you want it, you can do it.

We got that attitude from all sports, but football especially. If you really want to get something done, it can be done. There’s no ifs, ands or buts, you can do it,” he said. •

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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Out There

Park Honors Football Star Story and photos by KAREN GLEASON

Native son and football legend Sidney Blanks thanks Del Rio and Val Verde County and shares stories of growing up in the city’s San Felipe neighborhood during Thursday’s ribbon cutting event at Sidney Blanks Park, located off Gillis Avenue between Bridge Street and West De La Rosa Street in south Del Rio. Blanks is flanked by his sons, Lance, left, and Sid Jr., right.

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ust a block from the sparkling flow of the San Felipe Creek lies one of Del Rio’s newest parks – Sidney Blanks Park.

Named for native son and football great Sidney Blanks, the little park is sited off Gillis Avenue between Bridge and West De La Rosa streets and was created in the summer of 2015.

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One of the plaques on the archway leading into the park reads, “On this site was born the greatest athlete that ever graduated from San Felipe High School.

Whether on the field of play or on the field of life, Sidney Blanks gave it his all.”

The park was created by the city of Del Rio, with assistance from the Blanks family and members of the San Felipe

High School Class of 1960.

Blanks, who now resides in Houston, and his sons Sid Jr. and Lance, joined Texas Rep. Poncho Nevarez, city and county elected officials, city and county employees who worked on the park, members of the Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and former classmates of Blanks for a ribbon cutting

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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Sidney Blanks, in white shirt and hat, center, cuts the ribbon on the south Del Rio park named in his honor during a ceremony in early July 2015.

Joining Blanks to open the park were members of the Blanks family, city and county elected officials and administrators who helped create the park, the Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and former classmates of Blanks from the San Felipe High School Class of 1960.

ceremony to open the park in July 2015.

During the event, Blanks shared memories of spending long summer days in and around the San Felipe Creek and being part of “a family of kids” on his school sports teams.

Former Val Verde County Commissioner Pct. 2 Ramiro V. Ramon, whose crew helped with work on the park, called the project “a labor of love for a San Felipe hero, legend and trailblazer” and recalled that when he and his friends played games of football when they were children “everybody wanted to be Sid Blanks.”

“He really was our hero,” Ramon recalled.

Blanks’ enduring gridiron legacy is recounted on another plaque on the park’s entrance.

“In 1960, Hall of Fame Head Football Coach Gil Steinke offered

22

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

Sidney a football scholarship to play at Texas A&I University. His acceptance made him the first African American to play at an integrated school on a football scholarship in the state of Texas,” the plaque reads.

Blanks was an All-American member of the Texas A&I Javelinas until 1963. The following year, Blanks was drafted by the Houston Oilers.

The plaque reads, “He played eight successful years, 1964-1971, in the AFL/NFL for the Houston Oilers, New England Patriots and Washington Redskins. In 1981, Sidney was inducted into the Texas A&I Hall of Fame. In 2002, he was inducted into the Lone Star Conference Hall of Fame.”

The little park named in Blanks’ honor offers several benches donated by former classmates and other Blanks family members. The benches are set along a curving concrete

walkway that wends its way through the park.

Visitors can have a picnic barbecue on a picnic table with a nearby grill set under the spreading branches of a pecan tree. They can also wander along the cedar split-rail fence and enjoy the blooming cenizo, lantana, crape myrtle and other flowers planted in the park’s central hub.

Del Rio City Council Rowland Garza addressed those who gathered in the park for its dedication in 2015, “Dreams do come true, and I ask that the media and those in attendance today urge our youth to carve out their own Sid Blanks story, to go out and reach for their dreams and to let this park symbolize those dreams, a park that will remind us on a daily basis that we can overcome any obstacle.” •

38

Years of service

Pictured: Dora Nieto - Head Housekeeper

Sherry Piles - Assistant Manager

Polo del Rio - President

Thank You for your 38 years of loyalty and dedication.

2101 Veterans Blvd. Del Rio, TX 78840 (830)2017 775-1511 GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 23

News-Herald file photo.

The 2016-17 Del Rio Rams take the field prior to their bi-district round playoff game at Walter Levermann Ram Stadium. It was the first Rams playoff game played in Del Rio since 1992.

Ram Pride

A look back at the hometown team Story and photos by BRIAN ARGABRIGHT

F

ootball has a rich tradition in Del Rio, and for the vast majority of young men, the goal is always to be a member of the Del Rio Rams football family.

The Rams legacy began in 1972.

Consolidation of the Del Rio and San Felipe school districts led to the consolidation of the Wildcats and Mustangs football teams in 1971, but the familiar blue and white uniforms of the newly christened Rams made their debuts in the fall of 1972 under the direction of legendary Del Rio head coach Claude Fest.

