BY MARK MAY
BROWNSVILLE — It was a night of cheer, mirth and celebration as eight local sports greats were bestowed with a touch of immortality — induction into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday at the Brownsville Events Center.
Albert Ochoa of Edinburg made his name on the golf course, going from all-state in high school to competing in a U.S. Open as a professional. His favorite memory was not a big win or a big moment, but something more personal.
“My absolute favorite memory, I hadn’t thought about until tonight, I remember all those times I had growing up,” Ochoa told the crowd of a few hundred. “My friend, Jaime Gomez (now a golf instructor) … helped me so much (at age 13). Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did.”
Former Harlingen High Cardinals and Southwest Texas State Bobcats athlete David Longhofer was enshrined, too. Longhofer died in 2018 but his mother, Kathy, spoke on his behalf.
“He would have been extremely proud,” Kathy Longhofer said. “David’s favorite days were Friday football games. He was the quintessential coach’s son.”
This year’s group also included Larry Caldwell of Mission (baseball/football), Tony Guerrero of Mission (football officiating), Joe Solis of Edcouch-Elsa (football), Richard Thompson of Mission (sports administration), Gabriel Valdez of Weslaco (basketball) and Laura Vasquez of Edinburg (track & field).
The group includes five athletes, three coaches and one sports official. Valdez can be counted as both an athlete and a coach due to his outstanding career in both arenas.
Three of the new members hail from Mission. Also, three are the sons of former inductees. Longhofer’s father, Jesse, was inducted in 1994. Guerrero’s father, Oton, was inducted in 1994, with Caldwell’s father, Earl, following in 2013.
Caldwell earned 13 letters and was a standout in football and baseball before graduating from Mission High in 1967. The Houston Astros drafted him that year. However, he elected to play football at Rice where he was a four-year starter.
Guerrero officiated more than 1,000 football games throughout 34 years. He was a head referee for 28 of those years and served as a game day observer scout for the National Football League for 11 years.
When Arena Football League 2 came to the Valley, Guerrero served as the compliance officer for six years. He also worked for the NFL (2008-18) by scouting NCAA Division I officials. His information helped the league select new officials from the college ranks.
An All-Valley quarterback at Harlingen High, Longhofer starred at Southwest Texas State (now Texas State). In 1984, he led the Gulf Star Conference (now the Southland) in total offense and was part of two national championship teams. During his college career he set multiple records, including fourth all-time in total yardage and fifth all-time in passing yards. In addition, he made the all-conference all-academic team in 1984 and was a national all-academic nominee.
A two-time All-American golfer, Ochoa was ranked first among college athletes nationwide in 1997. He was Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year while at Texas Christian University and later enjoyed a stint on the PGA Tour (including a U.S. Open). At Edinburg High, he was named all-state twice and all-region four times.
The yellow and black of Edcouch-Elsa already had a fearsome reputation before Joe Solis took control, but as football coach he guided the Yellowjackets to a Valley-record 37 straight wins from 2003-07. The ‘Jackets were 51-8 during one stretch and won six straight district titles.
Thompson has been a part of many successes in more than 40 years as a coach and athletic director for Sharyland ISD. He has coached track & field plus cross country. A former Region VII Athletic Administrator of the Year, he was inducted into the Texas High School Athletic Directors Association Hall of Honor in 2015 before retiring in 2021.
Valdez has won more than 800 basketball games coaching Weslaco ISD boys and girls teams. He has coached at his alma mater, Weslaco High, for 24 years. He was a three-year starter at Texas-Pan American (now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley). As a senior for the Panthers (1987-88), he captained the squad to a 31-2 record and averaged 28.5 points per game.
A state champion in two events, Vasquez made her mark on the track for Edinburg High. In 1987, she won gold medals in the 800-meter run and 1,600. At that time, she was only the second girl to win two golds in one year since the early 1950s. She took fourth in the U.S. National High School Girls Cross Country Championships in New Orleans and went on to be named a Prep High School All-American.
This year’s class brings the Hall of Fame’s membership to 280.
Founded in 1985, the RGV Sports Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization whose mission it is to recognize men and women who have brought honor and recognition to the Rio Grande Valley through their participation in sports as an athlete, coach, official, trainer, journalist or other sports-related position.
The RGV Sports Hall of Fame collects, preserves and exhibits memorabilia and statistical data of Valley sports for historical preservation, database collection and enjoyment. Some memorabilia items are housed at Doubleday’s Bar and Grill in Port Isabel.