Class Notes
Yvette Nevarez (M.Ed. ’12) was honored as
Regional Secondary Teacher of the Year by the Region One Education Service Center. She is currently a teacher at Alton Memorial Jr. High at Mission CISD where she teaches English as a second language.
JUST MARRIED Courtney Marie Wilson (BA '09) and Carlos Noe Villarreal (BA '08) were united in marriage on September 29, 2012 at Quinta Luz Ranch in McAllen.
Cynthia Edee Alcocer (BBA ’09) of Mission,
Texas exchanged vows with John Isaac Garcia of San Isidro, Texas on February 9, 2013 in a beautiful ceremony in Mission.
BRONCS WE’LL MISS SAM WILLIAMS
UTPA Hall of Famer and men's basketball head coach emeritus Sam Williams, who coached the Broncs to the 1963 NAIA National Championship, passed away on Oct. 22, 2012. An inaugural member of the UTPA Hall of Fame in 2007, Williams, who died at the age of 88 due to natural causes, was also inducted in the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame. Known as the “Father of Broncs Basketball,” Williams served the University as an educator for more than three decades, and coached the Broncs to 11 winning seasons, including four of at least 20 wins, in 15 years (1959-73). He remains UTPA's all-time winningest coach with 244 victories. After winning the 1963 NAIA National Championship, Williams coached the Broncs right back to the title game in what was their third-straight postseason appearance. He then earned the 1964 NAIA National Coach of the Year award.
FUTURE BRONCS Melisa Escamilla (BA ’07) and Sam Bearden are proud to show off their little one, Shiloh Rae Bearden, to the world. Shiloh arrived in San Antonio on May 11, 2012 weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces and 18-1/2 inches long.
Williams oversaw the Broncs' transition into an NCAA Division I program. In their first season after the move, the Broncs won 21 games and reached the 1968 NCAA Division II Southwest Regional, where they won their first round game. Shortly after the transition, Williams became a member of the NCAA Basketball Officials Committee. Williams was a pioneer in collegiate athletics in the late 1950s, as he was one of the first coaches to integrate his basketball program. “People talk a lot about Glory Road and UTEP, how Don Haskins integrated college basketball in the mid-1960s, and that's a great story,” Walter Yates (BS '65), who played for Williams from 1961-64, told Los Arcos in July. "But the truth is, Coach Williams was bringing in black players long before that." The Broncs rededicated the UTPA Fieldhouse center court in Williams' honor on Nov. 20, 2010. UTPA President Robert S. Nelsen also surprised Williams by naming him head coach emeritus. Williams is one of only two coaches in school history to earn emeritus status, with the other being baseball head coach emeritus and UTPA Hall of Famer Al Ogletree. “Coach Williams gave his heart and soul to Pan Am and his ball players,” Nelsen said. “He was and will always be an extremely important part of our history. We Broncs will miss him.”
Christopher Ortiz (BA ’04) and Dianella Cantu (BA ’08) welcomed Christian Oryan Ortiz on April 7, 2012. Christian was born in Edinburg the day before Easter.
His legacy will be honored on Feb. 16, 7 p.m. at the UTPA Fieldhouse during a special ceremony commemorating the 50-year-old NAIA championship team. “Sam Williams was one of the greatest coaches that ever worked at this institution. He helped to lay the foundation that got this program to the NCAA Division I level and allowed us to expand to where we are today," said UTPA Director of Athletics Chris King. To honor Williams, the family is asking donations be made to the Sam Williams Endowed Scholarship fund at UTPA. – by Jonah Goldberg
YOU HAVE NEWS? WE WANT IT. UTPA wants to hear from you and find out what you have been up to since graduation. Send us your news and photos about what is going on in your professional and personal life. Email us at losarcos@utpa.edu. Please include your degree and graduation year with your information.
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