Immortalized

In recent years, Regino Corona has seen three former Pace High School coaches from the 1980s enter the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame. Now it's his turn.

Corona, best known for coaching the Vikings to the Class 4A state cross country championship in 1985, will be honored along with five other inductees at the RGVSHOF's annual banquet at 6:30 tonight at the McAllen Holidome.

"I'm excited about it (induction) because of all the athletes that I worked with," said Corona, 70, who has helped with the cross country and track programs at St. Joseph Academy since retiring from full-time coaching at Pace in 1995. "I know that I'm going in (as an inductee) because of the athletes I've had, especially the ones who went all the way to state and won. 

"Actually, I've had athletes who never made it to state, but they worked just as hard," he added. "I appreciate them, too."

Other former Pace coaches from the 1980s who preceded Corona into the RGVSHOF include baseball coach Tony Barbosa (2005), volleyball coach Paula Gonzalez (2005) and football coach Leonel Garza (2006). Also, the late Gonzalo Garcia, Pace's first head football coach in 1975, was inducted in 1999.

"I've enjoyed coaching a lot," Corona said. "To me, it's not work. I just love it. All these years, I don't feel like I've been working."

Corona guided the Vikings to six regional cross country championships in addition to Pace's state title in 1985. The Vikings finished second at state in 1983, while his girls cross country squads were state runners-up in 1979 and 1980 and advanced to regionals six times.

Also at Pace, Corona coached four individual state champions. They included Sammy Montalvo (800-meter champion in 1979 and 1980), Edward de la O (3,200-meter champion in 1984) and Rene Guillen (individual state cross country champion in 1985).

"Coach Corona is a very low-key guy who doesn't like a lot of attention, but he's definitely deserving of this (hall of fame) recognition," said Meme Garza, St. Joseph's head cross country and track coach. "I'm excited for him. He's an outstanding person with a lot of class."

Corona was raised in a rural setting along with a brother and seven sisters in the 1940s near Gregory, Texas, in the Coastal Bend. As a 105-pound athlete, he participated in football, basketball, track and baseball before graduating from Gregory-Portland High School in 1957.

Growing up, he learned the value of discipline from his mother, Aurelia, and it later became a tenant of his coaching philosophy. 

"She used to keep us in line all the time," Corona said.

After high school, Corona attended Delmar College and Texas A&I before serving in the Army Reserve. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin University with a degree in physical education in 1966 and began his teaching and coaching career in Brownsville ISD at Central Intermediate in 1968. From Central, Corona was hired at Pace in 1975.

Also in 1975, Corona started his formal wear business, Armando's Tuxedo Rentals, which now has locations in Brownsville, Pharr and Corpus Christi.

He has been married to his wife Elsa for 37 years. The couple has three grown sons - Reggie, Sergio and Gustavo. 

"I'm very happy with how my life has turned out," Corona said.

Tonight, Corona will be inducted along with Joe Filoteo Jr., current Edinburg High boys basket coach with 553 career wins; Bert Keyes Jr., an outstanding Harlingen High quarterback in the 1950s who played at SMU and also became a skilled golfer; Tommy Moore, a former standout football player for McAllen High in the 1960s who went on to become a college and NFL official; and Russell Young, a multi-sport standout at PSJA High in the 1940s who played football at UTEP before becoming a sports administrator/athletic director for McAllen ISD.

Also to be inducted posthumously will be Robert Vela, who died Aug. 18, 2007. Vela coached Edcouch-Elsa and Edinburg High football teams to 137 wins, while producing playoff qualifiers almost every season.

For ticket information for tonight's banquet, contact Charlie Vaughan at 428-2636.