RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics inducted the 2025 Athletics Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor class on Saturday, including the 1967-68 men's basketball team, former baseball student-athlete
Garry Dippel (1978-80), former women's basketball student-athlete
Shawnte' Goff (2013-17), former volleyball student-athlete
Lisa Yanez (1993-96) and
Raul "Doc Z" Zamarripa (1970-74), who served as a student athletic trainer.
1967-68 Men's Basketball NCAA Division II Tournament Second Round Team
First and only NCAA Tournament appearance at any level for men's basketball program … Capped off stretch of seven postseason appearances in eight years (other six were at NAIA level) … Beat Jackson State 96-73 in first round of NCAA Tournament before falling to Trinity in Southwestern Regional Finals 87-83 in overtime … Ranked as high as No. 4 in NCAA Division II … Team went 21-6 … Average margin of defeat in six loses was just 5.67 points per game … After starting season 2-3, went 19-3 the rest of the way, including winning streaks of eight and 10 games … All three of those loses were by three points on the road, with one taking overtime … Team went 16-0 at home, marking one of just three times the program has gone undefeated at home … Averaged 90.4 points per game, the third-highest total in program history … Led by Hall of Famers Otto Moore (24.6 points, 18.5 rebounds, 51.0% FG, First Team All-American) and Fred Taylor (21.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 48.5% FG), both of whom have had their numbers retired … Final season before making jump to NCAA Division I.
1967-68 Roster
Howard Fuller
Billy Rivas
Ronnie Wolpa
Ernie Azios
Ed Mathis
Lonnie Reynolds
Walt Schoenberg
Otto Moore
Horace "Skip" Guerra
Kenneth Jones
Drew Cherner
Lloyd Mitchell
Roger Serio
Fred Taylor
Head Coach – Sam Williams
Assistant Coach – Marty Urand |
"We come from an era in the '60s that was different," Jones said. "We came from various backgrounds all over the United States – Miami, Ohio, Michigan, Houston, New York, and more. We came together as individuals to record our names in what is now the Hall of Fame. The coaches and administrators of that era had vision, and it's from there that we have grown from the small school that was Pan American College to what the university is today. It's amazing to see the love and support we're all getting."
Garry Dippel, Baseball, 1978-80
Hit program record .443 (54-for-122) in 1979 … 1979 All-District VI honoree … Hit .356 during career, which ranked fourth at the time (now eighth) … Drew 55 walks in 1980, then the third-highest total (now seventh) in program history … Recorded .550 on-base percentage and .508 slugging percentage in 1979 … Hit .359/.506/.451 in 1980 … Part of second-winningest two-year span in program history from 1979-80 (113 wins) … Walked on to the team in 1978 … 1980 Team Captain and Jody Ramsey Award winner … Went on to play for Gulf Coast League Cubs in 1980.
"I want to thank my friends and family for being here. That means a lot to me," Dippel said. "In 1980, my senior year, we were 61-18. Today, we still have the most hits, most RBI, and highest team batting average. We had nine starters that hit between .325 and .397. We had the most doubles. We were second in runs scored, stolen bases, and walks. The thing I'm most proud of is we had the longest winning streak at 29 games. My greatest play, though, was marrying my wife."
