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| Rene Torres |
This piece is especially timely with the reintroduction of football to UTRGV's Edinburg campus scheduled for 2025.
By Rene Torres
Edinburg College opened its doors for students in 1927, the same year that they started competing in sports.
As an old-timer explained, the mascot was given the name “Broncs” because one of the coaches had come from Southern Methodist University, known as the Mustangs and "Broncs" was a derivitive of Mustangs.
The first Bronc teams played other South Texas Jr. Colleges and high schools in football, basketball and baseball.
School years books revealed that in 1929, two other sports were added; track and tennis.
A coach to remember…
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| Coach J.D. Foster |
J. D. Foster came to Edinburg in 1927.
Coach Foster, with only a small squad, produced a very successful team, defeating such teams as Schreiner and tying the powerful Centenary Fish; winning 4, tying 3, and losing 2 out of nine games played.
In his second season, he won five out seven games against such teams St. Mary’s, Kingsville Teachers, and Brownville Junior College.
As a coach, Foster was no Bush leaguer—he graduated from the Knute Rockne Coaching school and was ranked as one of the best Junior College coaches in Southwest Texas.
I found this quote about him:
“His success with his teams was paralleled only by his influence with the men he coached.”
A brief History of Bronc football…
1927-1930: The first years of the Edinburg College football program. During this span, the Broncs (or Bronchos or Broncos) won more than four games per season even in their first year, 1927
1931-46: A significant lapse as the football program was inactive, largely because of WW II
1933: Edinburg College becomes Edinburg Jr. College
1947: Football returns to the Valley as Edinburg Junior College is introduced as a member of the new South Texas Junior College Conference. Bobby Cannon, regarded as the dean of valley coaches and by local media was appointed in April of that year as head coach Edinburg Junior College Bronchos.
Conference members included: Brownsville J.C., Edinburg J.C., Laredo J.C., Corpus Christi, Seguin Lutheran, Victoria, and perhaps Wharton J.C.
1948: EJC’s football team sees a drop in participation, to 28 players from 35 the year before.
1949: Cannon is relieved of his duties as head coach. At a board session, the fate of the football program is brought up. Reluctantly, it is kept around. In May 1949, Edinburg Junior College became Edinburg Regional College.
1951: A Valley Morning Star report on May 9, when the fate to go against continuing football at Edinburg R.C. was made, did not list a reason for the board of trustees’ decision.
John McCauley: Bronc football legend:
At 19 years old, John was recruited from Hillsboro and, while at Edinburg, developed to be an outstanding triple-threat fullback. John was considered big for the times at 190 pounds and six-feet tall (1928-29).
He captained the 1928 Bronc team, leading the club through a successful season, playing 26 out of 28 quarters.
Before coming to Edinburg College, he played for one year at Meridian College where he lettered at fullback.
McCauley was as durable as they come, never having a “time out” called for him in his three years of competition.
In ’28, Mac scored 44 of his team’s points—besides being an outstanding defensive player.
John secured a scholarship to play at Rice Institute where he led the Owls to a Southwest Conference football championship in 1934.
He was named All-American on the New York Sun’s nationally publicized team and was inducted in 1936, into the schools “Athletic Hall of Fame.”
Dick Jamerson: Valley boy demonstrated brilliance on the gridiron: He was 5’11 and weighed 175 lbs. and was an outstanding passer, runner and receiver.
McCauley was excellent, but Dick was brilliant!
The former Donna quarterback demonstrated an uncanny ability when receiving and carrying the oval—a mystical runner.
A newspaper reported:
“In the 1928 season, in every game he participated in he was able to trail his interference to the open and then flash a brand of open field running that thrilled everyone who saw the games."
He ran with speed and power and effectively employed a stiff arm that created problems for the secondary defense. Once he crossed the opposition’s defensive line, he was unstoppable.
Runs to brag about…
Facing one of the stiffest opponents of the seasons, the Rice freshmen, he mixed his hip action with change of pace maneuvers, leaving the secondary defenders standing with their mouths open. He ran 54 yards on an in and out play for a touchdown without a hand touching him, a spectacular run to say the least!
Against Kingsville Teachers College…
Digging deep into his reservoir of talent he came up with a marvelous run.
The scene was described as follows:
"The Broncs were on their 30 yard-line when Jamerson took the ball around right end and ran for 70 yards and a touchdown, bringing the crowd to their feet saluting him with a thunderous applause."
He was reported as “flinging his legs and jerks away and spins when he is hit and keeps on going.
As a receiver…
When receiving passes, it seems that he is a roving target, and a passer has no obstacle in spotting him. He secures the ball at full speed and then cuts up the field, without losing stride. Coach Foster was commended for developing this “Phantom Bronc.”
Another giant on the team:
Also on the 1927 team was Louis Hassell, a freshman tackle, who could single-handidly and consistently hold his position in tempo with his teammates.
For his outstanding performance with Broncs, he was awarded a scholarship to Rice University where he was selected to the All-Southwest Conference team.
He was later named to the Board of Regents of Pan American and Rice University.
Mr. Hassell inspired the Lou Hassell Award presented to an outstanding student-athlete in recognition for his ability to exhibit and maintain a high degree of quality and excellence in the classroom and on the athletic field.
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| 1930 EJC team members |
1930 State Title Game:
The Broncs and Brownsville Junior College Scorpions were bitter rivals.
The encounter was advertised as the Junior College Championship of the state.
Fans from Edinburg and throughout the valley, along with their high school state champion band began drifting into Brownville around noon.
Game time was at 3:00 on a Saturday at Brownsville’s High School Tucker Field—a healthy crowd was in attendance to witness a shellacking.
As game time approached, the Edinburg Red Shirt Band, as they were known, added to the excitement and pageantry by playing football marches while the crowd waited for the gladiators to step on to the field.
Once the game started, “The Border Bandits,” controlled the clock, score and the game, embarrassing the Broncs with 63 crooked numbers on the board to zero.
The Scorpions ended the season undefeated with one tie against the Texas A&M freshmen team, 6-6.
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| Brownsville Junior College Football Team 1930 |
The Brownsville Herald wrote the following:
"Without a doubt the Brownsville squad was the greatest grid unit ever turned out in the history of the Rio Grande Valley.”
In closing, in 2014, the McAllen Monitor asked new UTRGV president at the time, Guy Bailey, if football would someday be part of the athletic program?
Bailey responded, “the endeavor can only be successful if the timing is right."
Well! The right time has arrived and RGV fans can once again root for the home team in 2025.
Note: Perhaps, John McCauley, Dick Jamerson and coach J.D. Foster, should be considered as future UTRGV Hall of Fame inductees.
Excerpts were taken from the McAllen Monitor, Valley Morning Star, Brownsville Herald and the 1930 Edinburg College yearbook.
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A very informative article! Great job Rene!
ReplyDeleteGood read Rene.
ReplyDelete