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The department also inducted former baseball player Jody Ramsey into the Hall of Honor.?
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Mitchell Edwards
Mitchell Edwards played for the Broncs men's basketball team from 1962-65, helping the team to the 1963 NAIA National Championship by recording a double-double with 20 points on a team-high 10 field goals and 12 rebounds. He led the Broncs back to the title game in 1964. In total, the Broncs went 72-19 while Edwards was there.
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Edwards earned NAIA All-American honors all three years, garnering second team honors in 1963, honorable mention in 1964 and third team honors in 1965. He ranks sixth all-time in UTPA history with 1,423 points, tied for fourth with 623 field goals made, fifth in field goal attempts with 1,299, and eighth in steals with 117.
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?I'm very fortunate and happy to come back to the Valley for a moment like this,? Edwards said. ?I want to thank the Hall of Fame committee for this honor. I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. I'll never forget this moment. I'll take it with me forever.?
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Edwards became the third Bronc to ever be selected in the NBA Draft when the Philadelphia 76ers took him with their sixth round pick (52nd overall) in 1965.
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Jesus ?Chuy? Guerra
Jesus ?Chuy? Guerra played for the Broncs men's basketball team from 1972-76, earning NCAA Division I Academic All-American honors as a junior and a senior.
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Guerra is the Broncs' all-time leader in career assists with 771. He also ranks four all-time in minutes played with 3,187 and 15th all-time in points scored with 1,154.
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?I learned that the game is simple. Give the ball to the best players,? Guerra said. ?Play hard, play smart, and give the ball to the guys who can score.?
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He recorded three of the top 10 single-season assists totals in program history, with 289 in 1975-76 (third best), 189 in 1974-75 (eighth) and 169 in 1972-73 (tied for ninth). Guerra holds the Broncs' single-game record for free throws made with 19 at Texas A&I (1/18/75). He also had an 18 free throw game vs. Baptist (2/1/75).
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A native of Roma, Guerra was the starting point guard all four years and led the Broncs to winning records three times, including 22 and 20 wins each of his last two seasons. Today, he is the superintendent at Roma ISD.
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?I'm extremely humbled and honored to be part of this group,? Guerra said.
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Bobby Rutledge
Bobby Rutledge played for the Broncs baseball team from 1975-78. He led the Broncs to the 1975 NCAA South Central Regional, the 1976 Midwest Regional and the 1978 South Central Regional. In 1978, Rutledge earned NCAA All-American honors, AABC All-American honors and South Central Regional All-Tournament Team recognition while scoring the fourth most runs in a single season in program history (68), stealing the second most bases (77) and drawing the fourth most walks (64).
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In 1977, Rutledge scored the ninth most runs in a single season in program history (59) while tying for the fourth most steals (61). During that season, Rutledge was hit by a fastball while trying to drag a bunt and suffered a broken thumb with 23 games left. At that point he was at 52 stolen bases. Rutledge spent the rest of the season as a pinch runner, stealing nine bases with a cast on. He was caught just twice all season.
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He is the program record holder in career walks (155) and also ranks second all-time in runs scored (175) and stolen bases (164) as well as third all-time in games played (204).
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?I would like to thank the committee for selecting me. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me. It's an honor,? Rutledge said. ?I grew up in Edinburg watching the sports at Pan Am. It feels great growing up in the city where there were such great athletes, dreaming to be a part of it and then playing four years at Pan Am. They were the greatest four years of my life.?
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Don Guillot
Don Guillot played for the Broncs baseball team from 1983-87, and although he original made the team as a walk-on player, he led the Broncs to the 1983 and 1986 NCAA Central Regionals. The 1983 Broncs won a program record 64 games.
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Guillot set three single-season program records in 1987 by scoring 85 runs, stealing 107 bases and walking 75 times. He holds the program records for runs scored (186), stolen bases (183) and games played (217). He also ranks second in program history in walks with 133.
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The 107 steals, accomplished in 60 games, were an NCAA record. The previous mark was 104, held by Central Florida's Tim Barker, who needed 87 games to do it. He stole the last of those bases with a broken left thumb. After stealing his 106th base, the opposing shortstop accidentally stepped on Guillot's hand. Guillot scored the winning run moments later. The next night, Guillot wore a split underneath the thumb and played, scoring three runs and picking up his final stolen base.
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?I will always be proud to be a Bronc,? Guillot said. ?Until the day I die.?