Armed with a handful of returning all-

24

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

district performers, including Humberto Barrera, Leon “Spanky” Best, Rusty Chalk, Carlos Cordova and Jerry Fay, the team moved up to Class 4A for its inaugural season.

About 90 players turned out for those earliest practices. Workouts began in May, and by the fall Fest had his team ready to go.

The team opened that season with a 7-6 loss to San Angelo Lake View. The next week, the Rams earned their first ever win, 35-6, over San Antonio St. Gerard.

Del Rio finished 5-5 that first season, adding wins against Kerrville Tivy, San

Antonio Lanier, San Antonio Memorial and rival Eagle Pass.

And thus the Rams legacy was born.

The 70’s Del Rio football had more ups than downs during the 1970’s.

The team had three seasons of eight wins or more and made its first appearance in the playoffs in 1973.

In 1973, the Rams finished the regular season 9-1 and won their first 32-4A district championship by way of a 20-9 victory at Eagle Pass in the regular season finale.

News-Herald file photo The backs of the Del Rio Rams helmets feature one of several sayings, reminding the team of what it needs to achieve victory

With the district title in hand, the Rams advanced to the playoffs where they would face San Antonio Churchill in the bi-district round. Del Rio got to host the playoff game in what was then known as Del Rio High Stadium, but the home field advantage proved to be more fiction than fact.

Led by four passing touchdowns from quarterback Ted Constanzo, the Chargers ended the Rams’ season, 35-7. Del Rio’s lone score came on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Mario Hernandez and subsequent extra point by Keith Stone.

The Rams’ overall record from 1972 to 1979 — 49 wins, 39 losses, 1 tie.

Playoff appearances – 1 Playoff wins - 0 The 80’s The 1980’s proved to be a rough time for the Del Rio Rams football program.

Fest was relieved of his coaching duties prior to the 1981 season, bringing an end

Contributed photo This was the coaching staff for the Del Rio Rams in the 1978-79 season. Pictured, from left, are Robert Chavira, Ronnie McFadin, head coach Claude Fest, John Kallinger and Buck Turk. Fest served as the last Del Rio Wildcats coach and the first Del Rio Rams coach.

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

25

News-Herald photo, file Ringing the victory bell, located on the all-weather track at Walter Levermann Ram Stadium, has been a tradition for the Rams for decades. The bell was cast by Henry McShane & Co. from Baltimore, Md., in 1884.

News-Herald photo, file Steve Heryford served as Rams head football coach for three years, leading the team to a 13-17 record in that time.

to the career of the longest-tenured head coach in the Rams’ history. He bridged the gap between the Del Rio Wildcats and Del Rio Rams programs and the players he coached, known as “Fest’s Pests,” still hold fond memories of the man.

Del Rio notched only one winning season between 1980 and 1989 and did not reach the postseason. The Rams continued to face tough competition from San Antonio schools such as Edgewood, Holmes, Marshall, Clark, Jay, Kennedy, Memorial and Taft.

By the end of the decade, Del Rio’s overall record featured more losses than wins, but help was on the horizon.

The Rams’ overall record from 1980 to 1989 — 35 wins, 63 losses, 1 tie.

Playoff appearances - 0 The 90’s In 1990 there was a big change in Del Rio Rams football.

Gone was head coach Dan Neuse. In his place, the San Felipe Del Rio CISD hired David Evans. It would be the beginning of

26

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

a golden era for Rams football.

Evans came to Del Rio after a stint as the defensive coordinator at Harlingen, which at the time was considered one of the best defenses in the state. His arrival was met with some pushback, especially when it was revealed he would be making $45,000, but he soon showed he was worth the money.

In addition to a new head coach, the Rams also had a new district to call home.

Del Rio was moved to District 29-5A, more commonly known as “the Laredo district”, where they would face off against Laredo schools Martin, United, Cigarroa and Nixon and longtime rivals Eagle Pass.

Evans coached six seasons in Del Rio, leading the Rams to the postseason three times during that period and garnering the Rams’ first district championship in 20 years when they claimed the crown in 1993.

The resurgence began in Evans’ first year as he guided the boys in blue to a 6-4 record and a bi-district round meeting with the Corpus Christi Carroll Tigers at San Antonio’s Northside Stadium.

Del Rio would fall to the Tigers, 26-7, but

the seeds of success were sewn.

The Rams reached the playoffs in 1992 and 1993, including the program’s first undefeated regular season, but both times Del Rio failed to make it out of the first round of the postseason.

Prior to the 1994-95 season, the Rams tasted redistricting again and were sent back to San Antonio’s Northside district, 28-5A, and pummeled to the tune of a 2-8 record.

Del Rio bounced back in 1995, going 7-3 and just missing the playoffs, but then came some of the darkest years in the Rams’ history.

After Evans left to take the head coaching at Donna, the district hired Joe George, a former college football coach at McMurry University, to take the reins.

