RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame inducted two former legacy student-athletes, Anna Martinez Mann (women's track and field, 1983-85) and Fred Taylor (men's basketball, 1967-70), this past Saturday at the Mission Events Center as part of the 35^th induction class. 
 
Anna Martinez Mann
Martinez Mann, an alum of Brownsville Porter High School, set records in the Rio Grande Valley in the long jump and earned a trip to the state track and field meet before competing for legacy institution Pan American University women's track and field team from 1983-85.
 
Martinez Mann qualified for the NAIA National Track & Field Championships, including 1985 which was the last time the department competed in an NAIA event. 
 
"I also want to thank my Pan American coaches, Homer Martinez, Jimmy Platt, and Coach Lopez," Martinez Mann said. "They trusted by abilities and my jumping style. They never asked me to change. Thy coached me well and they knew how to encourage me to perform at my absolute best. Don't let anyone take your joy. Keep it and run with it."
 
Fred Taylor
Taylor played at legacy institution Pan American College from 1967-70, finishing as the program's third (now fourth) all-time leading scorer with 1,721 points. He also ranks third in field goals made (681), fourth in free throws made (359), and seventh in rebounds (699). He was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
 
As a senior, Taylor earned All-American Honorable Mention by averaging a then-program record 27.9 points per game, the fourth-highest single-season total, by scoring 671 points, then the second (now sixth) highest total. During that season, he twice hit 18 baskets in a game, then tied for the third-highest (now sixth) single-game total in program history. He also became the first player in program history to knock down at least 10 free throws in a game without a miss by going 10-for-10 against Morehead State on Jan. 31, 1970.
 
During his first season with the program in 1967-68, Taylor led the team to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament by averaging 21.4 points and 8.4 rebounds while hitting 48.5 percent of his shots from the field.
 
A 1970 second round pick (27thoverall) in the NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns, Taylor played for the Suns from 1970-71 and the Cincinnati Royals from 1971-72. In 88 games, Taylor averaged 4.4 points on 36.4 percent shooting to go with 1.6 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game.
 
Taylor twice has the opportunity to bring his teams to campus for exhibition games, leading the Suns against the Pistons on Oct. 10, 1970 and against the Golden State Warriors on Sep. 28, 1971 at the fieldhouse.
 
"When I graduated from Wheatly High School, I had two scholarships," Taylor said. "One to Wisconsin and the other to Pan American College. At the time, I didn't have a clue where Pan American was. I had two former teammates that the late great Sam Williams had recruited to come down to Pan American College to play basketball. When they told me how friendly the people were in the Valley it was a no-brainer for me to come down here. I came from a segregated situation in Houston and it was big pleasure to be welcomed here like I was."
 
Taylor had his jersey number retired in 2019 and was the fourth to ever be retired in the department's history, and the third in men's basketball, along with Luke Jackson's No. 54, which was retired across all sports, Otto Moore's No. 34, which was retired in men's basketball, and head baseball coach emeritus Al Ogletree, whose No. 44 was retired in baseball.
 
Support UTRGV Athletics | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube