Jesse Gomez †
Inducted 2014
Hometown: Raymondville
High School: Raymondville High School
College: Texas Southmost College
Best Known for: Athlete – Baseball
d. March 27, 2017
Gomez was one of the finest baseball players that the Valley produced in the 1950s. His services as a pitcher were in high demand for decades.
He was a superb all-around athlete in the Raymondville High School Class of 1949, playing quarterback for three seasons and making all-district twice. He also pitched for the Bearkat baseball team and later played football at Texas Southmost College.
Gomez was everywhere in the 1950s, playing for semi-pro teams in Corpus Christi and the Valley, even taking a turn in Guadalajara with the Mexican semi-pro league. In 1951, he was the start pitcher or the Pearl Beer team and eventually became player-manager for the Edinburg Ginners, one of the Valley’s best teams.
Gomez mowed down opponents with abandon in the 1950s, leading the Ginners for the mound and also serving as a player-manager for several seasons.
Later, he transitioned to become a football official, but is best known as a legendary pitcher of the 1950s during a time when baseball in the Valley was king.