RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Sports have long played a central role in the life of Magda Canales, taking her from La Joya High to legacy institution UT Pan American to a spot in the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame. 
 
Canales was one of seven individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 13 at the Mission Events Center. She has been a high school coach for over 30 years and is in her 19^th season at McAllen Rowe, where she has developed the Lady Warriors into a consistent playoff squad. Canales has surpassed 540 career wins and taken Rowe to the regional tournament five times with four district championships and six area titles. 
 
Before she began creating a legacy coaching volleyball, Canales was a talented player. Though she didn't intend to play in college, her skills caught the eye of former UTPA head coach Rebecca De Los Santos. 
 
"My full focus was going to be academics with the intent to be a coach and teacher. I just liked sports in general, so I took some PE classes, volleyball, racquetball, stuff like that. I never imagined that I would actually be part of the UT Pan Am volleyball team," Canales reminisced. "Coach De Los Santos, I remember her coming up to me during a PE class and she was like, 'What are you doing here? You need to be with me.' That's basically how she recruited me to come play for the team, so that was awesome." 
 
Canales spent the 1989 and 1990 seasons as a setter/defensive specialist for the Broncs. She understood and bought into her role on the team, not a starter but someone still responsible for being ready to contribute when her name was called. 
 
The "long, long trips in that suburban" with her team, the conversations they had and the support she felt from her teammates and coaches taught her the value of relationships which she now passes on to many others. 
 
"At the time, I lived in Mission, and I commuted every day to college. My teammates offered their apartment to me, 'Go take a break whenever you need, I have food on the stove.' Those connections, that support, those were the things I learned at Pan Am," she said. "You have to lean on each other in order to make it through. You can't do it alone. A team is a family. You have to look out for each other. Those are the lessons we preach day in and day out." 
 
Canales' years with UTPA volleyball also validated some of the central values she was raised on, particularly discipline, hard work, dedication and loyalty. Seeing those qualities in action in a competitive environment and having to lean on those characteristics to balance academics and athletics gave her affirmation that she was ready for the next step in life.  
 
Over the course of her 30+ year coaching career, Canales has used every experience, every lesson she reflected on from her time at UTPA to impact the next generations. Her influence is not only recognized by her induction into the RGV Sports Hall of Fame, but also reflected in those who had the privilege of being her pupils. 
 
Three women currently working with UTRGV Athletics – volleyball assistant coach Mayda Garcia, assistant director for tickets sales and operations Ryela Rodriguez, and women's basketball graduate student coach Ronnie Cantu – were inspired in some way by Canales. She coached Garcia and Rodriguez at Rowe, and has known Cantu for many years through Cantu's friendship with her daughter, Annika. 
 
There are similarities in the way Garcia now coaches the Vaqueros compared to how she was coached by Canales. She emphasizes accountability and communication and challenges the student-athletes. Garcia resonates the "tough love" coaching style she thrived under and is diligent with her preparation to help the team achieve. 
 
"Coach Canales was more than a coach. She truly cared about her athletes more than just on the court. She would help us with our homework, feed us lunch sometimes when we didn't want to eat in the cafeteria, and helped us excel in other sports," said Garcia, who keeps her office stocked with snacks for her student-athletes. "One thing I remember her saying is, 'when our backs are against the wall, we need to push off and fight with all we have.' Now in my coaching career, I think about those moments and try to help my players push through tough moments and teach them to never give up and that there's always a way out of hard situations. 
 
"We have talked about my time as her athlete and how much she has impacted me. It's always nice to see her support UTRGV at our home matches and catch up with her," Garcia added. "I'm grateful for her help and the guidance she has shown me in my coaching career." 
 
When Garcia joined UTRGV's volleyball staff last year, Canales made sure to visit the UTRGV Fieldhouse often to watch her former athlete. 
 
"Mayda was one of our superstars at Nikki Rowe," Canales said. When asked what it meant to see Garcia coaching at her alma mater, Canales got choked up and had to clear her throat before sharing: 'Oh my, it's a lot of pride. I had to go to some of those games to support her. I remember taking a lot of pictures of Mayda on the sideline with her clipboard. It was so good to see." 
 
The biggest lesson Rodriguez took from Canales was one the coach learned first-hand before passing it on – the importance of filling whatever role you're given to the best of your abilities to help a team. 
 
"Coach Canales was the first one to teach me about playing a role. Not every player on each team can be the most offensive or best defender. In volleyball it truly takes every player to be successful. I was taught to be the absolute best version of myself in whatever role the team needed me in," Rodriguez said. "This lesson really helped shape my outlook on how I tackle adversity. The attitude of, 'don't complain about it, but contribute to it,' is something that has stuck with me in my professional career."  
 
Cantu didn't play for, but against, Canales and her teams while competing at Mission Veterans Memorial. Through those battles and the family friendship, Cantu saw up close why Canales was worthy of a Hall of Fame induction. 
 
"Her teams were always a force to be reckoned with. They radiated grit, perseverance, a contagious passion that was hard to play against and even harder to defeat," Cantu said. "Coach Canales embodies the spirit and culture of RGV volleyball and I'm incredibly lucky to have her to look up to as I continue my coaching journey at UTRGV. She is a brilliant coach and an even better person." 
 
The joy in her voice was noticeable as Canales expressed how special it is to see former Valley athletes return home to make a difference in the community. 
 
"It's great to see that whatever we're doing here is contributing to what our athletes are doing after they graduate. It's not just about X's and O's. It's about building relationships with teammates, working with each other, problem solving, communication," Canales said. "I am so happy, honored, blessed, I don't know what other words to use, that we see our kids, our kids, working for UTRGV. That's something we had not seen in the past, and it's awesome to see." 
 
Through the years, Canales has built a significant legacy which embodies many of the things that makes the Valley, and UTRGV, special. At the center of her success and lasting impact is relationships and loyalty, which speaks to the heart of the RGV. She'll continue influencing young people for as long as she can, passing on lessons and experiences the same way she acquired them – through the power of sports. 
 
"The support I have at home from my husband and my kids is next to none. If I didn't have that support, I don't think I would be able to do what I've been doing for this long. Through all the years that I've been coaching, my family has been my rock," Canales said. "It's an honor to be among the best of the best in the Valley. It's something I really didn't expect. I just go about my day, my years, just doing what we have to do. To be inducted into the hall of fame is just such an honor." 

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