Over the course of the next three seasons Del Rio went 1-29 with its only win coming in 1996 against Mexico’s Monterrey Tech.

The Rams would lose 25 consecutive games before beating Eagle Pass in the 1999 season opener.

George’s tenure ended after the 1998

season. In January, Eddie Baca was hired away from Elgin and became the newest leader of the Rams. Baca guided the Rams to a 5-5 mark, missing out on a chance at the playoffs by dropping their final two games of the 1999 season.

The Rams’ overall record from 1990 to 1999 — 42 wins, 58 losses.

Playoff appearances – 3 Playoff wins – 0 The 2000’s The new millennium brought three new head coaches, but an odd sense of stability for the Rams by decade’s end.

Baca didn’t call Del Rio home for long, lasting only one season before departing before the 2000 season to take the head coaching position at Pilot Point. Baca was out, and former Baca assistant coach Steve Heryford was in.

Heryford had the Rams on the brink of success, going 13-17 in three seasons, before leaving for greener pastures at San Angelo Central. That gave way for the first former Ram to become the program’s head coach.

Jesus “Jesse” Treviño was a lineman for the Rams in the early 1990’s, graduating from the school in 1992. He inherited a team that had a smaller roster and low turnout, leading to a tough tenure as head coach. Treviño served as head coach for four seasons – from 2003 to 2006 – and never won more than four games in a season. He resigned in the winter of 2006, leading to the arrival of one of the most successful coaches in the program’s history – Steve Hoffman.

Hoffman, an alumnus of the Texas Tech football program, came to Del Rio after serving as the defensive coordinator at Clemens High School. He slogged through one season as part of the Northside district before UIL delivered Del Rio back to the Laredo district and 29-5A. In 2008 Hoffman and his team went 6-4 and returned to the playoffs for the first time since the 1993-94 season. Though the Rams bowed out in the first round, falling to Mission Sharyland, 35-18, it was the beginning of one of the most successful runs of any Del Rio football program.

Hoffman cemented his legacy in 2009, guiding the Rams to an 8-2 record and a return to the playoffs. The Rams then made history by becoming the first team in the history of the program to win a playoff game, 31-7 over Donna. Del Rio would eventually reach the regional semifinals before being

Contributed photo Current Del Rio Rams assistant coach Nufie Rodriguez was the team’s star running back during the mid-90’s. He would set many of the school’s rushing records, which would stand for nearly 20 years.

Contributed photo Del Rio Rams quarterback Ray Barragan avoids a tackle during a game in the 1978-79 season.

knocked out by the Clark Cougars in the Alamodome.

The Rams’ overall record from 2000 to 2009 — 40 wins, 60 losses.

Playoff appearances – 2 Playoff wins – 2 The 2010’s This has been the most successful decade

the Rams have ever been a part of. Del Rio has had only one losing season thus far and has made the playoffs in all but one season since 2010.

Hoffman’s third round loss to Clark was the first of two regional semifinal appearances for the Rams during his tenure as head coach. Del Rio would reach the third round again in 2012, bowing out to San Antonio Brandeis, 63-7.

The 2012 season was Del Rio’s first season that resulted in a district championship since the 1993-94 season. It was also Hoffman’s final season as the Rams head coach as he departed in the summer of 2013 to become the new head coach at Corsicana.

In Hoffman’s absence, former Del Rio Rams star tailback Frenchey McCrea Jr. was named as the interim head coach prior to the start of the 2013 season. McCrea was left with a young and inexperienced team and they paid the price, going 3-7 and ending a playoff streak that had reached five consecutive seasons.

But McCrea weathered the storm and was named the official head coach before the 2014 season. He responded by leading the team to a 5-4 mark (one game was washed out due to heavy rains) and a bi-district playoff win over heavily-favored McAllen Memorial. The Rams were knocked out of the playoffs in the second round by Los Fresnos.

McCrea’s Rams captured the district crown in 2015 after an 8-2 season. They also reached the third round of the playoffs again, falling to Cibolo Steele in a memorable game at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos.

In 2016, the Rams made history by becoming the first team to win back-to-back district championships thanks to a 9-1 mark.

However, Del Rio was eliminated from the playoffs by Weslaco in the Area round.

The Rams’ overall record from 2010 to 2016 — 49 wins, 38 losses.

Playoff appearances – 6 Playoff wins – 7 The Rams have produced a variety of talented football players and players who have gone on to coach not just here but at various high schools and colleges as well. It’s a program that draws thousands of people of all ages to those Friday night lights in the fall and it’s a program that shows no signs of slowing down. As the school’s fight song says, “When high school days are gone, our love lives on and on!” •

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

27

Where Are They Now?

BEN HARTMAN

Photo by Brian Argabright, file Ben Hartman (87) congratulates teammate Gudelio Garza (22) after a touchdown score during the 2012-13 season. Hartman played on both the offensive and defensive lines during his two years as a member of the Del Rio Rams football team.

