Alex Leal
Inducted 1996
Hometown: Santa Monica
High School: Lyford High School
College: Pan American University
Best Known for: Coach-Football
No one has won more Valley football games than Alex Leal, who surpassed the 200-victory mark in 2007.
As of 2020, Leal is the winningest coach in Valley history. His career record is 224-105-6 in an illustrious career that ended in 2010. He coached five teams, including two stints at Raymondville, a team he guided to three straight district titles from 1975-77. He's also taken Port Isabel, McAllen High, and Harlingen South to the playoffs, carving out a reputation as a great motivator who is truly loved by his student-athletes.
Leal's Port Isabel squads set a record in the 1980s for consecutive district wins, and then he led the McAllen High Bulldogs to the Class 5A quarterfinals in 1992. As the first coach at Harlingen South High School, he coached them to their initial league title in 1995, and advanced to the third round of the playoffs.
Leal has represented the Valley in a number of overseas clinics and was elected to the Texas Coaches Association Hall of Honor in 2000.