суббота, 15 сентября 2012 г.

Longtime Brownsville girls coach honored for her college years as a four-time national track champion. - The Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, TX)

Byline: Roy Hess

Jul. 16--In her 30-plus years as a high school coach in the Brownsville Independent School District, Sylvia Longoria Rodriguez has worked with hundreds of girls. Since she is not one to boast, few, if any, of Rodriguez's athletes have ever been aware that their coach was a four-time national track champion in college. Rodriguez has coached at Lopez High School since 1994. Prior to that she coached at Pace (nine years) and Porter (10 years) and briefly taught at Hanna in 1974.

Recently, the 1968 Brownsville High graduate was inducted into the sports hall of fame at Texas Women's University in Denton. While she was a student at TWU from 1968-72, Rodriguez competed in track and cross country. She won the national 440-yard dash title four straight years and ran on several relays for the Pioneers. TWU won Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW -- it's for the boys.'

'Even when I was growing up, it was all boys in my neighborhood,' she added. 'There were some girls, but it seemed as though they were never allowed to come out and play. So I always found myself as the only female out there with a group of guys. It's kind of the same way now in coaching, too. There aren't as many female coaches.' Rodriguez graduated from TWU in December 1972 with a degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation. After graduation, she returned to Brownsville and did various jobs that included working as a legal secretary before a teaching job at Hanna became available. It wasn't long before she became in-volved in coaching and transferred to Pace. During her time at Pace, Porter and Lopez, Rodriguez at various times has coached track, cross coun-try, volleyball, basketball and softball. During the coming school year at Lopez, she expects to coach cross country and probably track or softball. Valentin Montemayor, Lopez's head football coach/athletic coordinator, said Rodriguez has contributed a lot to the Lobos' athletic program. 'We're very fortunate to have her,' Montemayor said. 'She's been involved in pretty much all our sports here and she's a very experienced coach. 'There have been times when we've needed the help of someone to coach a certain sport, and she's al-ways responded by stepping in and helping out,' he added. 'We're very honored to know that she received that (hall of fame) recognition. It's a great achievement for her.' Rodriguez said she enjoys her job and can't imagine doing anything else. 'Sports influenced my life because after college I went on to become a PE teacher and coach, and that's been my career,' she said. 'I like that part of my life -- just the sports, the activity and the involvement of the girls. Once they get involved, they see that it can be something fun for them to do. 'Sports has helped a lot of my athletes out,' she added. 'It helps them expand their horizons. Some of these girls have never left Brownsville and they've never been somewhere else until they were involved in sports. It (participation in sports) is an education for them in itself.' MORE SPORTS FOR GIRLS NOW Rodriguez remembers that track, tennis and swimming were about the only sports for girls when she was in high school. Things have changed for the better with more sports available for girls now, she said. 'It has grown because they've put in softball and other sports,' she said. 'We've gone from track, tennis and swimming when I went to school to volleyball, tennis, track, basketball, golf, softball and soccer. It's growing and it's got a lot of benefits. I just don't think that families are sometimes letting the girls take full advantage of free instruction. 'If they are good, they need to continue what they're doing (in sports) so that they can succeed,' she added. 'There are a lot of talented girls out there, it's just that our culture sometimes doesn't allow them to expand their (athletic) talents.'

No one knows for certain, but Rodriguez is quite possibly one of the first female athletes from Brownsville to go on to college and complete her degree while excelling at the top level of collegiate athletics.

'There have been other girls, but I think I was maybe the first one (female from Brownsville) who went off to college, ran track and competed the whole four years before graduating,' Rodriguez said. 'There were others, including some athletes of mine who have gone on to college, but I don't know if they ever finished up. 'I never thought about myself as being someone who accomplished that, but I can't think of anyone else who has,' she added. FAMILY PRIDE Rodriguez is married to Ruben Rodriguez Sr., who is a counselor in BISD. They have three children -- Sofia, 24; Ruben Jr., 22; and Rachel 18, who just graduated from Lopez. Richard Longoria of Brownsville, the Lopez coach's youngest brother who was quite a standout runner himself in high school and college, said the entire family is proud of his sister's achievement. 'Being inducted into the (TWU) hall of fame is very exciting for Sylvia and her family,' Longoria said. 'It's something great to see. She's well-deserving. To me, she is someone who was ahead of her time (as a female athlete).' The veteran Lopez coach, who also is active in officiating and in the Brownsville summer recreation program, said being recognized for her athletic accomplishments at TWU is something she will never forget. 'To receive an honor like being inducted into a hall of fame means a lot, especially being from here,' Rodriguez said. 'Not too many females ever get recognized. We've had some very deserving (female) coaches inducted such as Paula Gonzalez and Dolores Salazar (into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame), but you don't hear of too many others. 'For me, it's a great honor because I ran with some really good girls,' she added. 'I think that my coach-ing profession and this (hall of fame) honor go hand in hand, and I'm very excited about it.'

Copyright (c) 2006, The Brownsville Herald, Texas

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