Gus Zavaletta†
Inducted: 1992
Hometown: Brownsville
Best Known for: Coach-Football
One of Brownsville's greatest names, Zavaletta won championships in two different countries in a long career as a football mentor.
He helped establish Brownsville St. Joseph Academy as a football power, taking the Bloodhounds to state TCIL crowns in 1962 and 1980. Between stints at St. Joseph, he joined Monterrey Tech and guided the Borregos to a pair of Mexican state titles down south. He had attended Monterrey Tech, and later returned to his old team to help it become a powerhouse, one that often traveled north to battle various high school and junior college programs in South Texas.
Zavaletta also coached at Brownsville Porter High School in their early years in the 1980s and is recalled as a strong leader who knew how to get the most out of his athletes. He was at the forefront of relations built between Mexico and the Valley, through football competition.
