100 Greatest Series in The Monitor

[OlympFan]

Yup, Monday, so we probably don't get them from their internet sites until before or after midnight...

[jacket4life]

Edcouch-Elsa should have their mark in this article as well. We will see Monday I guess.

[exhawk1997]

As well as Harlingen:)

[xlobo]

Jul 27, 2008 0:04:01 GMT -6 OlympFan said:

Yup, Monday, so we probably don't get them from their internet sites until before or after midnight...

If they come out on Monday then they should hve them on the website tonight at @ midnight.

[OlympFan]

The Monitor
Former Edcouch-Elsa and Edinburg High coach Robert Vela

The 100 Greatest - No. 7 Coach: Robert Vela

July 27, 2008 - 7:48PM
Todd Mavreles / The Monitor

For all of the confidence and motivational expertise Robert Vela possessed, it might come as a surprise that the career of the famous Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets and Edinburg High Bobcats coach almost never happened because of his fear of failure.

Pete Vela, Robert's brother, already was a coach at San Benito in the 1970s when he tried to convince his brother that after serving as an assistant on the junior high it was time to take the next step from junior high to the varsity.

As Pete recalls, Robert, the No. 7 coach in The Monitor's 100 Greatest series, would have none of that.

"He said, ‘Pete, I don't want to coach on the high school level because those coaches that are head coaches come and go. I don't want to be one of those that are hired and fired.' I told him that was the challenge of it," Pete said.

Robert Vela eventually took the plunge, working first as the linebackers coach and later as the defensive coordinator at Edcouch-Elsa under Gil Garza before becoming E-E's head coach in 1988. As it turned out, Vela never had to worry about getting fired.

During his 19-year coaching career, Vela compiled a 137-73 record (.652 winning percentage) and led his teams to 14 playoff berths. He died before the 2007 season at 61.

"I think his biggest attribute was, and I think the reason he was very, very successful, is he had a tremendous love for his kids that he coached," Garza said. "Those kids knew he sincerely cared for them. You can fool adults, but you can't fool kids. They see right through you. They saw the sincerity in Robert. He just loved those kids and they knew that no matter what, they knew that he was in their corner.

"When kids love you, when those kids know that you sincerely care for them, they'll go through a brick wall for you. That's how it was for Robert."

Vela led the Yellowjackets to four district titles and seven playoff berths before moving to Edinburg High. Following a 4-6 opening season in 1997, Vela led the Bobcats to 31 victories during the next three seasons. The 1999 season culminated in the school's most successful playoff run, as Vela guided Edinburg to the Class 5A state semifinals.

Robert Alaniz, who coached with Vela on Richard Flores' Edinburg staff in the early 1980s and later coached against him when Alaniz was at Edinburg North, says Vela's impact on Edinburg won't soon be forgotten.

"He meant a lot, not only as a coach but as a person," Alaniz said. "He did a lot for athletics at the Edinburg CISD. He was a well-respected coach, and he proved it with his won and loss record and titles that his teams won."

Vela's teams were known for their resourcefulness and determination, much like their coach. The run to the state semifinals in ‘99 showed belief and tradition can carry a team to greater heights than even it may have imagined.

"The mystique and the tradition that has been left by the program in the past has come back out," Vela said in 2006. "The kids believe they can win any game at any time. We've had some great games where we probably didn't have a chance and came back and won. The reason we did is the kids believe. No matter what the odds may be.

"We're fighters to the end, no matter what the outcome may be."

Todd Mavreles covers District 31-5A for The Monitor. You can reach him at [phone]. For this and more local stories, visit www.rgvsports.com.

During a 19-year head coaching career that began at Edcouch-Elsa in 1988, Robert Vela compiled a 137-73 record (.652 winning percentage) and led his teams to 14 playoff berths. He led Edinburg High to seven playoff berths and six bi-district championships.

Vela died of stomach cancer in August, 2007.

A master motivator who could lead his team to heights it couldn't have dreamed possible, Vela led the Bobcats to the Class 5A state semifinals in 1999. He was inducted posthumously into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

WHY THEY VOTED

Here's a summary of Robert Vela's coaching resumé, which played a major part in his ranking at No. 7:

During a 19-year head coaching career that began at Edcouch-Elsa in 1988, Robert Vela compiled a 137-73 record (.652 winning percentage) and led his teams to 14 playoff berths. He led Edinburg High to seven playoff berths and six bi-district championships.