“

B

ig” Ben Hartman didn’t grow up in Del Rio, but he will forever call the Queen City home because of his love for the Del Rio High football program.

Hartman arrived in Del Rio in 2012 after his father was hired to work at Laughlin Air Force Base. He started playing football at Colorado Springs Christian School, calling it a “last minute choice.” “I needed something to do, and I needed something that challenged me. I found that with football.”

An award-winning player on both offense and defense, Hartman is now a senior at Fordham University who is nearing the end of his collegiate career both athletically and academically. Hartman said he plans on

28

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

Story and photos by BRIAN ARGABRIGHT

Contributed photo Ben Hartman is entering his third year as a starter on the offensive line for the Fordham University Rams. Hartman has played all four years for the Rams and is a preseason all-conference selection.

graduating with a double major in political science and sociology. After that, the sky’s the limit for the 6’ 5”, 289-pound offensive lineman. “I’m actively trying to join the Navy and if I have a good season I may have an opportunity at the NFL.” Name: Ben Hartman Seasons as a Ram: 2012-13, 2013-14 Positions played: Defensive end, defensive tackle, special teams, tight end, offensive tackle Greatest football moment: “My greatest football moment with the Rams? That’s easy, the whole time I was there. I honestly feel as though I never took a moment for granted and I loved every second I had as a Ram. I’ll always be a Ram at heart because I know what my time there meant to me; it

meant everything to me. It was all one big moment for me … every weight lifted, every goal or milestone I reached, every tackle I made or every note I took. It was all great.”

Lessons learned: “A lesson that I carry with me to this day is a lesson from Coach Steve Hoffman — he taught me, through football, that every day is a challenge that needs to be approached with the same, if not more, tenacity than the day before. If you don’t, and you let up for any moment, you can lose an opportunity, and opportunities for greatness don’t present themselves often, and you don’t know when they’re going to present themselves. That’s why you need to attack every single day with the mindset that this, right now, is your opportunity to achieve something great.” •

Where Are They Now?

JOE FRANK MARTINEZ

Joe Frank Martinez then.

V

al Verde County Sheriff Jose Francisco “Joe Frank” Martinez has carried the lessons he learned on the gridiron into the harsh realities of law enforcement.

Martinez played varsity football for the Del Rio High School Rams during their 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons.

“In the 1973 season, in my junior year, I played tight end, and an individual got hurt, and I was thrust into the starting job. In my senior year, I played tight end on offense and on defense I played linebacker, defensive halfback,” Martinez said.

In his career, Martinez also played as a member of several teams, all of them in

Story by KAREN GLEASON

Joe Frank Martinez today.

the local law enforcement community.

He began his law enforcement career with the Del Rio Police Department, where he served for four-and-a-half years, then moved to the Texas Department of Public Safety, where he served 25 years.

After his retirement, he was elected sheriff of Val Verde County in 2008 and has been serving the community in that position since January 2009.

Martinez said this is the best memory of his football playing days: “We were the first class after consolidation (of the Del Rio and San Felipe school districts), we went the first four years, starting out as freshmen. The growing pains that we had to overcome,

combining the San Felipe Mustangs and the Del Rio Wildcats into the Del Rio Rams, and there was disorder in the school. There were fights. We had kids from the Del Rio side and the San Felipe side, but we came together as a team, and I give credit for that to Coach McFadden.

There was a goal to be accomplished, and we all had to come together to make it happen,” he said.

The sheriff said there are a number of lessons he learned on the playing field.

“Some of the lessons are that hard work pays off. Don’t give up. You develop friendships, you sweat together, you bleed together, you cry together, you win together,” he said. •

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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31

Where Are They Now?

COWBOY SANCHEZ

Photo by Brian Argabright, file Juan Jose “Cowboy” Sanchez (34) celebrates with teammates following Del Rio’s Area round win over Edinburgh in 2009. It was the Rams’ first ever second-round win and sent the Rams to the regional semifinals.

N

early 10 years later, Juan Jose Sanchez Jr. is known by one simple name — “Cowboy.”

The former Del Rio Rams linebacker, known for his hard hits and butterfly restrictor that jutted out from the top of his shoulder pads, Sanchez anchored the Rams defense and was part of the group that helped the team return to the playoffs after a 15-year absence in 2008.

Now, Sanchez works as a material expeditor at Laughlin Air Force Base. He also helps mold the next generation of Del Rio Rams as an assistant coach for the Longhorns of the Del Rio Youth Football

32

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

Story and photos

by BRIAN ARGABRIGHT

Photo by Brian Argabright Juan Jose “Cowboy” Sanchez Jr. played three years for the Del Rio Rams as a linebacker. He is now employed at Laughlin Air Force Base, but he continues to be a part of the game he loves by serving as an assistant coach with the Longhorns of the Del Rio Youth Football and Cheer League.

and Cheer League. This will be his fourth year as an assistant coach for the league he himself played in.

