EDINBURG – Greg Rodriguez, a Pan American College alum, found himself earlier this year sitting at a table at McAllen Country Club with other baseball alums reminiscing about their teammates and playing days.
 
Rodriguez, who is originally from Rio Grande City, played baseball at Pan American College from 1965-68. He was part of a four-man pitching rotation that led the program to the District VI playoffs against the University of Texas.
 
It was a typical David vs. Goliath matchup as Pan American College took on a Texas team that was already a powerhouse in college athletics.
 
Playing Texas and taking them to the brink of defeat is something Rodriguez and the rest of his teammates will always remember.
 
"The best thing about my college experience was that we almost went to the College World Series," Rodriguez said. "We almost beat Texas in 1968 playing at Disch-Falk Field. Cliff Gustafson was the coach and Burt Hooton and James Street were the pitchers and we almost beat them to go to Omaha."
 
After that season, Rodriguez had a decision to make. He had one year left of eligibility but he had enough hours under his belt to graduate. His education advisor recommended for him to graduate and pursue a graduate degree.
 
After mulling his decision, Rodriguez decided to go to Western Illinois University to get his masters degree. Rodriguez got his bachelor's and master's degree in four years and then went on to coach baseball for five years at Highland Community College.
 
It was the foundation he got from his time at Pan American College that helped him to be successful after college.
 
"I stayed up in Illinois from 1969 to 1974," Rodriguez said. "I started coaching baseball for a junior college in Freeport, Illinois. I only had one interview and got the job. I did that for five years but it was the background that I obtained at Pan American and the one year of grad school that made it possible for me to become a successful baseball coach."
 
After five years, Rodriguez was presented a unique opportunity. A hometown friend was an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and thought it would be good if Rodriguez applied.
 
Rodriguez didn't take the suggestion seriously since he didn't quite know what the FBI was really about but he warmed up to it and eventually sent in his application. He would get a letter back from the FBI in February of 1974 and was told to report to Quantico, Virginia by July of that year.
 
He loved to coach baseball and he loved how he had turned the program at Highland Community College around winning four straight conference titles but he just couldn't pass up the opportunity that the FBI offered.
 
Rodriguez never looked back after joining the FBI. He spent almost 27 years with the organization getting to travel to places that some could only dream of going to. Rodriguez has many stories to tell and some that he can't tell but looking back to the decision he made to leave the game of baseball he will tell you that he has no regrets.
 
"No, no regrets. Obviously, they are both very honorable professions," Rodriguez said. "I enjoyed my five years of coaching, which is what I wanted to do all my life but when I joined the FBI in 1974, it was a new arena where you had to do things people normally don't do. It was a fruitful career and very profitable career in the sense we got to see a lot of the world and a lot of different cultures. You can see the good the bad and ugly so from that standpoint, I have no regrets."
 
Rodriguez still remembers where he first started. He will never forget his roots so his trip down to the Rio Grande Valley is not his first since leaving Pan American College.
 
He has made trips in the past to the University for career fairs and to give speeches to students who are interested in criminal justice. Having come from the RGV he felt he could relate to a lot of students and he is grateful to the University for molding him into the man he became.
 
This time around, his trip to the RGV didn't have anything to do with the FBI. He made the trip down to honor Hall of Fame Head Coach Emeritus Al Ogletree when the UTRGV Department of Intercollegiate Athletics unveiled the Coach Al and Joann Ogletree Plaza in front of the UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
 
Rodriguez didn't play for coach Ogletree as he left for grad school the same year coach Ogletree took over the program. Coach Ogletree coached Rodriguez' brother Roel and he was aware of his reputation around college baseball.
 
When Rodriguez was coaching at Highland Community College, he made the trip to Omaha to see his alma mater and coach Ogletree at the College World Series in 1971.
 
Rodriguez didn't want to miss the opportunity to honor such a great person, coach and leader in coach Ogletree.
 
"This opportunity we have here to come celebrate the unveiling of the statue of coach Al is really a great opportunity," Rodriguez said. "He influenced a lot of people, including my brother. I was not fortunate enough to play under him because I left the year he came in. We played against him when he was at Sul Ross and his reputation was impeccable. All the guys that knew him and played for him respect him and until this day we honor his presence at the University. This is a great honor for him."
 
Rodriguez retired from the FBI after almost 27 years. He retired out of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City where he stayed for another 10 years doing a lot of security consulting.
 
There are a lot of student-athletes that are taking the criminal justice route and Rodriguez wants them to know that they need to stay on the straight line and he believes that athletics helps in doing that.
 
"Criminal justice degree is a good degree," Rodriguez said. "It gets you into the border patrol. It gets you into the police department but for the FBI and other federal agencies that have great responsibilities you need at least five years of work experience after you graduate. The most important aspect of it is that you have to have a clean career and that's what I like about athletics. Sports teach you a lot of discipline and thank God for people like coach Al that molded people to become good citizens and we in the FBI are no different. We want to hire the best and the brightest."
 
Now a days, Rodriguez is not involved in baseball as he used to be. In fact, the only ball he likes to hit around is a golf ball. He is still working after his career with the FBI and after turning 70 last December he plans on working until he can no longer work.
 
Rodriguez has even met up with UTRGV men's golf coach Philip Tate and they have had conversations about his travel around the Latin America. Rodriguez says he comes across a lot of kids who are good at baseball and golf and he always mentions how UTRGV is a good school to come to in the United States.
 
The Rio Grande Valley will always be special to Rodriguez. He, his wife and his four kids still have an attachment to the RGV since he and his siblings grew up in Rio Grande City. Some of them currently live in San Antonio, Houston and even in Edinburg but he always comes back to his roots in the RGV.
 
Rodriguez is happy to see how far the University has come over the last few years but at the end of it all he will always call the RGV home.
 
"We are very happy that the University is really thriving," Rodriguez said. "We are hoping that we can get some good recruits to come to UTRGV to play golf and baseball to help the programs thrive. We are always going to be attached to the University because this is where home is."

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