Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame 2009

Making MeM ories, Today

When it was founded in 1985, the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame immediately became a repository of history and memory, with the goal of honoring a select group of the area’s best athletes for their performance.

The brainchild of a handful of Valley greats from sports and media, the Hall inducted its first class in 1988 and has been bringing luminaries of the local sportsworld together annually ever since. Over 175 men and women who made a name for themselves in high school and beyond are enshrined in the Hall, with an average of six to seven joining the august body of outstanding sports figures each summer

The board of directors and selection committee construct a list of several dozen athletes to vote on each year, collecting information on each one and weighing their contributions under a number of criteria. There are coaches, officials, administrators and media on the list, as well as ballplayers, in recognition of the fact that without this important support crew, the games and players themselves would not mean nearly as much.

While the honor list is heavy with football stars from the past–understandable in a pigskin-crazy environment like the Valley–the organization has made a concerted push in recent years to give credit and glory to candidates from all sports, and members have also focused on uncovering the stories of the notable female sports stars through history.

Now nearing its 25th year of existence, the Hall continues to evolve, with a brandnew Web site on the way for September ‘09 and a full-color RGV Sports Hall of Fame commemorative book scheduled to be ready for the induction ceremony of 2010.

The long-range goal of the organization is to find a permanent physical home for the Hall, from which to display memorabilia plus intermittent and permanent exhibits, and to have a venue to use for hosting events.

As we look forward to the latest gathering, and listening to the stories of the seven new enshrinees June 19 in Donna, the Hall of Fame wishes to thank all Valley athletes and fans for contributing to the growth and popularity of the organization.

Preserving the history of the area’s games is our business, and we do it gladly.

2009 Induction Ceremony

Co-founders: Pikey Rodriguez, Thomas Esparza, Ph.D., and E.C. Lerma—founding president.

RGV SPORTS HALL OF FAME

Letter from the president.....

Congratulations to our 2009 class of seven inductees! We are proud to have three very successful football coaches, one record-setting football & track star, two All-American baseball players from Pan American University (UTPA), along with a former great P-S-J-A catcher who played in the Chicago Cubs organization. We also want to congratulate our 2009 Distinguished Service Award recipient, Dr. Ben Garza, who has generously and unselfishly given thousands and thousands of volunteer hours to the youth who enjoy sports throughout the Edinburg area. These seven new inductees will compliment the 175 other men and women who have been inducted into the RGV Sports Hall of Fame over the past 21 years.

For those of you who use the Internet and want to keep up with current events from the RGVSHOF, please watch for our revised Web site that will be totally updated by September of this year. New photos and bios will be added along with many “links” to other interesting sports web sites. The Class of 2010 inductees will be announced there by Nov. 1. Visit: RGVSportsHALLofFame.org

For now, let’s enjoy the memories and stories of these seven men from the Class of 2009.

Sincerely,

RGV

Sports Hall of Fame, President 2008-2010

special Thanks

Biography writer: Dr. Greg Selber

Design work: Dr. Kimberly Selber

Portraits, Jesse Garcia: Classic Images Portrait Studio - Pharr

Video work: Jose Luis Cano - Edinburg

Flowers donated by Michael Allen’s Flowers & Gifts - McAllen

To MM y cox Football

La Feria High School, ‘77 The University of Texas, Austin

The best in a long line of Cox Boys at La Feria, Tommy Cox rushed for over 1,000 yards three times from 1974 to 1977 and ended his high school career as the Valley’s all-time leading rusher at the time and fifth statewide in Class 2A. Also a state-meet qualifier in track and field, the 175-pounder romped for 217 yards against Los Fresnos as a sophomore, after having gained 656 as a freshman. He amassed 1,459 as a junior and then 1,946 as a senior with 22 touchdowns, leading the Lions to their first playoff appearance since 1937. He had four 200-yards games that season, made the All-State unit, and played in the state high school all-star game.

Cox went on to play for The University of Texas, seeing action in the 1978 Sun Bowl, and later did a stint with the San Antonio Gunslingers of the USFL.

peT e Bazan

Baseball

P-SJ-A High School, ‘77 Chicago Cubs

He advanced as far as almost any Valley native, playing 274 games in the American minor leagues and playing AAA ball in parts of two seasons. A lefthanded swinger who starred as a catcher for P-SJ-A High School (Class of 1977), Pete Bazan was a minor league teammate of several future major leaguers from 1979 to 1982, including future American League MVP Willie Hernandez.

Bazan was a three-time All-District player for the Bears and two-time AllConference selection at Central Arizona College. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs on the 6th round in 1979, and played at the highest level of the minors with Wichita and Iowa. After his American minor league career, the Valley native became an All-Star in the Mexican League.

In 10 seasons as a pro, Bazan compiled a gaudy .309 career batting average. He drove in 46 runs for Salinas (California League) in 1982.

sonny deTM eir

Coach, Football Mission High School ‘89-‘98

Besides producing two sons who played in the NFL, Sonny Detmer was an outstanding Valley football coach who is still active in the game today. A standout wide receiver at Wharton Community College in the early 1960s, Detmer went on to play for the semi-pro San Antonio Toros before getting into coaching at Somerset, from 1971 to 1977. He led SA Southwest and future Heisman winner son Ty to much success in the 1980s before coming to Mission in 1989. There, he won 68 of 100 games with the Eagles, with second son Koy making All-State at quarterback. Mission went 12-2 in 1990, advancing to the Class 5A state semifinals, and then 11-1 the next year. In all, Detmer ruddered the school to five playoff trips with his complex, passhappy attack, leaving Mission in 1997 to return to the San Antonio area. He’s now back at Somerset.

To MM y ro B erTs

Coach, Football

Port Isabel High School ‘78-‘81 San Benito High School ‘87-‘95

He resurrected the San Benito Greyhounds for their first playoff trip since 1961, in 1990, not surprising considering that Tommy Roberts was a winner wherever he went.

A high school football star for Leander, Roberts played for Southwest Texas State in the early 1960s and got his first head coaching job at Round Rock in 1967. He enjoyed five successful years there and then five more, with four playoff teams—at Freer—before setting the state on fire at Port Isabel, as the Tarpons were an amazing 47-4-1 from 1978 to 1981, reaching the state semifinals in 1981 before losing to Cameron Yoe, 2514.

He later coached running backs for the San Antonio Gunslingers in the USFL for two seasons before returning to the Valley to lead the Greyhounds for 10 campaigns. His innovative wide-open offense turned a dormant program around at San Benito.

Roberts’ career record is 189-77-10.

hecTor salinas

Baseball, Player & Coach

Corpus Christi Miller & Moody

Texas A&M-Kingsville

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

After a stellar baseball career, he transitioned into coaching and administration, and became known as a program pioneer. Hector Salinas started three college baseball programs from scratch and was a highly successful athletic director to round out his resume.

Born in Elsa, Salinas was a standout pitcher who led Corpus Christi Carroll to its first district crown, in 1961. He lettered at Pan America University from 1965 to 1968 and was an All-American in 1967.

Returning to the Valley, Salinas built the fledgling baseball outfit at Texas Southmost College, staying for seven years before moving on to lead diamond groups at Laredo Junior College and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Always an expert organizer and motivator, Salinas is one of the founding fathers of baseball in South Texas, a man who starred in the game and then devoted his efforts to developing talented players and programs.

reggie Tredaway

Baseball, Player & Coach

Pan American University ‘69-‘71 Pan American Coach ‘74-‘02

He is perhaps the most recognizable name in Valley baseball, after a 30-year career that saw him lead the Pan American Broncs to the College World Series and later spend over two decades at the university as a coach.

Reggie Tredaway was an All-American infielder who transferred to PAU from Sul Ross; from 1969 to 1971 he was a mainstay on the team that eventually went all the way to the Series in 1971. A clutch hitter who had nine game-winning hits in 1971, Tredaway made a spectacular catch against Harvard in the Series that is still talked about.

He became long-time assistant coach to Al Ogletree, his college mentor, and in 1997 replaced Coach Al at the helm of the Broncs. Tredaway managed the team for five seasons before giving way to ’71 teammate Willie Gawlik, and later coached the pro Edinburg Roadrunners with son Chad as manager.

lu M wrigh T

Coach, Football

Edcouch-Elsa, ‘57-‘59 Mission, ‘60-‘68

One of the nation’s legendary football leaders, Elbert “Lum” Wright played football and baseball at Mississippi College in the late 1940s and then proceeded to win 361 lifetime games in a 45-year span that ended with his being elected to the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame.

