Vic Villarreal†
Inducted 2001
Hometown: Weslaco
College: Sul Ross University
Best Known for: Boxing
Villarreal was one little guy nobody wanted to mess with, and for good reason.
Villarreal was a 119-pounder in high school but he became a boxing champion in the U.S. Navy and later a hard-hitting 147-pound linebacker at The University of Colorado and then Sul Ross University.
The Weslaco native moved to Edinburg at age 13 and graduated from Edinburg High School in 1943, joining the Navy, where he won 15 fights and a championship bout in Hawaii. He joined Edinburg friend Frito Flores at Colorado and later ended up at Sul Ross University playing football and graduating in 1953.
Villarreal became a leading coach and proponent of boxing in Brownsville, and also served as athletic director for the federal government, traveling as away far as Germany to teach boxing. He also served as Golden Gloves tournament director in El Paso before retirement and is recalled as one of Texas boxing's biggest names.