Bowie's 1949 champs honored
Bowie's 1949 champs honored Bowie's 1949 champs honored Check out this story on ElPasoTimes.com: http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/archives/2017/08/08/bowies-1949-champs-honored/551323001/
Bill Knight, El Paso Times Published 9:01 p.m. MT Aug. 8, 2017
Five members of the Bowie High School 1949 state baseball championship team are shown from left: Gustavo Sambrano, Carlos Macias, Tony Lara, Andy Morales and Jose Corona. Morales died Monday. Only two members of that Bowie championship team remain — shortstop Ruben Rodriguez, who lives in California, and pitcher Alfonso Lopez, who still lives in El Paso.(Photo: Rudy Gutierrez/El Paso Times file)Buy Photo
EL PASO -- The eyes looked out from the old black-and-white photo -- eyes that had seen so much at such a young age ... eyes that already had danced with discrimination, eyes that had overcome so many obstacles, eyes that had defied all the odds.
The eyes of champions.
The 49ers, the 1949 Bowie Bear state baseball champions, were honored in an hour-long ceremony Thursday afternoon in a packed auditorium at the Bowie High School Fine Arts Building. Moments later, just outside the auditorium, they unveiled the memorial -- a beautifully designed project by Pete G. Flores -- the memorial that will celebrate a championship season forever.
Six members of the team were present -- Jose Corona, Guillermo Gomez, Tony Lara, Carlos Macias, Andy Morales and Gus Sambrano. The other members were there in spirit -- Ramon Camarillo, Rocky Galarza, Rodolfo Garcia, Fernando Gomez, Trini Guillen, Ernesto Guzman, Xavier Holguin, Alfonso Lopez, Lorenzo Martinez, Ruben Porras and Ruben Rodriguez.
Nemo Herrera, the legendary coach of that team, has passed on. But he lives in the hearts of all those men, flickers in their fire and desire.
"I'm still living his values," Sambrano said. "And I have passed them on to my children. Nemo was a father figure -- on and off the field.
Herrera looked down from the memorial, an old black and white photo that displayed the fire in the man's soul, the disciplinarian who coached young boys in San Antonio to state basketball championships and a group of young boys from El Paso to a state baseball championship.
The eyes in that team photo belonged to boys. The eyes are now 60 years older but they are still filled with fire and pride, filled with the satisfaction of knowing they came together and did something that has been unmatched in these six decades. They won a state high school baseball championship, still El Paso's only state high school baseball championship.
"I still remember walking onto that field (in Austin, for the state championship game) and guys looking at us like, who are these renegades," Morales said. "Nemo just said to play the game, play the game like we usually do."
They did. And that was better than anyone in the state of Texas.
The Bears went through LaMesa first, then Lubbock, then took a trio of games in Austin -- defeating Stephenville, Waco High and then Austin (Texas) High in the championship game. They endured, they overcame, they soared above all the racial epithets. They did not let it bother them that they slept on cots underneath the University of Texas' Memorial Stadium at the state tournament.
"We were just kids," Morales laughed. "We lined up the cots and ran hurdle races."
There were equal shares of laughter and goose bumps Thursday afternoon, 60 years after those hurdle races, six decades after that championship season.
Mistress of Ceremonies Elvia Hernandez of LULAC, said, "It's been a long road. But it's just been wonderful."
David Dodge, chairman of the board for the El Paso Independent School District, said, "This is an accomplishment that has yet to be duplicated here in El Paso. We had 52 names to choose from for our four new schools, The new elementary school in Northwest El Paso will be named William "Nemo" Herrera Elementary. We didn't do it because Mr. Herrera was a good coach. There are a lot of good coaches. We didn't do it because he took this wonderful team to a state championship. We did it because he represented to me the same leadership qualities so important when we named Chapin High School after a war hero. And these men proved by bats and swift feet they were as good, in fact better than, anyone in the state."
City councilman Beto O'Rourke said, "I am honored to be here with true heroes of El Paso history."
Herrera's son, retired Colonel Charles Herrera, bears a remarkable likeness to his father.
"San Antonio sports writer Dan Cook wrote that my dad knew more about his boys than their parents. And he would have put this memorial at the very top of his list of accomplishments."
And the artist Flores, Bowie High class of 1950, said, "This is a dream started many years ago, one that comes to reality today. In 1949 they played the game far better than anybody in Texas. I am humbled to be the designer of this long overdue project."
This day, this memorial, meant so much to so many. Martin Luna and his son Ruben began the journey 10 years ago. Hernandez joined the journey. So many more joined forces. And, on a cool, beautiful, sun-splashed January day, 60 years later, it all came true.
Neil Sanchez, head baseball coach at Del Valle High School, brought his team.
"I just felt like we needed to," he said.
Moments later, looking at the picture, looking at the men today, he said, "You can see history in their faces."
They were boys 60 years ago, peering out of those eyes. Today they are men, bent a bit and slowed a little by Father Time. But the eyes are the same.
"It is a bittersweet moment," Lara said. "So many memories of the beautiful time we spent here playing ball. So many things we had to confront. It brought back a lot of memories -- good and bad. I try to ignore the bad, cherish the moment. The crowd was great. The place was packed. So many people coming up, wanting to hear our story. It made me feel good."
These men are still a team, still swapping stories and exchanging insults.
Lara looked at the picture, laughed and loudly said, "Too bad Andy is the only ugly one."
Corona said, "When we won, we jumped all over each other, knocked Nemo down. I think he got a little mad. But it was OK. We were so excited."
But there were moments of reflection, too.
Sambrano smiled and said quietly, "When you look at the big picture, we beat the odds. You know what I mean? We beat the odds. You name it and we persevered. And it was the way we were led. Nemo deserved this."
Macias said, "It was great. I won't forget this day. Ever. It was so nice. I took a lot of pictures. But, more than that, I will have a lot of memories."
Gomez, just a freshman on that team, flew in from Southern California for the ceremonies.
"I was so surprised by the size of the crowd. It was amazing. Coach Herrera deserved it. He was like a father. When my dad had a cerebral hemorrhage, Coach Herrera was the one who told me to get home. He called later and said, if there is anything I can do for you, you let me know. That's the kind of man he was. I didn't expect anything like this. This was a special day."
Morales looked at the memorial, at the giant black and white team picture, at that championship trophy and said, "Three or four years before that, we didn't even know each other. We came from all different barrios. I came from Barrio Diablo. We came from San Juan, Lincoln Park, Val Verde. Seems like only yesterday. We came back on the bus and there wasn't much of a crowd at the bus station. We got some pats on the back, a few people said we did a good job. We got our paper sacks -- that was all the luggage we had -- and walked off."
They walked off into history.
At a dinner later Thursday evening, Charles Herrera stood up and said, "Anyone who was here today will never forget it."
And now, with the beautiful memorial, that championship team of 1949 will never be forgotten.
The eyes are there, peering out of the old photo forever.
They eyes of champions.
Bill Knight may be reached at bknight@elpasotimes.com; 546-6171.
Read or Share this story: http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/archives/2017/08/08/bowies-1949-champs-honored/551323001/
Friends, family say goodbye to Pat O'Rourke
Jenna Hawkins weds Harold Welch at Fort Bliss
Deputies destroy substance from O'Rourke's car
1994: U.S. dairy imports under attack
2014: Rapper Wiz Khalifa arrested in El Paso
Veto stands on drug resolution