Wright won 23 of 30 games with Edcouch-Elsa from 1957 to 1959, and the Yellowjackets went 10-1 and won the district title in ’59. He went to Mission, where in eight seasons he won a pair of league titles before coaching Gilmer in East Texas for two seasons and then returning to his native Mississippi in 1974.

Wright was a seven-time Coach of the Year who fashioned six undefeated seasons and had two 27-game winning streaks as a coach. A member of five different Halls of fame, Wright retired in 2000 as No. 9 in all-time wins nationwide.

disT inguished service award dr. Ben garza

Dr. Ben L. Garza has been practicing medicine in Edinburg for 39 years, after graduating from the UT College of Pharmacy in 1961 and UT Medical School Branch in Galveston.

He joined Edinburg Medical Center and has served as team doctor for the UTPA Broncs since 1985 and the Edinburg School District teams since 1980.

Besides his medical career, “Dr. Ben” has been active in the community as Edinburg School Board trustee, Hidalgo County health officer, and medical director for the UTPA Physician Assistant Program. He has served on a number of state boards and is a full colonel (retired) after 20 years in the Texas National Guard.

Garza won the highest Boy Scout leadership honor, the Silver Beaver Award in 1985, was named Man of the Year by the American Heart Association in 2000, and was tabbed Doctor of the Year by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2008.

• Past Distinguished Service Award Recipients

1995 Glenn Roney, McAllen

1996 Roy Gonzalez, McAllen

1997 Robert Valadez, Mission

1998 Othal Brand, McAllen

1999 Joe Ochoa, Edinburg

2000 Irma Elizondo, Pharr

2001 Herman Keillor, MD, Harlingen

2002 Greg LaMantia, McAllen

2003 Val LaMantia-Piesen, McAllen

2003 Jorge Salcines, McAllen

2004 A.C. Jaime, Pharr

2005 Charlie Isbell, Brownsville

2006 Joe Ayala, Harlingen

2007 Bill Guthrie, Harlingen

2008 Larry Pressler, McAllen

inducT ees By class year

The class of 2010 will B e announced noveMB er 1, 2009

on our weB si T e rgvsporTs halloffa M e.org

• 1988 •

Alaniz, Leo Najo †

Davis, C.W. “Napper” †

Landry, Tom †

Morrow, Bobby

Williams, Charlie

Williams, Sam

• 1989 •

Beaudry, Charles, Ph.D. †

Boyle, C.L. “Smokey” †

Cannon, Bobby †

Creasey, George †

Heald, Dessie †

Lawrence, Jimmy †

Lerma, E.C. †

Lohr, Larry †

Ogletree, Al

Scott, Earl

• 1990 •

Brooks, Jim †

Farris, Bill †

Lackey, Bobby

Rodriguez, Camilo Sr. †

Stephens, Jerry †

Stromeyer, George Jr. †

Stromeyer, George Sr. †

Watkins, Mary F.

• 1991 •

Cavazos, Max †

Esparza, Thomas, Ph.D. †

McMurtry, Paul J. †

Peña, Bernardo †

Ply, Bobby

Rodriguez, Joe A.

Silver, Gene

Uhlaender, Ted †

• 1992 •

Davis, Gilly †

Flores, R.C. “Fito” †

Flores, Richard

Gorges, Matt

Martin, Robert L. “Bob” †

Thomas, Amilda, Ph.D. †

West, Tom

Zavaletta, Gus

• 1993 •

Bloomfield, Jack

Conner, M.F. “Red” †

Garcia, Roy

Garza, Eleuterio

Mosqueda, David

Robie, Glen †

Stewart, Ray

Vest, George †

Wright, Jim †

• 1994 •

Evans, Norm

Hirst, Gerald

Hudson, Jim

Longhofer, Jesse

McKone, Jim

Sauceda, Dora †

Smith, Frank Jr.