Name: Juan Jose “Cowboy” Sanchez Jr. Seasons as a Ram: 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 Positions played: middle linebacker, outside linebacker Greatest football moment: “My favorite football moment were the playoffs and hitting everybody. The first time we made it in 2008-09, but we lost in the first round.

But in 2009-10 is when we went pretty far.”

Lessons learned: “I really emphasize to the kids about their studies. I make

all the kids bring me their report cards.

That’s what my mom emphasized to me. I tell them, when you get older if you don’t pass, you don’t play. Had one cousin, he’s going to seventh grade, and he was kind of messing up and I made him do his homework every day. I tell the kids that if they don’t know what’s going on in class to ask questions. No matter what – in football or in the classroom or at work – if you don’t know, just ask. There’s no sense in making yourself look like a fool by not knowing.

I’ve had parents tell me their kids are doing really well in school and if they don’t, then it’s running at practice.”•

Where Are They Now?

DOMINGO REYES

Story and photos by BRIAN ARGABRIGHT

F

or Domingo Reyes, football has been a part of his life since his youth.

The former Del Rio Rams linebacker began his love for the sport playing with the Garfield Cowboys of the original youth football league in Del Rio under former coach Bobby DeLeon.

After his high school playing days ended, Reyes decided to give back to the game he loved by becoming a coach in the youth football league.

Now, Reyes, the owner of Reyes and Sons Hauling and Backhoe Service, is ready to begin his 22nd season as a coach and 21st as head coach of the league’s Longhorns.

Name: Domingo Reyes Seasons as a Ram: 1990-91, 199192, 1992-93 Positions played: Right guard, weakside linebacker Greatest football moment: “My favorite football moment was hosting the playoff game here my senior year (1992 vs. Corpus Christi King). The best part about it all was just all the friendships, the bonds that we made with all these guys.

We still stay in touch. Even after all these years, all those friendships, all the people we’ve met … we still stay in contact.”

Lessons learned: “Mental toughness. Discipline. That plays a big role in everyday life. Learning how to work with others. Face adversity. If something doesn’t go your way you just don’t shut down … keep going forward and push through it. That’s a good thing that we tell the young kids here that we coach. If things don’t go your way all the time don’t give up. Keep pushing forward. That’s where all the mental toughness kicks in.” •

Photo by Brian Argabright Domingo Reyes, head coach of the Longhorns of the Del Rio Youth Football and Cheer League, checks the shoulder pads of Kenneth Alexander. Reyes played three years for the Del Rio Rams and is now entering his 22nd year as a youth football coach.

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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35

Where Are They Now?

ELOY GLORIA

Eloy Gloria now.

E

loy Gloria took the lessons he learned playing football and other sports and molded them into a life working to help Del Rio’s young people.

A soft-spoken man with an easy smile, Gloria has been a juvenile probation officer in Del Rio for 27 years. Before that, he was a counselor for the city of Del Rio’s youth counseling center off Las Vacas Street.

“I’ve made a career out of trying to help the youth of our community get on the straight and narrow,” Gloria said.

Gloria played varsity football as a member of the Del Rio High School Rams during the 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons.

“In my junior year, I was backup tight end to Joe Frank Martinez, and in my senior year, I moved over to the offensive

36

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

Story by KAREN GLEASON

Eloy Gloria then, #75 at left.

line as an offensive tackle. We lost all of our horses, so to speak, up in the front line that year so the coaches asked me if I didn’t have any problems with that, and I’m a team player, so I said yes,” Gloria said.

He talked about his best memory from those days as a Ram. “The highlight – and I played football from seventh grade through 12th grade – was winning district my junior year in ’73’74 and getting to play a home playoff game here in Ram Stadium against the Churchill Chargers from San Antonio. My fondest, fondest memory came the following year, in my senior year, in the last game of the season, our homecoming game against Eagle Pass, when we were able to walk away off that field for the last time suited

up as Rams, victorious. We beat them 100,” Gloria recalled.

“That game stands out because it was our last game, and the (Eagles) were our rivals from down the road . . . We had lost a lot of seniors and all-district players that year, so we almost had a brand-new team, and it was gratifying to walk off that field and feel so proud,” he added.

What lessons did football teach that he’s carried with him?

“Not only football, but sports in general, taught me about discipline and responsibility and a sense of trying to be a team player, doing whatever is needed, filling in, to get the job or mission accomplished.” •

Where Are They Now?

REAGAN FAGAN

Reagan Fagan then.

R

eagan Fagan says he still remembers the adrenaline, the feeling of walking out onto the field just before the start of the game.

Fagan played varsity for the Del Rio High School Rams in 1986-87 and in 1987-88.