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After graduating, Guillot played for the USA Baseball Team in the 1987 Pan American games. He hit .300 with a .517 on-base percentage, 11 runs scored and 11 stolen bases while batting leadoff to lead Team USA to a 10-0 start, including a victory over 1984 Olympic Gold Medal winning Japan. This caused the New York Mets to offer Guillot a contract, but he turned them down to continuing playing for his country.
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?Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be up here today,? Guillot said. ?But Coach Al [Ogletree] and Coach Reggie [Treadaway] has so much confidence in me both on and off the field.?
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Sherwood Stewart
Stewart played for the Broncs men's tennis team during the 1965 season, during which time he won the NAIA Doubles Championship while partnering up with Detlev Nitsche. He also helped lead the Broncs to their fifth NAIA National Championship and 13th Big State Conference Championship. Stewart earned NAIA First Team All-American honors that season.
Stewart was the No. 3 ranked high school player while he was being recruited by Pan Am.
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During his professional career, Stewart won five Grand Slam titles in doubles, including the 1976 and 1982 French Opens, the 1984 and 1987 Australian Opens, and Wimbledon in 1988. Stewart became the oldest Wimbledon champion in history at age 42. Overall, Stewart earned 54 professional doubles title and one singles title. He played on the United State Davis Cup team for three years. He also took part in the senior tour, where he won in doubles at Wimbledon three times and at the US Open once.
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?It's a big honor anytime you get inducted into any kind of Hall of Fame,? Stewart said. ?It's been a lot of years. It's amazing how things have changed. When I was there, there were only two dorms, one for men and one for women.?
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Detlev Nitsche
Detlev Nitsche played for the Broncs men's tennis team from 1965-67, during which time he won the 1965 NAIA Doubles Championship while partnering up with Sherwood Stewart. He also helped lead the Broncs to their fifth NAIA National Championship and 13th Big State Conference Championship. Nistche earned NAIA First Team All-American honors that season.
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The following season, the Broncs joined NCAA Division I, and Nitsche immediately reached the NCAA Tournament, advancing as far as the doubles quarterfinals with partner George Kon.
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Nitsche's strengths were his ability to serve and volley as well as his backhand.
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?If it wasn't for the American military, I wouldn't have been able to come to Pan American,? Nitsche said. ?They got Germany back on its feet after 1945.
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?Tennis has given me so many opportunities in life. I got to travel to so many foreign countries and learn about so many different cultures.
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Nitsche currently resides in Greer, South Carolina, where he continues to play. After playing tennis as an adult in his home country of Germany, Nitsche returned to Pan Am as a computer science teacher in 1976. He has since moved to South Carolina, where has been playing since 1989. He was the 1993 USTA South Carolina Adult Co-Player of the Year and was the champion of both the Marion Harris A.C.S. Senior Classic and the Sportsclub Greenville Senior and NTRP Championships in 2011.
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?I feel so proud that this 1964 college has developed in this university,? Nitsche said. ?This strong athletic program does make a difference. It helps inspires students to come to UTPA.?
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Jody Ramsey
Jody Ramsey was the Broncs' leading hitter and co-captain for the 1972 season, and that year, he led the team in eight statistical categories, including hitting (.346), games played (56), at-bats (185), runs scored (47), hits (64), triples (four), stolen bases (17) and walks. He also earned NCAA All-District VI honors.
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Prior to the 1973 season, Ramsey was working on the construction of the new UTPA baseball stadium. As one of the laborers, he spent many hours on the site of the ballpark and, in an unfortunate turn of events, was killed in an electrical accident before the stadium had reached completion.
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After his death, students petitioned the Pan American University Board of Regents to name the park in Ramsey's memory. The recommendation was accepted unanimously, and in 1974, the Broncs took the field to play their first season in Jody Ramsey Memorial Stadium. The Broncs played there through 2000. The park was dismantled in 2003 to make way for an education building.
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The Broncs also honored Ramsey by hosting the Jody Ramsey Tournament every year from 1980 through 1995, and through a memorial award given to a senior baseball player each season. Considered the top award given to any baseball player, it goes to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the standards set by Ramsey, including superior athletic ability, character, leadership and dedication to excellence on and off the field.
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Additionally, Broncs head coach Al Ogletree never again gave out Ramsey's jersey number (six). Current head Broncs head coach Manny Mantrana has not had a player wear number six either.
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?Jody was an outstanding ball player, and I miss him,? Ogletree said. ?Jody was an outstanding person,?
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?We're very appreciative of UTPA and their recognition of his stay there, what he did and what he meant to them,? said Kenneth Ramsey, Jody's brother. ?I'm sure my parents would have really appreciated it. I just wish he was here to enjoy it.?
Source: http://www.bbstate.com/news/645514
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