Villarreal, Eliseo †

Zamora, Guadalupe “Chipper”

• 1995 •

Ayala, Ernesto

Cantu, Ramon O. †

Cleckler, Mary Jeanne

Drew, Tom

Estevis, Camilo

Guerrero, Oton “Tony”

Jackson, Lucious “Luke”

Parker, Lloyd • 1996 •

Casso, Teresa

Etnire, Stanley †

Garza, Leo Jr. †

Helms, J.W. †

Helms, Jim

Leal, Alex

Pedraza, Luz

Reichert, Tommy

• 1997

Cantu, Juanita M. †

Conover, Brooks W. †

Cortez, Robert

Flores, Adrian †

Labar, Wayne †

Platt, Jimmy

Rabke, Mary Lee, Ph.D.

Stevenson, W.M. “Buster” †

• 1998 •

Butler, Tony †

Esquivel, Carlos †

Hernandez, Alfredo “Boxer” †

Levermann, Margaret †

Levine, Lewis Milton “Lew”

Nixon, Charles M. †

Soza, Guadalupe “Lupe”

Ward, Al

• 1999

Butler Kalencki, Jeanie

Crane, Corky

Garcia, Gonzalo †

Martinez, Carmen G.

Ramsey, Jody †

Rivas, Homero, M.D.

Sanchez, Sr., Joe R. †

Vela, Efraim

White, Howard A. “Andy”

• 2000 •

Avila, Celestino Z., M.D.

Guerra, Jesus “Chuy”

Leal Garcia, Felipe

Lerma, John

Maldonado, Frank “Pancho”

Rodriguez, B.R. “Poppy”

Vela, Ernesto V.

Woodson Winston, Teresa †

• 2001

Clark, Margaret M. †

LaGrange, Charles

Levermann, Gerald “Dutch”

Nyquist, Larry

Owens, Carl

Rodriguez, Pablo “Pikey”

Salazar, Dolores

Villarreal, Vic †

Weekley, Tom

• 2005

Barbosa, Tony

Castillo, Juan

Denson, Don

Gonzalez, Paula

Hall, James C. “Red”

Houghtaling, Jim †

Lugo, Alfredo

Rodriguez, Hesiquio “Zeke”

Wise, Steve

Zamarripa, Nora

Aranda, Olga

Avila, Alfredo

Canul, Guadalupe

Gerlicki, Joseph †

Hinojosa, Rene Manuel †

Martinez, Homer Sr.

Moxley, Paul

Rodriguez, Camilo “Bucky”

Shuford, John Albert “Lefty”

• 2003

Avila, Richard

Capello, Robert

Coleman, Bert †

Crafts, Willie

Raders, John

Salinas, Lupe

Villegas, Ramiro

Williams, D. Joe

• 2004 •

Anzaldua, Amador “Mayo”†

Balducci, Roxanne

Capello, Juan J., M.D.

Edwards, Freddie Allen

Gonzalez, Rogelio “Roy”†

Harbour, Todd

Hollingsworth, Hank

Mims, John

Vasquez, David

Vaughan, Charlie

• 2006

Barker - Davis, Rochelle

Field, Jackie †

Garza, Gil

Garza, Leonel G.

Garza, Meme

Garza, Rene G.

McLish, Rachel

Rodriguez, Amador †

Spoonemore, Carl

• 2007

Alvarez, Arnie †

Longoria, Sylvia

Pompa, Eliseo

Solis, Merced

Torres, Rene

Villarreal - Johnson, Magda

• 2008

Corona, Regino

Filoteo, Joe

Keyes, Bert

Moore, Tommy

Vela, Robert †

Young, Russell

2008-2009 Board of direcTors

Charlie Vaughan Harlingen President

Pete Vela McAllen Vice President

Armando Gomez Edinburg Secretary

Ernesto Ayala Pharr Treasurer

Tony Trejo Edinburg Immediate Past President

Victor Bailey Rancho Viejo Director

Rene G. Garza Mission Director / Past President

Tony J. Guerrero Mission Director

Manuel Hinojosa Port Isabel Director

Joe Karam McAllen Director

Jim McKone McAllen Director

Paul Moxley McAllen Director

Tomas O’Cana Edinburg Director

Dan Ogletree Mission Director

Pikey Rodriguez McAllen Director / Co-Founder

Carlos Vela San Juan Director / Past President

Tom Weekley McAllen Director / Past President

Ronnie Zamora Brownsville Director / Past President

pasT presiden Ts

E.C. Lerma (1985-88)