“I was a running back for the first four games of my junior year, and then I was placed into the quarterback position, and I played in that position

Story by KAREN GLEASON

Reagan Fagan now.

the rest of the year. I was the quarterback in my senior year,” Fagan said.

Today, Fagan still calls Del Rio home, but his work as a senior rightof-way agent for GMP Land, a San Antonio-based company that acquires rights-of-way for pipeline companies, often takes him out of town.

“What stands out in my memory is just walking out onto the field, the adrenaline,” Fagan said.

Fagan said there are a number of lessons he learned on the playing field that he still carries with him.

“Teamwork and learning how to manage people, the way you talk to your players in the huddle. I learned about constructive criticism, how to give it and how to take it. There was no individualism when we played, everybody was on the same level, there were no prima donnas,” he said. •

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

37

Where Are They Now?

ROWLAND GARZA

Contributed photo Rowland Garza, a 1996 graduate of Del Rio High, helped organize the first Del Rio Rams Alumni football game earlier this year. Garza worked with Gridiron Glory to bring the game to fruition.

Y

ou may not know the name Rowland Garza, but if you’ve attended any Rams football games for the last decade then you definitely know his voice.

Garza, a three-year member of the Rams football team, is entering his 17th year as the public address announcer at Walter Levermann Ram Stadium, home to the Del Rio High School Rams.

But being the public voice of the Rams is just one of the many hats Garza wears.

He’s the public information officer and emergency management coordinator for Val Verde County, is the sales manager and sports director for MBM Radio, and is going on his second term as a member of the Del Rio City Council.

Like many former, and current Rams,

38

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

Story by BRIAN ARGABRIGHT

Contributed photo Rowland Garza, a three-year member of the Del Rio Rams football team, is entering his 17th year as the public address announcer at Walter Levermann Ram Stadium, home of the Rams.

Garza got his start in Del Rio’s youth football league, playing with the Buena Vista Longhorns.

Name: Rowland Garza Seasons as a Ram: 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96 Positions played: Running back, punt returner, kickoff returner, cornerback, free safety Greatest football moment: “The biggest thing was the jump from the Laredo district to the Northside district our junior year. There were a lot of expectations following that 10-0 team … that year we went to San Antonio. Going 2-8 was really an eye opener. We lost to Marshall by two points and we lost another game just barely. We gelled as a team, so our senior year we were beating up on some of

those teams in San Antonio, like Holmes and John Jay. We could have made the playoffs but we lost to Marshall by one point. We went 7-3 our senior year.”

Lessons learned: “Back then, the biggest thing I learned was you got what you put in. If you worked hard you would see results. If you didn’t … well that was on you. I learned a lot of personal responsibility and work ethic.

Coach David Evans, the coach at the time, demanded a lot from his players. He dared us to be great. I wasn’t always the biggest guy, in fact, 9 out of 10 times I was probably the smallest guy on the field, so I had to work extra hard, but I learned that mental toughness doesn’t equal your size and I could accomplish whatever I wanted to if I put my mind to it.” •

Where Are They Now?

SID CAUTHORN

Sid Cauthorn then.

I

n one of his high school yearbooks, Sid Cauthorn is quoted as saying that playing football prepared him – “mentally and physically” – for life.

Today, Cauthorn, chief executive officer of The Bank & Trust and president of Westex-Bancorp, Inc., the company that owns The Bank & Trust, said he is still known as “the sports guy.”

Cauthorn played varsity football for the Del Rio High School Rams in 197778, 1978-79 and 1979-80. His positions included quarterback, cornerback and outside linebacker.

Cauthorn said he has many happy memories from his Ram days, and most of them don’t involve big games or

Story by KAREN GLEASON

Sid Cauthorn now.

miracle plays.

“I coach a seven-on-seven team, and I’ve tried to teach the kids the same kind of fellowship and camaraderie that I had. One of my best memories is sitting in the locker room with Coach Claude Fest was giving a chalk talk, and Raymond Rose put Icy Hot in Keith Lamb’s jock strap and when he put it on, he started jumping around like crazy.

It was hilarious, and that’s the kind of stuff I remember: the locker room. the bus rides, the pre-game, the hailstones falling down on our helmets and practice being canceled,” Cauthorn recalled with a chuckle.

The lessons he learned on the field,

though, have lasted a lifetime.

Cauthorn said, “I’m known at bank as being ‘the sports guy.’ We support everything – the robotics team, the mariachis team, but I’m a sports guy, and the reason I love sports and love to support our teams is because I believe sports help young men and women become better people, to compete and strive for something. You learn that not everything is going to be given to you.

In sports, you learn to keep grinding and work hard for what you want. I believe that’s what entrepreneurship and freedom really means, and that manifests itself in sports more so than in any other segment of our society.” •

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Spirited Supporters Meet two of Del Rio’s Rams biggest fans

Janel, a senior, and Kaitlyn, a junior, will both cheer for Del Rio High School’s varsity cheer team this year. Both girls have cheered throughout their lives and are excited to get the school year started.

