Lupe Rodriguez
Inducted 2015
Hometown: Mission
High School: Mission High School
College: Stephen F. Austin University and Texas A&I University
Best Known for: Football
Rodriguez was the leader behind the team that revolutionized offenses in the Valley in the 1980s. Mission was the first Valley team to use the shotgun formation exclusively and used a pass-first philosophy to move the chains.
In his junior year in 1986, Rodriguez passed for 2,738 yards and 33 touchdowns, falling just eight yards short of the state passing title. Mission qualified for the state playoffs for the first time since 1968. In the bi-district playoff, the Eagles went against Harlingen, a team Mission had not defeated since 1941. Rodriguez completed 26 or 41 passes for 422 yards and six touchdowns in the 54-7 win over Harlingen witnessed by 18,000 fans.
In his senior year in 1987, Rodriguez’s 4,179 passing yards and 50 touchdown passes still stand as Valley’s single-season records. The passing yard mark was the best in the nation at the time. His top two targets – Nati Valdez and Frank Hernandez – ranked 2-3 nationally with 104 and 98 catches, respectively.
Rodriguez still holds five Valley-best marks including career TD passes with 83, single-season pass attempts with 445. He finished his two-year career with 6,917 yards. He held three national records at the time: the single-season passing mark, the single-season TD mark and the single-game touchdown pass record with seven. He was the 1987 Class 5A All-State Offensive Player of the Year.
Rodriguez signed with Stephen F. Austin and later transferred to Texas A&I University.