2026-09-29T23:25:27+00:00 Zend_Feed_Writer https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/ Rattlers Remember https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org 2019-12-16T05:03:02+00:00 2020-10-22T13:18:17+00:00 https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/items/show/36 Mario Sosa When looking at all the buildings at St. Mary’s University, perhaps Lourdes Hall stands out to you the most differently in terms of architecture. That is because it shares the same rooms as the Hilton Palacio del Rio Hotel downtown. The beginning of Lourdes Hall begins with the building of the Hilton hotel. Because San Antonio was the site of the Hemisfair World’s Fair in 1968, the city needed a grand hotel downtown for the millions of visitors arriving. In order to build the hotel in time for the HemisFair, Zachry Construction Company relied on modular building. This was a method of construction that had involved quickly assembling rooms individually off-site and later placing them down at its designation. Zachry Company constructed each room separately seven miles off-site. The carpeting, drapes, light bulbs, and furniture were placed in the rooms off-site as well. The workers carried the rooms over to the site downtown and stacked them together. To accomplish such engineering, workers used an IBM computer the size of a room. Thanks to modular building and modern technology, the entire process only took 202 days. While this was not the first instance of modular building, the construction of the Hilton Hotel popularized this method by making it into national headlines. Lourdes Hall was constructed around the same time as the HemisFair exposition in 1968. Unlike the previous buildings on campus, Lourdes Hall is a modular building. In fact, Zachry Construction Company used leftover rooms from the Hilton Hotel to build Lourdes Hall. Just like the Hilton Hotel, they assembled everything for Lourdes Hall outside of campus. The construction crew attached all of the components such as the electrical wires and plumbing equipment into the rooms and transported everything to campus. Once there, the company used a crane to anchor the rooms together. It was essentially stacking cubes on top of each other. Workers then built a utility room in between every two rooms to attach the wires and plumbing from the rooms together. All of this was supposed to be a faster and more effective way to construct buildings. After its completion, Lourdes Hall initially became a girls’ dormitory, although it later became a dormitory for both boys and girls. The construction of the Hilton Palacio del Rio Hotel and Lourdes Hall helped to popularize modular building. Although not as fancy or detailed as traditional construction, modular building is a faster and cheaper method. This makes Lourdes Hall the only building to have ever literally dropped into campus. For more (including 3 images and 1 sound clip), view the original article. 2019-12-14T08:12:59+00:00 2019-12-16T16:55:33+00:00 https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/items/show/35 Mario Sosa In the early 1970s, there were a growing number of men wanting to become Marianist brothers. At this time, St. Mary’s University had the brothers living in Charles Francis, but it only had 60 rooms, all of which were occupied. In response to the growing number of Marianists, the university constructed Treadaway Hall to accommodate 200 brothers. Marianists from the St. Louis Province of the United States were responsible for financing Treadaway. Perhaps the most recognizable feature in Treadaway Hall is its slanted windows. By having the windows tilted at an angle, people looking in from the outside cannot see much. The reasoning for designing the windows this way was so that residents would not have to place blinds or curtains up. The rooms each have a bed, a desk, and a sink with a vanity, mirror, and a medicine cabinet to compliment it. To ensure that the design would be efficient, one of the brothers responsible for creating the rooms, Gene Myer, built a model room right next to where Casa Maria is today before starting constructing the rooms in Treadaway. The model room stayed up until it was taken down not too long ago since the Brothers had no use for it. On the first floor was a dining hall that was able to feed all the brothers living there. The building also had room for an auto shop built in the basement. In regards to the basic structure of Treadaway hall, Brother Richard Dix explained that since Treadaway Hall was for Marianist men, the walls and ceilings were made with bare concrete to appear masculine. Concrete piers that are dug down around 30 to 40 feet support the building. However, the usage of caliche cement, a sedimentary rock made of gravel and sand, has shown to be problematic. In one instance, when one of the water pipes came apart under Treadaway, the caliche on the piers got wet. This resulted in the concrete expanding and essentially started lifting the