The UTRGV Athletics Hall of Fame inducted its 2020 class last Saturday, introducing six new members and a team as they were recognized for their athletic careers and contributions to the university in their respected times.
“It’s because of you and the paths you’ve paved that we’re able to have the success that we have today,” UTRGV Athletics Director Chasse Conque said when addressing the inductees.
Conque said the relationships made in the program are more important than winning.
“I often tell our young people that the championship trophies, those things will tarnish,” he said. “The banners, those things will fade over time, but it’s the relationships that you develop while you’re a student athlete, while you’re a coach, while you’re an administrator, those are the things that will truly last a lifetime. And this morning makes that message very true.”
The ceremony began with the induction of the 1989 Women’s Tennis Team, which went on to become the American South Conference Champion. The team won 60.4% in singles matches and 67.7% of doubles matches, according to UTRGV Athletics. The team consisted of Kim Butler, Barbara Gonzales, Leah Hampton, Gail Illingworth, Mary Jane Hetrick, Christiane Reetz and Tania Webster. The team was guided by Head Coach David Cross and Assistant Coach Zia Kahn.
“My recruiting philosophy has always been, ‘Don’t bring in somebody that can’t beat you,’” Cross said when praising his former athletes.
The first individual athlete introduced was Michel Fabry, who played men’s tennis from 1990-93. Fabry holds the program record in career wins with 189 and singles wins with 105. He was recognized as the MVP at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and legacy institution University of Texas-Pan American Student Athlete of the Year in 1992-93.
Paul Friddle played men’s basketball from 1957-63, while attaining the co-captain position and was starting point guard for the 1963 NAIA Championship Team. At the time, he set the program assists record with 601 and was the inaugural Lou Hassell Award winner in 1963.
Westly Keating, a track & field and cross country record breaker who ran from 2002-06 for UTPA, was also inducted. He is a three-time NCAA Division I All-American in cross country and two-time NCAA Division I National Qualifier and All-American. He broke many records such as the 8k record twice and currently holds the top seven 10k times, breaking the program record five times.
Bruce “Sky” King, a member of the men’s basketball team from 1973-74, was also inducted. He played at Pan American University for one season but averaged 31 points per game. He also recorded the second-, fourth- and ninth-highest single-game scoring points. King was then selected in the third round of the 1974 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Jazz. He died on April 15, 2013, at the age of 60.
“He could jump out of the gym like Jordan Jackson,” former teammate Jesus “Chuy” Guerra said when explaining how much of a standout player King was. “He could guard like [Javon] Levi. He could shoot like Lesley Varner.”
Guerra said King played to win.
“The other thing that struck was his relentless pursuit of playing to win,” he said. “We weren’t doing kumbaya; he was playing to win and that stuck with us.”
Andre Rabouin played on the baseball team from 1969-72, racking up 223 strikeouts, the sixth highest. Rabouin shut out Harvard University in the third game of the 1971 College World Series, eventually getting drafted in the 26th round of the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.
Closing the event was Pablo A. “Pikey” Rodriguez Jr., who was added into the Hall of Honor. Rodriguez was a sportswriter for The Monitor for 35 years and helped in the recruiting process when Pan American University added women’s basketball. He is the co-founder of the RGV Sports Hall of Fame.
