By ARMANDO GARZA
Special to the NEWS
Vernon Hallbeck
PHARR – For the second consecutive year, a San Benito High School alumnus joins the growing list of Valley sports greats to receive the highest local honor.
Vernon Hallbeck will be part of this year’s class of seven inductees into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame at a ceremony at the Pharr Events Center on Saturday evening. Hallbeck, who passed away in 2011, will be honored posthumously.
The class of 2014 also includes Leo Araguz, Nancy K. Clark, Jesse S. Gomez (posthumously), Herbie Hinojosa, Gerald Lambert and Johnny Olvera. Last year, former San Benito and UTPA track standout Patsy Sanchez-Paredes went into the Hall.
Hallbeck played football and basketball for the Greyhounds in the early 1950s and he later starred at Texas Christian University. At San Benito High, Hallbeck was a solid guard and linebacker for Coach Jim Barnes and was a co-captain on a squad that included the likes of Bobby Morrow and Rey Contreras, among others.
After his solid career with the ’Hounds, Hallbeck moved on to TCU, where he earned a spot on the Horned Frogs’ football squad. There, he became a two-way starter at fullback and linebacker-guard from 1954-56 and was a member of TCU’s Southwest Conference championship squad in ’55 which landed the Frogs in the Cotton Bowl. A Dec. 1955 Sports Illustrated scouting capsule described Hallbeck as a “Big, powerful runner with real speed; is particularly tough on fullback counter. Ex-guard and good on defense, a strong blocker.”
Local football historian Dr. Greg Selber, author of the all-Valley football encompassing book, Border Ball, said Hallbeck was indeed one of the toughest players to come out of San Benito and the Valley in general.
“He was one of the few guys who could play multiple positions, he had the power to be a lineman – which he was in high school – but also very underrated agility and speed, shown by his transition into the backfield in college,” Selber said of Hallbeck. “Very few athletes can make that sort of drastic switch in position groups at the next level. Hallbeck was a great blocker at TCU as fullback because he had the wheels to get there in a hurry and the strength to deliver a convincing blow once he got there.”
After his career with the Horned Frogs ended with graduation in ’57, Hallbeck played in Calgary in the Canadian Football League for a season before returning to TCU as an assistant coach at his alma mater from 1958-63 where he coached in four Cotton Bowls. He was forged a career in commercial real estate business development and later in 1994, he was inducted into the TCU Sports Hall of Fame.
Hallbeck, who resided in the Houston area, died Aug. 6, 2011 at the age of 77. Members of his family will be on hand Saturday to accept the honor in his memory.
Tickets for Saturday’s event will be available at the door of the Pharr Events Center. For more information on the 27th annual banquet, contact the RGVSHOF at (956) 227-6563 or at (956) 778-2688.
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