entire building off of the pillars. To remedy the problem, the school had to dig up several feet of dirt. Jim Jakely was a brother who almost single handedly dug up the dirt. By the early 1980s, only about 30 brothers were living on the fourth floor of Treadaway. Since most of the rooms were vacant, the Marianists relocated the remaining brothers and gave the building over to the university. Since then, much of Treadaway has been redesigned. While the chapel in Treadaway remained intact since its conception, the dining hall became the music department, the auto shop turned into the police department, the machine shop room converted into housekeeping and storage, the kitchen changed into the mailroom and the recreational room transformed into the English Communication Arts area. Today, Treadaway hall is still used as a dormitory for students. Despite the small room size, many students enjoy the privacy of one person rooms. Students there tend to get loft beds so that they could have extra room for a TV or other furniture below. While no longer a dormitory for the brothers, Treadaway hall is still considered a part of home to those residing at St. Mary’s University. For more (including 4 images and 2 sound clips), view the original article. 2019-12-14T00:10:18+00:00 2019-12-16T18:37:32+00:00 https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/items/show/34 Erica Esparza In 1908, Reinbolt Hall opened its doors to St. Louis College students. This ceremonious event welcomed 500 attendees to celebrate the new structural addition to the campus. The basement of Reinbolt Hall served as the college auditorium. The college auditorium hosted campus events, theater programs, and commencement ceremonies. Previously, before construction on Reinbolt Hall, St. Louis College had a Dramatic Club and they performed and presented theater programs in the attic of St. Louis Hall, which also served as a gymnasium. The college auditorium had a regal looking curtain with the initials S.L.C. for St. Louis College located at the top center. They used multiple backdrops for production scenes which were also used for class pictures. The Dramatic Club existed for the purposes of training boys in readiness and fluency in public speaking. The club was organized by pupils of the upper classes. The organization had meetings and were conducted according to strict parliamentary practice. The meetings were held on the first and third Wednesday of each month. The exercises and rehearsals were supervised by instructors and included the following: elocutionary reading; declamation; presentation of scenes from Shakespearean plays; composition and reading of stories and essays; illustrated lectures on scientific subjects; extempore speaking; and debates. Theater in the early twentieth century, continued a performance tradition of using non-black performers portraying African American characters in their productions wearing blackface. The Dramatic Club at St. Louis College held many productions using blackface and males playing female characters as it was a male-only club at the time. In one 1899 production named, “The Brownies,” the club invited the Marianist Brothers and the San Fernando School, which was a charity school for Mexican American students, to attend the production. In the late 1920s, the college auditorium continued as the site where the campus hosted theater plays and musical programs. The Chaminade Musical Club, in 1927, also shared the space with the Dramatic Club. The music department, of the newly named St. Mary’s College, held musical programs and conducted rehearsals on the college auditorium stage. During this time, if monologues could not be heard in the basement halls of Reinbolt, the sounds of violins, pianos, and singing harmonic voices penetrated the halls. The Dramatic Club also resumed their rehearsals and productions. They performed programs at the St. Mary’s College auditorium, in addition, to performing off campus. Community presentations were performed at locations such as St. Peter’s Orphanage, Incarnate Word College, Knights of Columbus Hall, St. Michael’s, Our Lady of the Lake College, and Beethoven Hall in downtown San Antonio. In 1931, administrators created the “Theater Guild” and it included officers and a president like other student organizations. The dean of St. Mary’s College stressed the importance and benefit of the organization and encouraged the participation of students across campus to join. The director of the theater guild emphasized the belief that actors were not the only part of a dramatic club, and that stage managing, ticket selling, advertising, stage designing, electrical work, ushering, and scene shifting were equally important. The theater guild performed one-act plays and vaudeville acts on the college auditorium stage and around the community. The college auditorium endured a century on campus while carrying on a theatrical legacy of fine arts. In 2011, renovation to Reinbolt Hall and the addition of a new marble alter to Assumption Chapel necessitated the closure of the theater. The weight of the altar caused safety concerns for the theater located directly below the chapel. These safety concerns were that the aged structure could not be reinforced by the weight of the new altar, and further use of the theater would be too risky and dangerous. The curtain fell on a beloved century long landmark at St. Mary’s University. For more (including 8 images and 2 sound clips), view the original article. 