Vela died of stomach cancer in August, 2007.

A master motivator who could lead his team to heights it couldn't have dreamed possible, Vela led the Bobcats to the Class 5A state semifinals in 1999. He was inducted posthumously into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

THE COACHES

7: Robert Vela

8: Sonny Detmer

9: Lum Wright

10: Jesse Longhoffer

11: Tony Villarreal

12: J.W. Helms

13: George Vest

14: Rusty Dowling

15: Joe Hamrick

16: David Lee

17: Brooks Conover

18: Bruce Bush

19: Carl Spoonemore

20: Joe Solis

20: Tom Chavez

22: E.C. Lerma

23: Chuck Moser

24: Cris Cavazos

25: Jim Hite

www.rgvsports.com/articles/robert_2406___article.html/coach_high.html

[OlympFan]

Jul 26, 2008 23:41:04 GMT -6 OlympFan said:

The Associated Press
Former Mission High and Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry

The 100 Greatest: The Series

July 26, 2008 - 11:32PM

www.rgvsports.com/articles/school_2405___article.html/top_greatest.html

The News site(s) added Landry's pic to yesterday's article, so I did too...

[Ol' Buzzard]

Whoa, Lum Wright!?!? I know he coached in EE back in the late 50s. Here is a profile I found on him:

"Lum Wright, football coach, TX and MS:

Retired in 2000 after a 45-year career in which he recorded 361 wins against 126 losses and 17 ties. Coached three Texas teams plus several others in Mississippi. Recorded six undefeated seasons and two 27-game winning streaks."


He coached @ EE from 1957-1959. One of those undefeated season came in 1959.

[Ol' Buzzard]

Jul 27, 2008 20:57:11 GMT -6 Ol' Buzzard said:

Whoa, Lum Wright!?!? I know he coached in EE back in the late 50s. Here is a profile I found on him:

"Lum Wright, football coach, TX and MS:

Retired in 2000 after a 45-year career in which he recorded 361 wins against 126 losses and 17 ties. Coached three Texas teams plus several others in Mississippi. Recorded six undefeated seasons and two 27-game winning streaks."


He coached @ EE from 1957-1959. One of those undefeated season came in 1959.

Kind of eager to see the article so that I can see a photo of Wright. I have two photos that I scanned, however, they were unlabeled. So I was never really sure if I was displaying the right pic of Wright. I think wright is in the first photo, what do you guys thing?

Photo 1 Photo2

[xlobo]

Who do you all think is the undefeated team that was left out???

[OlympFan]

Special to The Monitor
Former Brownsville High and Mission High coach Bob Martin

The 100 Greatest - No. 6 Coach: Bob Martin

July 28, 2008 - 7:38PM
Jason McDaniel / The Monitor

Bob Martin never had any children. But almost every player he coached loved him like a father, and that's what those who knew him remember most.

"He really watched over us like a father would, even off the field," said Leonel Rosales, who played for Martin at Brownsville High (now Hanna) from 1948 to 1952. "He was always concerned with the welfare of all of us. He was just a great role model."

During his storied Rio Grande Valley coaching career, Martin molded the legendary Tom Landry, was a pioneer of the Split-T formation's use in high school and was one of the highest paid coaches in the nation in 1944 - when he began making about $5,000 per year.

For those accomplishments and more, Martin checks in at No. 6 on the all-time list of top coaches in RGV football history.

"He was a hell of a good coach," said Johnny Cavazos, an offensive guard for the Eagles from 1948 to 1949.

After playing high school ball at Brackenridge in San Antonio, where he grew up, Martin played center and captained the football team at Southwest Texas (now Texas State) before landing in Mission in 1938 at the age of 22.

Al Ward, who played for Martin in Brownsville before a long career in the NFL, says a Houston columnist he knew used to call Martin "the best 155-pound center he ever saw in his life," so it's no wonder that's where he first put Landry.

But after witnessing Landry's capable arm and leadership ability, Martin switched him to quarterback, and the two moved up to varsity together in 1940.

With Landry playing QB - and just about every other position - Martin's Eagles won two district titles and went 12-0 en route to a regional title in 1941, advancing as far as teams could back then. Landry received most of the credit, and deservingly so, but his players reserve much for Martin.