Shawnte' Goff, Women's Basketball, 2013-17
Career program record holder in points (1,912), field goals made (653) and attempted (1,860), 3-pointers attempted (737), free throws made (385) and attempted (520), games played (127), minutes played (4,118), and wins (71) … Ranks second in assists (338), third in steals (187) and 3-pointers made (219), fifth in free throw shooting percentage (.740), seventh in rebounds (530), and eighth in blocks (64) … Posted three of seven highest scoring seasons in program history, scoring 522 points in 2016-17 (fifth), 512 points in 2015-16 (sixth), and 491 points in 2014-15 (seventh), three of the top 10 field goal totals in program history with 178 in 2016-17 (fifth), 173 in 2014-15 (ninth), and 168 in 2015-16 (10th), the fifth-most 3-point field goals with 67 in 2015-16, the ninth-highest 3-point shooting percentage at .380 (54-for-142) in 2013-14, three of the top nine free throws totals with 113 in 2016-17 (fifth), 109 in 2015-16 (sixth), and 100 in 2014-15 (ninth), and three of the top eight minute totals with 1,109 in 2015-16 (first), 1,072 in 2016-17 (fifth), and 1,038 in 2014-15 (eighth) … Hit seven 3-pointers vs. UT Arlington (12/18/13), tied for the fourth-highest total in program history … Made 11 free throws at Seattle U (2/18/16), tied for the 10th-highest total in program history … Went perfect 10-for-10 from foul line vs. Seattle U, becoming the fourth player in program history to hit all her free throws in 10+ attempts (1/28/17) … 2015-16 WAC Player of the Year and UTRGV Co-Female Student-Athlete of the Year … Three-time All-WAC First Team and two-time WAC All-Defensive Team and All-WAC Tournament Team selection … Four-time WAC Player of the Week … 2013-14 WAC Freshman of the Year, WAC All-Newcomer Team, and UTPA Female Rookie of the Year honoree … Two-time Academic All-WAC and seven-time AD Honor Roll recipient … 2016-17 UTRGV Female Team Impact Player Award and Battle on the Border Tournament MVP … 2014-15 Team MVP, Team Offensive MVP and Maggie Dixon Classic All-Tournament Team … Led UTRGV to first three postseason appearances (2014-15 and 2016-17 WBI and 2015-16 WNIT) and first Preseason WNIT appearance (2016-17) in program history … Led UTRGV to first postseason victory in first postseason home game by scoring a season-high tying 30 points with a career-high tying 12 rebounds and three steals in a WBI opening round victory over top seed Stephen F. Austin (3/16/17).
"When I signed at UTRGV, I wanted to win. Then I wanted to play oversees. All those things came true, but I could not have imagined all the blessings that would come along the way," Goff said. "I'd like to thank my teammates. All the success I had as a player would not have been possible without my teammates. We got the best out of each other. It was very important for us to have the success we had because of the greatness our coaches expected of us."
Lisa Yanez, Volleyball, 1993-96
Career program record holder in hitting percentage (.320) and block solos (89) … Ranks fourth in total blocks (323, was program record holder until 2015), tied for 10
th in blocks per set (0.73, was program record holder until 2001), and 11
th in block assists (214, was program record holder until 2005) … Also ranks eighth in sets played (441) … Single-season program record holder in block solos (44 in 1996) … Ranks second in total blocks (138 in 1996, program record until 2016) and blocks per set (1.14 in 1996, program record until 2016), and eighth in block assists (94 in 1996, program record until 2016) … Also tied for sixth in blocks solos (31 in 1995) … Single-match program record holder in total blocks (13) and only player in program history with three 10+ block matches … Single-match program record holder in hitting percentage (.818), a record she initially set at .786 (now tied for second) … 1995 Academic All-Sun Belt Conference selection … 1996 UTPA Co-Female Athlete of the Year.
"I am truly honored and privileged to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. To be selected among such an impressive group of athletes who have meant so much to this university is an honor I deeply cherish," Yanez said. "In my day, there was no club volleyball, travel sports or private lessons, so I came in my freshman year really green. At the end of the season, we were ranked in the top 10 most turned around teams in the country. Every match I was up against a 6-foot middle blocker. They were bigger than me, but I wouldn't let anyone outwork me."
Hall of Honor
Raul "Doc Z" Zamarripa, Student Athletic Trainer, 1970-74
Served as head athletic trainer as a student … Received athletic training scholarship at Pan American … Recipient of the Southwest Athletic Trainers Association John Harvey Humanitarian Award, the City of Palms Hall of Honor Award, and the Rio Grande Valley Coaches Association Meet of Champions Hall of Honor Award … Inducted into RGV Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 … Texas High School Coaches Association Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2015 … Inducted into Valley Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in 2017 … Inducted into Texas State Athletic Trainer Association Hall of Honor in 2020 … Worked with Sam Williams, Al Ogletree and Abe Lemons … Passed away March 23, 2023 at age of 71.
"I'd really like to thank you on his behalf," said
Nora Williams Zamarripa, Raul Zamarripa's widow. "When I got the call, I was in awe that Raul had been remembered. I'm sure he's watching from heaven jumping up and cheering right now."
For more information about the Athletics Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor, visit
GoUTRGV.com/HallofFame.
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