2019-12-13T23:21:31+00:00 2019-12-16T18:38:10+00:00 https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/items/show/33 Erica Esparza The addition of St. Louis College in 1894 and the issue of transportation threatened the prosperity of the college. The ten-mile distance between the downtown campus to the Woodlawn campus, at the time, was an issue due to the availability of only rudimentary mode of transportation. Streetcars in San Antonio were electrified in 1890. This innovative feature provided for faster transportation, as streetcars could not go up to 20 miles per hour, double the speed of the original horse-drawn cars. The cars also doubled in size, now offering 16 to 32 seats in a single streetcar. In 1891, there were only four streetcar lines in San Antonio ran by four different companies -- the Bellknap, the McCrillis, the West End, and Alamo Heights. Riders had to buy separate tickets if they switched cars during a route due to the different ownerships. In the 1890’s, there was only one route that came to St. Louis College, and it was by way of the West End Electric Line. In 1899, the line terminated its straight route to the campus and the new stop ended at San Antonio Female College, located at 2600 W. Woodlawn Ave, presently Assumption Seminary. The West End Electric Line, a blue streetcar, began its route from downtown Houston Street and made its way west onto Ruiz Street, north towards Cincinnati Street traveling south under Woodlawn Lake, turning west onto Ashby PL Road and north towards the intersection of Woodlawn Ave. and Bandera ending at San Antonio Female College. The relocation of the stop forced St. Louis College students to “walk the mile” towards the college. They made their way into a thicket of mesquite and dirt road to get to school. The students walked this mile for one half century until the city extended its bus line to the college in 1949. For more (including 4 images and 1 sound clip), view the original article. 2019-12-12T18:55:42+00:00 2019-12-16T02:52:47+00:00 https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/items/show/32 Harold Johnson The beautifully remodeled blue courts of the Rohrbach Stadium Tennis Complex were completed in 2013. The complex, which is home to the St. Mary’s varsity tennis teams, features six resurfaced courts, two brand new courts, covered bleachers, and lights to allow for day and night competitions. The plan for the complex is to bring national exposure to St. Mary’s with events such as the United States Tennis Association tournaments and Intercollegiate Tennis Association regionals. The Rohrbach Stadium is a welcome companion to the state-of-the-art Alumni Athletics and & Convocation Center which was completed in 2001. The stadium courts were named after Brother Ed Rohrbach, who is considered one of the pioneers of the program after he coached the men's tennis team from 1954 through 1975. He also coached St. Mary's first singles champion, Juve Gonzalez, who won the Big State Conference singles title back-to-back years in the mid-1950s. Tennis has a rich tradition at St. Mary’s, with men’s national championships in 1938,1940, and 1953. The men also won a conference title in 1977 and the women’s tennis team broke through with their first title in 2013. The plans for the facility coincide with St. Mary’s University’s mission to engage the community and the complex aims to become a vital part of the West side of San Antonio. The Rohrbach Tennis Complex can host a variety of activities and programs designed to meet the interests and needs of the public. These activities include youth sports clinics, athlete autograph-signing opportunities, festivals, concerts, and the collection of food items at the facilities to help people in the community. One of the long-term members of the community and avid tennis aficionado and player is Brother Albert Kuntemeier or “Brother Al” as many know him in the community. In our interviews, his faith and passion for tennis radiated brilliantly. He says that athletic talent is a gift from God and using those God given gifts honor God. His personal mission statement is to “Pray and serve the community of St. Mary’s University.” To that end, he is constantly praying for the success and health of the St. Mary’s sports teams. At 89 years old, he manages to play tennis three days a week to honor God who enables him to still be so physically active. He honors God with every swing of his bracket and that love touches all those he interacts with. Faith and sports go hand in hand at St. Mary’s University. Another tennis lover, Heather Petersen embodied those ideals by volunteering for a service-learning program called Coach for College. Not only is she a wonderful tennis player but following the example set by Brother Al, she extended her prayer and service across the ocean, beyond the St. Mary’s campus to the larger community of faith in Vietnam. Read more of her incredible story here. The St. Mary's tennis teams have risen to national prominence over the past decade. At the same time, due to normal wear and tear, the tennis courts on campus have deteriorated, and the Rattlers men's and women's teams have had to find another practice and match court, capping their potential growth on the national scene. Help St. Mary's remedy this through the, Bring Tennis Home program which will assist in refurbishing the courts on campus. Let’s honor the players of the past and support the athletes of today. Check out the facilities for a match or hit a few balls with a friend. Perhaps you will catch Brother Al in action while you play. For more (including 3 images and 2 sound clips), view the original article. 2019-12-12T16:39:39+00:00 2019-12-16T18:39:11+00:00 https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/items/show/31 Erica Esparza On April 10, 1895, St. Louis College broke ground for the original natatorium and excavation began. The new acreage for St. Louis College, came with its own waterworks, electric light plant, and dairy. The water for the new natatorium would be pumped from two, eight-inch artesian wells, each 710 feet deep that came with the property. At this time ,the property consisted of 75 acres that included the campus, park, gardens, and the pasture. Ten acres of that was the center of campus which created a quadrangle and it included the Chemical Laboratory, the Domestics’ Residence, the Powerhouse, and the Natatorium. The Natatorium was located west of the cemetery and in proximity east of the chicken yard. The pool measured 30 by 60 feet, a depth of 4 to 6.5 feet, and surrounded by 50 dressing booths. The pool could hold a capacity of 60,000 gallons of water. On July 4, 1895, the pool was pumped with two feet of water and later that evening St. Louis College brothers invited brothers from other communities to take an evening swim with them. The Natatorium’s first five years, from 1895 to 1899, faced a series of issues with the pool related to repairs and maintenance. First, they discovered several cracks in the bottom of the pool. The water was emptied, and repairs began on the defective tiling at the bottom. On May 13, 1898, Mr. Nelson (a layman) inspected the natatorium and stated he would repair it temporarily with asphalt. Mr. Nelson stated, “I have guaranteed you a natatorium you’ll have one, even if I must build a new one.” On May 18, 1898, Nelson repaired with asphalt. A year later in 1899, there were new issues with the previous asphalt applied. The original asphalt was not mixing well with a harder asphalt that was applied later to fill in the cracks at the bottom of the pool. The repairs were done poorly. From the turn of the twentieth century into the early 1920s, the Natatorium served as a site for much of the University’s entertainment. Current students, alumni, and the Marianists hosted festivities on campus.. Following each event, the natatorium was the setting for what was known at the time as the “Moonlight Swim.” For instance, in October of 1924, the Alumni Association held a watermelon fest, which was preceded by a “moonlight swim” at the pool. In May 1925, members of the Rattler Club and the graduating class, hosted boys who were graduating from local high schools and the San Antonio Military Academy. They allowed them freedom to the campus where they were entertained for a couple of hours in the natatorium. In 1929, the natatorium got a facelift led by superintendent of grounds, Brother Joseph Lanfer. The natatorium was a very popular place on campus since its inception, especially during the warm spring and summer days. The revamping included a new coat of paint, the trimming of the surrounding hedge, and shrubbery. It was also considered one of the finest swimming pools in San Antonio. For more (including 5 images and 2 sound clips), view the original article. 