"What motivated us most of all was Coach Martin," Tony Guerrero, a second-string tailback in 1941, told The Monitor in 2006. "He was a straightforward individual. He didn't smoke, didn't drink, he was just a great coach here in Mission."

After a short stint at Eagle Pass, Martin took over his third Eagles squad in 1944, when he began a 10-year coaching stint in Brownsville. And just as he had in Mission, Martin proved to be a no-nonsense leader - banning soft drinks, discouraging dating an enforcing a 9 p.m. curfew.

"He was a tough individual, and usually in Monday practices - I'll never forget it - if you had an excellent weekend, a lovely weekend, and excellent time, when you got to practice Monday he'd say, ‘I know what you did at that party Saturday, and for every piece you danced you deserve to run two laps,'" Cavazos said.

"We always knew he was on to us, so we'd just go run laps, laps, laps."

Martin took a team that won two games in two seasons prior to his arrival to a 10-0 mark in 1945. His 1951 team went 9-1, won its third district title under Martin and advanced to the state semifinals, the deepest postseason trip in school history.

After surviving what current Brownsville athletic director Joe Rodriguez says was a politically motivated rumor that Martin's real name was Roberto Martinez, and that he had it changed to hide his heritage, Martin retired with a 79-43-1 record in 12 RGV seasons.

He later served as Brownsville AD, overseeing the construction of Sams Memorial Stadium in 1954, and as a principal at a Brownsville elementary renamed in his honor in the late 1970s. He died in December of 1982, and he was inducted into the RGV Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.

"He was bright, very bright, and restless," Ward said. "He was always coaching ... he never stopped working, and he was a great leader. We would do anything for him."

Jason McDaniel covered high school football for The Monitor. You can reach the sports department at [phone]. For more local stories, visit www.rgvsports.com.

WHY THEY VOTED

Here's a summary of Bob Martin's coaching resumé, which played a major part in his ranking at No. 6:

Bob Martin coached 12 seasons in the Rio Grande Valley, two with Mission High and 10 with Brownsville High (now Hanna), going 79-43-1 with five district titles, three in Brownsville.

He's best known for discovering Tom Landry and bringing him up to varsity in 1940 prior to a 12-0 run in 1941 that is considered one of the best seasons in RGV history.

Martin also served as Brownsville athletic director and was inducted into the RGV Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.

THE SERIES

With the 100th season of high school football in the Rio Grande Valley upon us, The Monitor will take a look at the top 25 coaches, top 25 teams and top 50 players of all time.

THE COACHES

1: TBA
AUGUST 3

2: TBA
AUGUST 2

3: TBA
AUGUST 1

4: TBA
JULY 31

5: TBA
JULY 30

6: BOB MARTIN

7: Robert Vela

8: Sonny Detmer

9: Lum Wright

10: Jesse Longhoffer

11: Tony Villarreal

12: J.W. Helms

13: George Vest

14: Rusty Dowling\

15: Joe Hamrick

16: David Lee

17: Brooks Conover

18: Bruce Bush

19: Carl Spoonemore

20: Joe Solis

Tom Chavez

22: E.C. Lerma

23: Chuck Moser

24: Cris Cavazos

25: Jim Hite

www.rgvsports.com/articles/martin_2408___article.html/landry_coach.html

[OlympFan]

Special to The Monitor
Former Port Isabel and San Benito coach Tommy Roberts

The 100 Greatest - No. 5 Coach: Tommy Roberts

July 29, 2008 - 6:34PM
Brian Sandalow / The Monitor

Few in the Rio Grande Valley have won more games than former Port Isabel and San Benito coach Tommy Roberts. But one matchup he lost, a 25-14 P.I. defeat to Cameron Yoe in the 1981 state semifinals, affected him more than any of those triumphs.

One month after that loss, which came in the Tarpons' 14th game of the season, Roberts resigned from the Port Isabel football program.

"It liked to kill me that we didn't get one more. I had a hard time dealing with that and letting it get away," Roberts said. "That night we got the ball first, and we took it right down the field and scored. And Buddy Roberts, a cousin of mine, came running up and said, ‘This one's going to be like all the rest.'"

It wasn't, and Tommy Roberts, who invested so much emotionally to the season, was gone one month later.

