2026-09-29T23:30:57+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. 2019-12-12T04:29:09+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. 2019-05-06T18:42:21+00:00 2019-05-08T01:16:38+00:00 https://rattlersremember.stmupublichistory.org/items/show/13 Jose Diaz The St. Mary’s baseball fields have a storied history. Formerly known as V.J. Keefe Field from 1958-2011, the fields’ history have been forged by numerous events from their construction to attending San Antonio Dodgers games to national championships. Brother Jim Jaeckle returned to St. Mary’s in 1969 after graduating in 1965 and was put in charge of repairs of V.J. Keefe Field. Jaeckle worked on included changing the light fixtures, built the stairwells in the office, built stools for the dugouts, and much more. Jaeckle and his crew were resourceful with the materials used to renovate V.J. Keefe field. All the metal from the fencing around the field and the facade came from an old Volkswagen factory that burned down in east San Antonio. In 1970-71, Brother Jim worked on the batting cages, most of the material used to build it came from the old Mission Stadium in the south side of San Antonio. Student athletes have also shared memories of the fields. As a senior, Leticia Morales-Bisaro was the pitcher of the first national championship for the St. Mary’s softball team in 1986. The softball fields didn’t have many facilities including bathrooms. In fact, Morales-Bisaro recalled that they didn’t even have a permanent fence; they had to use a portable one. Leticia’s jersey, number 24, was retired after she graduated. When her daughter in the played softball here in the 2010s, Leticia’s number came out of retirement for her daughter to use. Her daughter also witnessed the transition from V.J. Keefe Field to Dickson Stadium. While she never played on V.J. Keefe field—she played on the softball fields—she did have good memories of it. Leticia used to work with the San Antonio Missions, which home stadium was V.J. Keefe Field. V.J. Keefe Field was the home of the San Antonio Dodgers--now the Missions--before moving to Nelson Wolff Stadium in 1993. LaRae Sleeter had fond memories of watching SA Dodgers games at V.J. Keefe Field with her father. In fact, the stadium influenced her decision to attend St. Mary’s. As a student from 1988-1993 she attended a few games because she had a friend on the team. Baseball goes back as far as the campus itself. It was one of the first facilities to be built on this campus. In 2011, the Rattlers played their final game on V.J. Keefe Field. The fields have undergone several renovations since then. While in school, LaRae Sleeter recalled talks of renovations coming to the baseball fields; however, they didn’t happen until after she graduated. Even though the stadium experienced a myriad of renovations since its inception in 1958, the actual ground has remained the same. For more (including 4 images and 1 sound clip), view the original article.