2019-12-12T16:25:51+00:00 2019-12-16T02:51:52+00:00 https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/items/show/30 Harold Johnson Dickson Stadium was built in 2013 and is home to the St. Mary’s Rattler baseball team. It is an integral part of the same project that developed The Park at St. Mary’s. The Park is host to the St. Mary’s softball team. The newer 2,260-seat stadium is a successor to V.J Keefe Field. Dickson Stadium is built on the steel structure of V.J Keefe Field. The design of the beautiful facility harkens back to the days of V.J Keefe Field, and in that capacity, it is a vital community space. V.J Keefe Field used to host close to 300 events a year ranging from high school and summer youth league baseball games to minor league baseball games. Dickson Stadium was built around the university’s relationship with the community. The seats all provide great views and angles to view the games and the closeness of the seats to the field provide a wonderful intimacy between players and fans. V.J Keefe Field was completed in 1958 and hosted St. Mary’s baseball for 58 years. After a great run, the stadium closed its doors in 2011. One of the best players to play for the school was Fernando Valenzuela. Nicknamed “El Toro”, he played Major League Baseball for 17 seasons and was inducted into the Hispanic Hall of Fame in 2003. The Rattlers also won the Division II National Championship in 2001 defeating Central Missouri State 11-3. The old field was also home to minor league baseball teams such as The San Antonio Dodgers (1977-1987) and the San Antonio Tejanos that played one season there in 1994. St. Mary’s University may be a small Marianist school in San Antonio, known largely for its School of Law but it does have a couple of sports stories that stand out. There was the time that Dwight Eisenhower (yes, the United States president) coached the 1916 Rattler football team. Then, there was the moment in 1909 that an amazing St. Mary’s baseball team steamrolled the competition, beating everyone but a Ty Cobb-led Detroit Tigers team in an exhibition game. It was certainly a cool moment for the university and more incredible for the players that shared the field that day. In 1909, the Detroit Tigers came to San Antonio for spring training. Over the course of training, they played exhibition games with local teams. The best of those local teams in 1909 was the team from St. Mary’s University (known as St. Louis College at the time). During the training the Detroit Tigers played a game that played out like something written for Hollywood; at least according to witnesses of the game. On March 18, 1909, an electrical engineering major named Allys “Bert” Gallia stepped to the mound against arguably the best baseball player in MLB history in Ty Cobbs and struck him out. Gallia had a great game this day. He was not only the pitcher but also the best hitter on the team. He had already hit a double and stolen a base in the first inning to give the students a 2-0 lead. The San Antonio Daily Express mentioned, “Gallia pitched a good ball for St. Louis. He had the pleasure of fanning of the mighty Ty Cobbs and several others just as dangerous.” The Detroit Tigers would win the game, but that was expected. The newspaper noted, “the Collegians arose to the occasion with a spirit that surprised even their most hearty rooters. The game was a credit to the school and the Tigers complimented them on their showing.” When visiting Dickson Stadium, think of the accomplishments and memories of the games played there. Moments like these need to be preserved and hopefully new championships and games will have oral histories to fully conserve epic sports moments in their rightful place in St. University lore. For more (including 5 images and 1 sound clip), view the original article. 2019-12-12T04:29:09+00:00 2019-12-16T02:52:27+00:00 https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/items/show/29 Harold Johnson The Bill Greehy Arena opened in 2000 as a part of the sprawling Alumni Athletics & Convocation Center. The state-of-the-art arena was the first NCAA Division II facility in the country to have video screens to maximize viewing of the action on the court. The technological advancements have led to the area being host to a variety of major sports events such as the FIBA Americans U18 Championship and the Division II Women’s Basketball Elite Eight in 2013. Before St. Mary’s began its official collegiate basketball history, they played against local teams and held intramural basketball games. Without a home court to call its own, they played in various facilities around the city. In 1926, St Mary’s began playing other schools and in their inaugural season of playing they posted a 12-7 record. St. Mary’s basketball had a knack for finding quality players and posted winning records in many of its early seasons. In early 1929, all basketball games for the season were cancelled when St. Mary’s was unable to find a basketball court to host games. This led to the construction of Alumni Gym in March 1929. However, the gym had to delay the installation of a wooden floor until 1937 due to the Depression. To keep money coming in, St. Mary’s rented the gym to an aerial circus act known as The Flying Codonas who were quite popular throughout the southwest and Mexico. Once the court officially opened in 1938 for basketball, the Alumni Gym showcased players with awesome nicknames like Jack “Tricksie” Allen and Alfred “Rosy” Vorphal. One without a cool nickname, Robert Reid, went on to a great career in the NBA. The team reached the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in 1964, and