Breaking barriers through sport

_{Jorge Iber, Texas Tech University interim vice president for Campus Access and Engagement and a history professor, answers a question from a student attending the “Mexican Americans and Sport” presentation March 5 at the Student Academic Center on the Edinburg campus. Abigail Ollave/THE RIDER}

A UTRGV Department of Communication professor organized “Mexican Americans and Sport” to discuss the impact that Latino athletes have had on sports in the United States at the Student Academic Center on the Edinburg campus.  

Professor Gregory Selber invited Jorge Iber, Texas Tech University interim vice president for Campus Access and Engagement and a history professor, to speak during the March 5 event.

Iber has researched and taught Latino and Mexican American sports history in the United States for decades, and has authored 17 books and numerous research papers on the topic.

He described sport as “another element of the history of Mexican Americans or Latinos in the United States.”

“Other ethnic groups and other racial groups have used sport as a way to break down barriers,” Iber said. “It is time that our story, that part of our story, gets told.

He said Latinos and Mexican Americans can be successful at anything.

“Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise, that because your last name starts with a ‘z’ that you can’t achieve whatever you want,” Iber said.

He told stories of Latino athletes, recalling the discrimination and challenges they faced and how they overcame the odds to etch their names in the history books.

One of the stories Iber shared was of former Texas Tech University and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Gabe Rivera, nicknamed “Señor Sack.” Iber authored a book about his life and his accomplishments that goes by the same title as his nickname.

During his time at Texas Tech, Rivera was one of the best defenders in college football. He still holds the school record for most tackles in a single season with 105, set in 1982. 

He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in 1983, but would unfortunately be paralyzed in a car accident that year, ending his career.

Rivera was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and to the Texas Tech Ring of Honor in 2014.

_{Gregory Selber (from left), a professor in the Department of Communication; Guy Bailey, UTRGV president; Jorge Iber, Texas Tech University interim vice president for Campus Access and Engagement and a history professor; Jesus “Chuy” Guerra, legacy institution University of Texas-Pan American basketball player and retired Roma Independent School District superintendent; and Patrick Gonzales, vice president for Marketing and Communications; stand side-by-side after Iber presents “Mexican Americans and Sport” March 5 at the Student Academic Center on the Edinburg campus. Abigail Ollave/THE RIDER}

UTRGV President Guy Bailey, who attended the event, said he saw Gabe Rivera play against Texas A&M University twice, recalling that Rivera “completely dominated the game” on both occasions.

Iber also told the story of the 1961 Donna High School Redskins, who won the football state title that year. 

To this day, Donna High School remains the only high school football program in the Rio Grande Valley that has won a state title.

Another story was that of Jesus “Chuy” Guerra, Roma High School and legacy institution University of Texas-Pan American basketball legend. Guerra is also a former Roma Independent School District superintendent. 

He was one of the best high school players in Texas at Roma ISD. After graduation, he accepted a scholarship to play at UTPA. 

To this day, Guerra leads the all-time program leaderboard in assists with 771 from 1972-1976.

He was a special guest at the event, and was recognized by Iber during his lecture. 

“Dr. Iber is amazing,” Guerra said. “He brings awareness of who we are, and what we do and why we do the things that we do, and [it is] amazing.”

After the event, Bailey said he “loved” the lecture and that Iber was “doing very exciting things.”

“[He is] uncovering some history that everyone should know,” Bailey said. “And the important part of it is that sports [is] really a part of the broader historical fabric.

“Baseball and sports generally are so intertwined in the whole American fabric; you can’t understand the United States without understanding sports.”

Mass communication senior Adrian Alfaro, one of Selber’s students, attended the event and said that it was “great” to hear from Iber, who he described as a “pioneer on the subject.” 

“It’s great to see someone else that had to persevere through legitimizing their topic that they want to talk about,” Alfaro said. 

After the event, Bailey said he would “love” to see similar lectures and courses offered at UTRGV in the future, and if they were in the works, he would audit them himself.