"There's a lot of stress in coaching. I felt like I needed a break, and I don't know what I'm saying there," Roberts said. "That game hurt me a lot. So I went into business on the island, had a couple restaurants. Coaching's a lot better than that, trust me."

But that emotional investment also helped Roberts go 189-77-10 and become the fifth-greatest coach during the first 100 years of Rio Grande Valley football.

It also drew him back to coaching, first as an assistant in 1984 and 1985 with the USFL's San Antonio Gunslingers, then a 10-season stint at San Benito which included four playoff berths and the re-establishment of the Greyhounds as a Valley football power.

During the 24 years prior to Roberts' arrival at San Benito, the 'Hounds compiled a porous record of 98-144-7. There were two winless seasons and two more one-win years. But by Roberts' third year, the 'Hounds were 7-2-1 and on the cusp of the playoffs.

And by 1996, the Hounds had made four playoff appearances and beaten rival Harlingen High in the famed "Battle of the Arroyo," finally topping the Cardinals in 1995.

That, however, was the highlight of Roberts' tenure at San Benito.

Roberts was suspended in April of 1996 and fired in October of that year following allegations of sexual harassment by a former secretary. He eventually was reinstated and coached the 'Hounds to a 5-5 mark in 1997 before leaving for good.

"Oh, that's history. It helped my life," said Roberts, who watched San Benito go 4-6 without him in 1996. "I just moved on, retired after that and have had a lot of good years."

But it was at Port Isabel where Roberts cemented his status as one of the Valley's finest. In four seasons, Roberts went 47-4-1 and helped build one of the most successful programs in the Valley. Other than that trip to the 1981 semifinals, Roberts led the Tarpons to the state quarterfinals in 1979, losing 21-6 to Edna, and 1980, where P.I. fell to Van Vleck on penetrations.

"To me, he's one of the greatest coaches that have ever coached. And I'm not saying that just because he's blood," said Buddy Roberts, who served as an assistant to Tommy at pre-Valley stops in Round Rock and Freer as well as Port Isabel. "On Friday nights he had his gameplan, and he was the best on-field adjuster that I've ever seen. If something wasn't working, he'd find something that would, on the field and during the action. And that's what it takes to win."

Brian Sandalow is a sports writer for The Monitor. You can reach him at [phone].

THE SERIES

With the 100th season of high school football in the Rio Grande Valley upon us, The Monitor will take a look at the top 25 coaches, top 25 teams and top 50 players of all time.

THECOACHES

1: TBA
AUGUST 3

2: TBA
AUGUST 2

3: TBA
AUGUST 1

4: TBA
JULY 31

5: TOMMY ROBERTS

6: Bob Martin

7: Robert Vela

8: Sonny Detmer

9: Lum Wright

10: Jesse Longhoffer

11: Tony Villarreal

12: J.W. Helms

13: George Vest

14: Rusty Dowling

15: Joe Hamrick

16: David Lee

17: Brooks Conover

18: Bruce Bush

19: Carl Spoonemore

20: Joe Solis

(tie) Tom Chavez

22: E.C. Lerma

23: Chuck Moser

24: Cris Cavazos

25: Jim Hite

www.rgvsports.com/articles/roberts_2411___article.html/one_port.html

[OlympFan]

Special to The Monitor
Richard Flores coached from 1969 to 1989, compiling a 157-68-1 record. He took over at Edinburg, his alma mater, in 1975, and he led the Bobcats to a 124-41-1 record and never had a losing season.

The 100 Greatest - No. 4 Coach: Richard Flores

July 30, 2008 - 11:27PM
By Todd Mavreles | The Monitor

Almost every coach dreams of returning to his alma mater and leading it to glory. But for Richard Flores, the No. 4 coach in The Monitor's 100 Greatest rankings, realizing his goal of going home didn't come under the best of circumstances when he took over at Edinburg in 1975.

Flores proved during the previous six seasons he could win at the small school level while at Rio Hondo and Lyford, where he was a combined 23-17. But taking on the challenge at Edinburg, and replacing community legend Carlos Esquivel on the sidelines, was considered no small task.

But as he proved throughout the next 15 seasons, Flores was more than up to the challenge.

During his first season back at the school where he starred as a guard and middle linebacker in the mid-1950s, Flores led the Bobcats to an 8-2 record. That season set the tone for a coaching tenure during which Flores went 124-41-1 at the school. His teams advanced to the regional round three times and never suffered a losing season.