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Kaitlyn Katz, DRHS junior and varsity cheerleader, was recently named cheerleader of the month by the national cheerleading apparel company Chasse.

Katz said she used her experience coming from a military family to develop her platform for the contest.

“I felt like there were two things that were always the same: my church and cheerleading,” she said. “No matter where I was, I was home and doing what I love.”

Although she didn’t announce to her DRHS cheer coach Kayla Lopez right away, Katz eventually shared her achievement, which thrilled her coach.

“She’s a good representative,” Lopez said. “She’s a well rounded young lady and it’s a well-deserved award. Everything she projects in and out of cheer is just awesome.”

After graduating high school in 2019, Katz said she hopes to participate in collegiate cheer at BYU. She’s debating whether she wants pursue a career in the medical field or follow in her father’s footsteps and become a pilot for the U.S. Air Force. •

Janel, a DRHS senior, smiles in her uniform on the 50-yard line at Walter Levermann Ram Stadium.

Kaitlyn poses on the bleachers with her pom poms and megaphone at Walter Levermann Ram Stadium. In June, she was named Chasse’s cheerleader of the month.

Janel Meza, Del Rio High School senior, varsity cheerleader and team captain hopeful, began cheering when she was 7 years-old and hasn’t skipped a day since.

“I immediately fell in love with it,” Meza said. “Ever since then it’s been cheer nonstop.”

In addition to cheering throughout elementary, middle and high school, Meza, 17, has also participated with the Amistad Eagles, a local competitive team. She also coaches for The Chiefs, a Del Rio peewee cheer squad.

Cheer not only pumps up the crowd during a big game, but it helps bring out the best in people, Meza said.

“The attributes it gives you helps you become a leader, a good friend, and a team player,” Meza said. “It’s a sport that definitely brings out the best in you.”

After graduation, Meza said she plans to join the coast guard and pursue a career in the medical field. Although graduation will mark the end of Meza’s cheer career, she said she’s looking forward to exploring new ventures.

“It’s bittersweet but I’m exited to go through a different journey,” she said. “I’m stepping out of my comfort zone a little bit but I’m excited for it.” • GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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Kaitlyn shows us why she’s made the varsity cheer team two years in a row. In addition to cheer, Kaitlyn plans to participate in track and student council this school year.

After graduation, Kaitlyn in 2019 and Janel in 2018, both girls are considering joining the military and possibly pursuing medical careers.

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Janel wears a women’s Rams jersey while Kaitlyn sports a Rams blue t-shirt. Both tops can be found at T-Shirts Etc. located at 805 Veterans Blvd.

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20 THINGS

You Didn’t Know About

Daniel A. “Danny” Chavira Jr. Former San Felipe Middle School teacher, counselor, assistant principal Story and photos by MEGAN TACKETT & KAREN GLEASON

D

anny Chavira knows Del Rio and, more specifically, the history of the Barrio de San Felipe, the south Del Rio neighborhood where he was raised. Growing up during a time of segregation, Chavira played football for San Felipe High School alongside NFL running back Sidney Blanks and went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education before returning to Del Rio for good. Though retired after decades as a teacher and administrator, Chavira stills works as a counselor for the federal court system and spends his time educating anyone who is interested about the rich history of San Felipe.

He participated in Del Rio’s inaugural little league “We were the very beginning of the little league. (Our coaches) Mr. Bowers, Mr. Ritter, Mr. Crosby, all these people were really great at keeping kids involved, out of trouble

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and playing together. We had the whites over here, Hispanics over here and African-Americans over here, but they were all playing together.

We didn’t look at brown, white or black, we just played baseball.”

He graduated from San Felipe High School in 1960 “We did really well. We never stopped going to school and doing school work, or else we wouldn’t be able to play.”

Sidney Blanks convinced him to attend Texas A&I University “Sid had gone to play football at A&I. He’s the one who encouraged me to go there. I studied P.E. and history. We had a fine time playing for the Javelinas.”

Playing sports led him to a career in education “I decided to go into education because of sports. I guess because I spent so much time doing it, because we did sports after school, during school, on weekends. It seemed like I was always there.

We had that on our minds all the time. Sports and seeing teachers in the community, how they always made us feel important.”

He fondly remembers the start of his career “My first job after college was at the Edgewood Independent School District (in San Antonio) doing a career opportunities program in which we encouraged all the kids to think about going on to college.

More than anything, we focused on emphasizing the scholarship opportunities available for them. I would tell them, ‘Hey, there is all this money out there just waiting for you.’”

Education runs in the family “My brother Ricardo Chavira is also a retired teacher. He moved from Del Rio to Austin and spent his career teaching there.”

He’s got a soft spot for dogs I have pitties. Pitbulls. I have a mom, a dad and a daughter. Chica, Chico and Blacky. They’re ok dogs.