Charlie Williams (1988-91)

Joe A. Rodriguez (1991-94)

Roy Garcia (1994-96)

John Lerma (1996-98)

Tom Weekley (1998-00)

Carlos Vela (2000-02)

Rene G. Garza (2002-04)

Ronnie Zamora (2004-06)

Tony Trejo (2006-08)

suporT rgv sporTs hisTory Today

Levels of Memberships & Sponsorships

RegulAR MeMbeR - $15:

• Member qualifies to submit a candidate for a Scholastic Achievement Award.

PAtRon MeMbeR - $50 to $149:

• Member qualifies to submit a candidate for a Scholastic Achievement Award.

• 1 ticket to the Annual RGVSHOF Induction Banquet.

• 1 RGV Sports Hall of Fame embroidered cap.

All-StAR / SuStAining MeMbeR SPonSoR* - $150 to $249:

• Name on the RGV Sports Hall of Fame web site.

• 2 tickets to the Annual RGVSHOF Induction Banquet.

• 1 RGV Sports Hall of Fame embroidered cap.

All-VAlley / tAble SPonSoR* - $250 to $499:

• Name on the RGV Sports Hall of Fame web site.

• 8 tickets (1 Reserved Table) to the Annual RGV Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet.

• Program recognition at the banquet.

• 1 RGV Sports Hall of Fame embroidered cap.

All-StAte SPonSoR* - $500 to $999:

• Includes name on the RGV Sports Hall of Fame web site.

• 8 tickets (1 Reserved Table) to the Annual RGV Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet.

• Program recognition at the banquet.

• 2 RGV Sports Hall of Fame embroidered golf shirts and 2 caps.

All-AMeRicAn SPonSoR* - $1,000 to $2,999:

• Includes company logo and name on the RGV Sports Hall of Fame web site.

• Company logo on the sponsor banner for 1 year, at the temporary museum in Port Isabel.

• 8 tickets (1 Reserved Table) to the Annual RGV Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet.

• Program recognition at the banquet and company name as a sponsor of one additional table.

• Company name recognized as a co-sponsor of a Scholastic Achievement Award.

• 3 RGV Sports Hall of Fame embroidered golf shirts and 3 caps.

MVP SPonSoR* - $3,000 PluS:

• Includes company logo and name on the RGV Sports Hall of Fame web site.

• Company logo on the sponsor banner for 1 year, at the temporary museum in Port Isabel.

• 16 tickets (2 Reserved Tables) to the Annual RGVSHOF Induction Banquet.

• Program recognition at the banquet and company name as a sponsor of one additional table.

• Company name recognized as a co-sponsor of a Scholastic Achievement Award.

• 4 RGV Sports Hall of Fame embroidered golf shirts and 4 caps.

To join, contact Charlie Vaughan at 956-778-2688 or CVCattle@aol.com

*The RGV Sports Hall of Fame is a 501 (c) (3) Non-Profit Organization. Sponsorships are tax deductible, Memberships & Sponsorships are annually renewable.

Available Summer 2009 at select locations

Dr. Greg Selber started covering Valley sports in 1989 and since then has written for several newspapers, including the Valley Morning Star and Edinburg Review. He has written for 956sports.com and broadcast various sports on the radio, including minor league baseball and UTPA Bronc basketball. Selber has been a part of numerous television sports programs, most recently Sunday Sports Extra on Channel 4. He has won three Lone Star Awards from the Houston Press Club. You can find him Friday nights on the field, pen and camera in hand.

“Border Ball: The History of High School Football in the Rio Grande Valley,” is a comprehensive chronicle of the sport that has captured the area’s fascination and loyalty since World War I.

It mixes traditional sports history (statistics, recounting of great players, teams, games, and coaches) with oral history, as the memorable pioneers who made the Valley version of football into the most popular attraction down here tell their stories.

Fans from Brownsville to Rio Grande City can read about the exploits of their teams, and learn some hitherto unknown facts and anecdotes about football’s impact on community, race relations, and economics, among other aspects. For more information, contact Greg at selberg@utpa.edu.