"I wish that every coach had an opportunity to coach at (the school) they graduated. It's a special feeling," Flores said. "I was lucky to come back. I thought I was going to be there three or four years."

Flores proved to have few peers on the sidelines. His players performed under the guidance of Flores and his All-Star coaching staff that featured such names as Robert Vela, Robert Alaniz and Gil Garza.

Garza, in fact, received his start in coaching from Flores in 1976. Garza later coached at Edcouch-Elsa and PSJA High before going into the AD field, first at PSJA and currently as the executive director for athletics for the San Antonio ISD. Garza said he applies the lessons learned under Flores to this day.

"I think what really made Richard very successful is he treated you like a professional," Garza said. "When you got hired he believed in you and allowed you to do your job. The greatest talent I think he had was he had a tremendous judge of character. He knew how to hire assistant coaches. He just surrounded himself with so many successful people, and he allowed them to work. You knew who was in charge at all times, but he didn't micro-manage.

"He allowed you to do your job. He was a great mentor, a great teacher. You could go to him for anything and he'd give you his opinion, and then he allowed you to go to work and you learned from that."

While surrounding himself with outstanding coaches, Flores also was blessed to have a stable of talented players. Quarterbacks Jack Wallace, Mike Flores, Phillip Money, Gilbert Moroles, John Paul Cantu, Lance Marburger and Mito Perez all flourished in Flores' Multiple-I attack, many of whom played NCAA Division I football.

Perhaps the most recognizable player from Flores' teams is split end Steve Alaniz, who played at Notre Dame and was a starter on the 1988 Fighting Irish team that won the national championship. But Alaniz learned to be a champion at Edinburg under Flores, even though the Bobcats never captured that elusive state title.

"One thing that stands out is the great leadership he showed," Alaniz said. "He hired great coaches, and everybody followed his philosophy and what he believed in. It was great to play for him."

Todd Mavreles covers District 31-5A for The Monitor. You can reach him at [phone].

THE SERIES
With the 100th season of high school football in the Rio Grande Valley upon us, The Monitor will take a look at the top 25 coaches, top 25 teams and top 50 players of all time.

THE COACHES
1: TBA
AUGUST 3
2: TBA
AUGUST 2
3: TBA
AUGUST 1
4: RICHARD FLORES
5: Tommy Roberts
6: Bob Martin
7: Robert Vela
8: Sonny Detmer
9: Lum Wright
10: Jesse Longhoffer
11: Tony Villarreal
12: J.W. Helms
13: George Vest
14: Rusty Dowling
15: Joe Hamrick
16: David Lee
17: Brooks Conover
18: Bruce Bush
19: Carl Spoonemore
20: Joe Solis
(tie) Tom Chavez
22: E.C. Lerma
23: Chuck Moser
24: Cris Cavazos
25: Jim Hite


www.rgvsports.com/articles/flores_2419___article.html/great_school.html

[OlympFan]

Gil Garza about Richard Flores: "He was a great mentor, a great teacher."

[chilledpatron]

it will be interesting to see where scott ford ends up! has he been here long enough? he's not top top 25 so far. . will he make top 3?

so its a given that tom laundry will be #1 right?

[RR RATED]

I doubt Scott Ford,how long has he been here??

[Ol' Buzzard]

Yeah it's going to be Ford, Landry, and Gil Garza (i think).

[nfcfan]

Ford out Stumbaugh in ;-)

[nfcfan]

No seriously I don't think has been coaching as much as the others and Ford has coached less than that.

Too bad the late def. coach Villarreal out of pi won't make the list. Didn't he coach for over 25yrs? He helped los fresnos find a defense!
Back awhile that's when the momentum swang in favor of lf during the pi-lf rivalry.

[son of corb]

That's why you hired him.

[chilledpatron]

Jul 31, 2008 18:04:19 GMT -6 nfcfan said:

No seriously I don't think has been coaching as much as the others and Ford has coached less than that.

Too bad the late def. coach Villarreal out of pi won't make the list. Didn't he coach for over 25yrs? He helped los fresnos find a defense!
Back awhile that's when the momentum swang in favor of lf during the pi-lf rivalry.

yea he is! he;s ranked number #11!!!