the Rattlers defeated Grambling University. That team was led by All-American and NBA Legend Willis Reed, so the monumental upset was the talk of the campus. Success on the court continued for St. Mary’s, especially with the hiring of Buddy Meyer. Under Buddy Meyer, the Rattlers won the Big State Conference title in his first year. In 1989, after a decade of stellar seasons where they were just a game or so away from winning the championship, the Rattlers won the NAIA national basketball tournament. They finally brought home the James A. Naismith trophy. The girls-basketball team would compete in their first NAIA National Tournament game in 1995 and would keep this dual success of male and female basketball greatness throughout the nineties. Buddy Meyer coached his final and 27th season at St. Mary’s in 2005 and he went out in style, winning a share of the Heartland conference title. He would retire with 16 conference titles. The basketball court inside the Greehy Arena is named “Buddy and Anna Meyer Court” in honor of the legendary basketball coach and his wife. The court was dedicated in 2007. Sixty-two years of intramural and intercollegiate basketball action at Alumni Gym ended with a win against Texas Lutheran University in the final home game of the 1999-2000 season. According to Brother Paul Metzger the action on the court was only rivaled by the action and entertainment the under bleachers. The Greehy Arena has seating built on concrete, but the old Alumni Gym had bleachers that students could walk under. Brother Metzger fondly recalls the laughter and comradery beneath the stands. Today, his eyes light up as he laughs about avoiding the drinks that would fall from above, on him and his friends. Reflecting on how he and his friends would go to every home game and then drive around to the games in the area, you can really get a sense of what the old gym and the Rattler team means to him. As the team and the Greehy Arena race toward future athletic success, Brother Metzger reminds us it’s not the technological advances of the new arena that make it shine, it is the brilliant spirit of the Rattler faithful. For more (including 4 images and 2 sound clips), view the original article. 2019-12-09T19:27:05+00:00 2019-12-15T17:56:56+00:00 https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/items/show/28 Adam Nerio In October 2019, Brother Al celebrated his 89th birthday. He took his first vows as a Marianist on August 15th, 1948, at age 17, and has served 72 years in this religious profession. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Brother Al has served his community in a variety of places, such as Chicago, Oklahoma City, and Fort Worth. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Education (University of Dayton), Masters in Business Administration (Marquette University), and Masters of Arts in Counseling (University of Notre Dame). Throughout his life, Brother Al has served as a teacher and counselor at the high school level, while coaching various sports including soccer, tennis, track, and football. In addition, Brother Al has experience as an athletic director and has served on the hiring committee at St. Mary’s for an athletic director, which is currently filled by Robert Coleman. Now retired, Brother Al or Brother “GQ” as his fellow Marianist Brothers call him due to his trademark stylish apparel, continues to live and maintain an overall healthy lifestyle. First, Brother Al will tell you his healthy lifestyle starts with his genes, inherited from his mother. He also maintains a healthy diet by limiting his salt and sugar intake. Brother Al is also an avid tennis player, and playing 3-4 times a week on campus helps keep him in shape. Due to his love and experience of tennis, Brother Al currently serves as chaplain for both the men and women’s tennis teams at St. Mary’s. He explains, “Tennis makes me happy and when I’m happy, it makes praying easy and it makes work easy and it makes service easy.” His inspiration for service is St. Julian of Norwich, who once said, “the greatest honor we can give to God is to live joyfully in the knowledge of His love for us.” Brother Al has used these words to help him be a service to others joyfully and selflessly. In addition, the Marianist Home has a fairly new fitness room that was built on the second floor for the Brothers to use for exercise. In addition, this exercise room makes things a lot more convenient for the Brothers who before being built, had to walk or find transportation for the Alumni Athletics and Convocation Center, which is located across campus from the Marianist Home. As a result, Brother Al takes full advantage of the exercise room, working with his trainer Mike 2-3 times a week. In each session, Brother Al uses the bike for cardio and various dumbbell and elastic band exercises for weight training and flexibility. Being a fitness enthusiast myself, I had the pleasure of meeting Mike and watching an exercise session between him and