El Paso Sports Columns by Ray Sanchez

^© by Ray Sanchez 05.22.16

Recently I was asked for the umpteenth time how I’ve been able to come up with a sports column each week for so many years. My first column appeared in 1950 in the old El Paso Herald-Post.
My gosh, it just hit me. That’s 66 years ago.
It hasn’t always been easy, but sports are so intriguing and there are so many of them that I’ve always found something to write about.
Besides, I’ve been lucky that I’ve had readers who contribute subjects. Like for this week’s column.

DUANE COLEMAN writes: “My take on the reason our El Paso area high school teams hardly ever advance past round one of each sport playoff is because we have so many high schools compared to other cities in the same divisions that our talent is diluted.
“I wish someone could convince the state school sports (officials) to conduct a ‘Super Bowl’ post regular season tournament whereby each city could form its team using its best players (city all stars).
“I’ll bet El Paso would be able to make it to the finals of nearly every sport category in this type tournament. Why don’t you try to get this started?”

THAT’S NOT such a wild suggestion. Remember the first Sun Bowl? There were four El Paso public high schools plus Cathedral then. The Kiwanis Club of El Paso got together a group of El Paso high school all-stars to play Ranger High School, one of the most powerful single-school powers in Texas.
Our all-stars whipped Ranger, 25-21.
I’ve lost count on how many high schools there are in El Paso now. It seems like a new one pops up every year. I stopped counting at 30.

ANOTHER READER, Charles Hill, provided this week’s trivia question. He writes: “El Paso is the only city in Texas that can claim coaching ties to two coaches that have won Texas State championships in two different sports. Who were the coaches, when did they win the titles and in what sports?” Answer at end of column.

READERS ALSO keep me on my toes. Last week I wrote that there had never been a a Triple Crown winner in consecutive years. Oops. Harvey Plaut wrote:
“I’m sure you have already heard from many Triple Crown racing aficionados, but I will add to your email box. Of course there have been Triple Crown winners in consecutive years before: Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978.”
Then he added, “Like you, I will be cheering for Nyquist. Also, I enjoyed the El Paso High celebration of its athletes last month. Thanks for that.”

AND SOMETIMES, I get sad news. I got an email that Jesus Jose Gallegos, who helped build Dos Lagos Golf Course, passed away May15 at age 87.
Gallegos, the father of present Dos Lagos Golf Course co-operator Pepe Gallegos, arrived in El Paso in 1956. The late Sam Gillett, an upper valley farmer, hired him to work on his farm.
Gillett had been planning to build a golf course in the upper valley and was so impressed with Gallegos’ work ethic on the farm that he asked Gallegos if he would help build the course.
Gallegos jumped at the chance. Gillett handed him the design and Gallegos immediately started clearing ground, planting trees and forming greens. “I was practically alone out there for the first two years,” he told me in an earlier interview.
Gallegos lived in a mobile home on the Dos Lagos course the rest of his life and old as he was he spent the last few years clearing brush, tree limbs and other debris, much to the admiration of those who knew him.
We’ll miss him dearly.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Nemo Herrera won the 1949 Texas baseball championship at Bowie High School and also won two state basketball championships at San Antonio Lanier in 1943 and 1945. William Jewell Wallace won the 1941 Texas basketball championship at El Paso High and won football titles at San Angelo in 1943 and at San Antonio Jefferson in 1949.