2026-09-29T23:30:36+00:00 Zend_Feed_Writer https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/ Rattlers Remember https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org 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. 2019-12-12T16:25:51+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.