Rene Torres
By Rene Torres
Valley Heritage
Rene Torres is a retired University of Texas at Brownsville, and Texas Southmost College assistant professor. He has a long history in the Rio Grande Valley as an educator, sports historian, and humanitarian, with a wealth of community service to his credit.
Bowling started as a religious ceremony in the 3rd or 4th Century. First, it was done in the cloisters of cathedrals, and parishioners were asked to place a “Kel” (German word meaning pin) at the end of the cloister.
A hit indicated the thrower was living a clean Life, a miss meant more faithful attendance would help his aim. Because the game was enjoyed outdoors, where the ground was uneven, it was permitted to throw the ball at the pins.
Outdoors bowling…
Fort Brown was a paradise when it came to sports, and bowling was no less popular than any core sport. But, speaking about outdoor bowling…Although indoor bowling had been established in Brownville by the 1920s, outdoor bowling was introduced in May 1930.
Old Ripley’s Bowling Alley was situated outdoors, at Elizabeth and 14th Street… near the main entrance of Fort Brown. According to a report by the Daily Herald, ladies were also welcomed, especially on “ladies’ Night.” The lighting created a wonderful evening—romance sparkled in every lane. Local doctors promoted the sport as an activity that could enhance your health.
Moving forward, the sport continued to gain popularity throughout the war years and beyond.
Evidence of this was shown when the formation of the Brownsville Men’s Bowling Association resonated with bowlers from Brownsville, Matamoros, Port Isabel, and Los Fresnos. Tournaments were competitive and generated a lot of enthusiasm, leading to excellent results. The association held its second city-wide tournament in 1970-71.
Citywide results: The team winners were selected from the following members… Emilio Moreno, Benny Mendez, Jorge Hinojosa, Pat Biedinger, and Jerry Zuchora. The high game Hdep was Ray Ramirez 255; high series Hdep was John Petraca 669.
Other winners in different categories: In the Masters Classic League, the champion was the team of Hernandez Car Sales—Johnny Barrientes, Ernie Harnandez, Pino Campos, Jimmy Gutierrez, and Meme Lopez.
Within the National Classic League, the team of Morton’s Foods led their league with the following members: John Petraca, Javier Tabarez, Luis Deluna, Raymond Cortez, Raynaldo Gonzalez, and Ray Ganim.
The Texas League champions—Valley Frozen Foods: including Royal Ketchum, Tony Voltaggio, Pete Petraca, John Petraca, Oscar Moreno, and Felix Buentello.
Throughout the various local leagues, there were many outstanding bowlers—men and women. Many worth mentioning, like Jorge Hinojosa, who was the singles champ in the 16th Annual Tourney with a 678 average.
Another standout performer was Jerry Zuchora, who took the stage in 1970-71 as the high average bowler with an average of 193 (based on three-quarters of league games). Rusty Johnson was another notable player who could strike you out.
The list of excellent bowlers included Pino Campus, Ray Ganim, Jerre Slaughter, Benny Mendez, Ray Milum, Johnny Mendez, Kermit Lindemann, Ernesto Cantu, Bill Weber, Lawrence Spencer, Art Wayling, and I’m sure many others that were overlooked here.
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