Working hard runs in the family Three of my sisters were licensed vocational nurses, the late Mary Rodriguez, Dolores Abrego and Terry Barrera. My sister Leticia

– Letty – Hernandez is a retired office worker. My sister Cecil Simmons is a cosmetologist. My sister Socorro Torres is a teacher.

He had happy feet in high school We would go the dances and salsa, rhumba. We might drink a little before hand. We had a good time.

His summers were not for leisure My whole family was migrant workers. We did the strawberries, cabbage, grapes when we traveled to Gilroy, Calif., and in San Jose, Calif., we worked apricots, pears, peaches and cherries. We also worked in Wyoming and Wisconsin. We did this for several months each year. It was my dad and my mom, me, my brother Ricardo and my sisters Socorro, Letty, Cecil and Terry. We did well, and we didn’t think of it as a really hard life. We just didn’t look at it that way at the time. We did all this before school started.

Despite hardships, he holds his childhood in high regard “We had great time growing up here in Del Rio, in spite of discrimination and the lack of work and the economics, we did well. The people did well.”

He’s a local history buff The San Felipe Barrio was named for Saint Phillips. A lot of my friends said, “We always thought Pilar Garza named it San Felipe,” but it was before Pilar Garza.

He’s interested in the community “When I hear something interesting or something that piques my interest, I’ll go to city council or commissioners court meeting. I have been to the city council meeting to hear about the animal shelter. I think the doggies

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45

need a place to live. People need to take care of their animals.”

He even wrote a short research paper “I wrote a two page earlier this year about the history of San Felipe. I pass them around. This is the real story of San Felipe.”

He was a well-rounded high school athlete We participated and did what we could. Baseball, football, track and basketball not that we were that good it was a lack of personnel. “Hey, we need people here to complete the team” That’s what kept us occupied.

He received his master’s from St. Mary’s in San Antonio “At the time if you were teaching, you could get your master’s degree for free. So that’s what I did.”

Self-esteem was stronger than racism and bigotry “The competition that we had in our barrio meant that we were never discouraged. We used to play all these other schools, but we had our self-esteem, our self-image, our respect for one another, no matter what our race. We learned this from a very early age in our little league program, where we played with and against each other. Playing together and winning together and, at times, losing together, made us mentally stronger than the racism.”

He remembers those who cheered him on “I credit at least part of our success as athletes from the barrio to former Del Rio NewsHerald Sports Editor Carl Guys. He gave us an importance, making us feel valuable, making us feel human through his column, ‘Guys Guff’ and his reports on all the games. We’re where we are today because of people like that.”

He’s still working “Currently, I do counseling for probationers going through the U.S. Probation Office here in Del Rio and for the pre-trial services division, for persons who have been convicted but not sentenced. I am a licensed chemical dependency counselor.”

He’s a Capricorn “But I don’t think too much about that kind of stuff.” •

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1

treet 15th S

5

t Stree 10th

levard u o B s n a r Vete

Del Rio, Tx

11

12

s St East Gibb

ue n e v A l l e Bed

Happy Hour 4-7 1/2 Price Appetizers College Games - Saturday NFL Games - Sunday

Wear Ram’s Shirt on Game Day Get 10% Off

1

All Day Buffet!

7

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103 GARNER DR

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

Happy Hour 4-7 1/2 Price Select Apps After 10pm College Sat • NFL Sunday 8

2

202 E. GIBBS ST

2205 VETERANS BLVD

2114 VETERANS BLVD

All weekend Football Special Large 2 Topping Pizza, Small Salad and 2 Drinks $20 9

2409 VETERANS BLVD

3

3600 VETERANS BLVD

NFL Summer Bar Special All Day Sunday

10

2415 VETERANS BLVD

2 7

Cantu Road Bedell Avenue

13

8

Braddie Drive

6

3 9

4

Veterans Boulevard

10

14

WHERE TO WATCH

It’s game day! Throw on your jersey, rally the crew and hit up one or more of Del Rio’s local viewing hot spots. Match the number with the location to learn who has the game and where you can find the best specials.

3-7p.m. Happy Hour NFL Sunday Special $2 Dom $3 Prem 4

3806 VETERANS BLVD

2-4p.m.

Happy Hour

5

1510 E. GIBBS ST

20 Boneless 4 Flavors, 2 Fries, 2 Drinks $20

615 E. GIBBS ST

6

2177 VETERANS BLVD

1-7p.m.

Happy Hour NFL Sun Special

College Sat • NFL Sun

11

4-7p.m. Happy Hour Free Apps 5:30-6:30 while supplies last!

Licensed Franchisee of Sonic Inc.

12

600 N BEDELL AVE

13

2101 DODSON AVE

Football Weekend Special Premium Rib Fri-Sun 14

330 BRADDIE DR

GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2017

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