Brother Al. While research shows that regular exercise is one of the best ways to stay healthy, decrease stress and improve cognitive functioning, Brother Al mentioned other benefits: It's a way to make friends, enjoy the outdoors, clear the mind, and even pray. In my first semester of graduate school at St. Mary’s, I was assigned a project for my Documentary and Filmmaking class. For this project, I had to create a single documentary film based on a specific aspect of the history or heritage of the Marianists; working closely with the Marianist Brothers and the Marianist Archives on campus. Studying Public History for graduate school and being new to St. Mary’s, I was unfamiliar with the Marianist charism but knew I wanted to somehow involve sports or health and wellness for my project. The Marianist Archives staff connected me with Brother Al. Today, Brother Al and I have built an unlikely yet, wonderful friendship that I continue to value and cherish. St. Mary’s has been built on Marianist values of leadership and service since it was established in 1852. Brother Al is a prime example of leadership and service. He has not only been a role model for myself, but he is also an inspiration to his friends, family, and fellow brothers. For more (including 6 images and 2 sound clips), view the original article. 2019-12-09T17:42:46+00:00 2019-12-15T17:58:33+00:00 https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/items/show/27 Adam Nerio In October of 2013, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, along with University and city officials, cut the blue ribbon to inaugurate brand new state-of-the-art sports facilities. These new facilities add to the beautiful landscape of The Park, the sports complex at St. Mary’s. The project cost $17.3 million and included a fully renovated baseball field including a training room and offices for the coaching staff, a softball field including locker rooms, batting cages, a ticket office, and outfield stadium seating, new tennis courts, and two FIFA-regulation soccer fields. Bexar County provided a $6 million grant to this project to improve the surrounding community and to enhance the image of the University. In addition, the University hoped the new facilities would attract NCAA DII tournament play, showcasing St. Mary’s beyond San Antonio. Six years later, the men’s soccer team did just that, playing on the recently created Sigma Beta Chi Field. On Saturday, November 23, 2019 the men’s soccer team became the first team in program history to make an NCAA tournament appearance. This also marked the first time a men's soccer NCAA Tournament game was held at Sigma Beta Chi Field. Led by head coach Johnny Clifford the men’s team earned the number 3-seed in the tournament, playing against the 6-seed Western Washington on Sigma Beta Chi Field. Playing in front of a full crowd of students, family, and friends, the men’s team dominated, defeating Western Washington by a score of 5-0. This result marked the team’s first NCAA tournament win and the University’s first time hosting an NCAA tournament game on Sigma Beta Chi Field. In 2013, Corwyn Ritch, the former head women’s soccer coach who served for 19 seasons, became the first to coach on Sigma Beta Chi Field used by both the men and women’s soccer teams. Early in his coaching career at St. Mary’s however, the team practiced and played their games on the same field. Before Sigma Beta Chi Field was built, they practiced and played in an area located behind the School of Law and the outfield to the baseball field, and this left both the men and women’s soccer teams with only one field to use. Ritch even recalled when law school students would complain of the music being too loud during the team’s pre-game warm up. By now, you might be wondering about the name of this field. According to Ritch, from the 1980s to the early 2000s, the men’s soccer team roster was made up of primarily members of the Sigma Beta Chi Fraternity. Therefore, members of the Sigma Beta Chi fraternity helped raise nearly $250,000 during the outdoor sports project for The Park at St. Mary’s. As a result, the University named the soccer field in their honor. Today, Sigma Beta Chi Field is arguably one of the best fields in the Lone Star Conference for Division II athletics. Recently being named as the interim head women’s soccer coach, I am excited to see what history the men and women’s soccer programs can continue to make on Sigma Beta Chi Field. Having coached on numerous fields throughout my career, I always feel a sense of pride training our student-athletes on our professional-scale field. Sigma Beta Chi Field has a capacity of 250 for our supporters to watch in the bleachers and lights for nighttime games. Sigma Beta Chi Field is located in the center of campus, offering locals from around the Westside an opportunity to experience college level athletics at St. Mary’s soccer games. For more (including 6 images and 2 sound clips), view the original article.