Abel Fonseca is a San Benito native, boxer, boxing coach, and a longtime Site Coordinator for the San Benito CISD After School Program at Miller Jordan Middle School and Collegiate Academy. He can be reached at afonseca@sbcisd.net.
If you walk the halls of San Benito High School today, you can still feel them. Not because they’re still there, but because the echoes never truly left.
The jerseys have changed. The faces have changed. The stadium has seen generations of athletes come and go, but the standard set by the 1993 Greyhounds still echoes through those halls, the locker room, the weight room, and beneath the Friday night lights.
That team didn’t just win football games, it changed expectations for Greyhound football.
Those Greyhounds built a culture rooted in physicality, discipline, mental toughness, and an unwavering belief that no challenge was too great.
The Battle of the Arroyo became more than a rivalry; it became a symbol of community pride. Every Friday night, the entire city seemed to rally behind the team in purple and gold.
The influence of that team extended far beyond the players who took the field.
I remember my younger brother, Cody Fonseca, as a little boy sprinting onto the field after one of those Friday night games. His mission wasn’t to meet a star player but to find something his hero, Larry Moore, had left behind.
That night, when he ran up to Larry, he handed Cody his wristband.
To anyone else, it was just a sweatband, but to my brother, it was everything.
That moment perfectly encapsulated what Greyhound football meant to the children growing up in San Benito at that time. Those players weren’t merely athletes—they were giants in our eyes.
The next generation grew up chasing the same standard.
Players like Gabriel Perez (#27) served as a bridge between the legendary 1993 Greyhounds and those who followed.
A varsity starter since his sophomore year, Gabriel first made his mark as a strong safety, later playing linebacker and tailback on offense. He understood that wearing the Greyhound uniform meant carrying forward the culture established by those who came before him.
After high school, Gabriel moved to San Antonio, where he met his wife, Jennifer. Together, they have built a family of four and have now celebrated more than 23 years of marriage. After returning to the Rio Grande Valley, Gabriel built a career as a truck driver while continuing to live by the values instilled by Greyhound football.
That culture didn’t begin on Friday nights. It began years earlier.
Head coach Tommy Roberts and his coaching staff began shaping young athletes while they were still at Miller Jordan Middle School.
I remember the coaches walking into our classrooms carrying a whiteboard. They would draw a simple stick figure they called “The Little Man.”
The Little Man represented the voice inside every athlete that tells you to quit. The voice that says you’re tired. The voice that says you’re not good enough.
Coach Roberts taught us that every player had a Little Man to battle, and that the first opponent we would ever face wasn’t on the other sideline—it was inside ourselves.
Those lessons quickly became part of our everyday vocabulary.
During practice we’d constantly hear: “Don’t let the Little Man win. That’s just the Little Man talking.”
At the time, we thought it was simply football coaching. Years later, we realized it was preparation for life.
When I eventually left the Rio Grande Valley to continue my athletic career, I carried the Greyhound mindset with me. I went on to play college basketball while competing in both indoor and outdoor track and field at Graceland University.
Whether I was on the basketball court or the track, I leaned on the discipline, resilience, and mental toughness first taught to us in San Benito.
Whenever training became difficult or competition pushed me beyond my limits, I could still hear Coach Roberts’ voice say, “Don’t let the Little Man win.”
That lesson never stayed on the football field. Neither did the players.
The original 1993 Greyhounds were filled with athletes whose contributions created unforgettable memories for an entire community.
Rudy Garza #8 was one of those players. Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing around 160 pounds, the relentless cornerback made life miserable for opposing receivers. His toughness, determination, and refusal to back down embodied the spirit of Greyhound football.
He lined up alongside teammates whose performances became part of Greyhound history.
Albert Sanchez #26 delivered one of the memorable defensive plays of the season when he recorded a quarterback sack against Weslaco during a Friday night Battle of the Arroyo.
Quarterback Ronnie Gonzalez #2 produced one of the signature performances of the 1993 season against Brownsville Hanna, rushing for 49 yards while throwing for 297 yards in the Greyhounds’ commanding 42-14 victory over the Eagles. Following high school, Ronnie had football opportunities from Texas A&M, LSU, and the University of Houston before accepting an academic scholarship to Texas A&M. Today, he serves as Superintendent of Navasota ISD, continuing to lead with the same qualities that defined him under center.
Along the offensive line, Chris Cole #26 anchored the Greyhounds at right guard. Yet one of the most unforgettable moments came when the coaching staff rewarded him with an opportunity to carry the football against Brownsville Pace.
Cole picked up the first down, creating one of those moments teammates still smile about decades later. After earning his college degree, Chris returned home to serve San Benito CISD as Director of Energy Management, continuing to give back to the district that helped shape him.
Then there was Juanito Torres #33. Small in stature but mighty in ability, Torres became one of the most dependable kickers Greyhound fans can remember. Time after time, his leg delivered when it mattered most, proving that heart often outweighs size.
The Greyhound legacy also continued well beyond graduation.
Robert Ray Galvan pursued higher education before becoming a teacher and assistant principal. Today, he continues serving the nation as a United States Border Patrol agent.
Albert Sanchez continued his football career at Sul Ross State University before building a career in education.
After many years with San Benito CISD, he continued serving students at Santa Rosa ISD. He later reunited with his high school sweetheart, Valerie Gonzales, and together they built a family.
Mark Sanchez #85 attended UTB and later TSTC before entering the electrical trade, where he built a successful 25-year career. Alongside his wife, Lori Esparza Sanchez, he raised three children, including Laurabella Sanchez, who has built her own athletic legacy as a Texas State Powerlifting runner-up after previously playing middle school football.
Eric Ybarra #10 built his life around family and proudly considers himself a father first and foremost. After managing a finance company in Harlingen, he found joy spending time with loved ones at South Padre Island.
His love for Greyhound football has never faded, as he has remained a loyal season ticket holder for nearly 25 years, supporting every new generation that has taken the field.
Looking back now, I realize something I couldn’t have understood as a freshman walking those halls in 1993.
The true legacy of those giants wasn’t measured by touchdowns, tackles, or rivalry victories.
It was measured by the lives they built after the final whistle. They became educators, public servants, tradesmen, administrators, parents, mentors, and community leaders.
The 1993 and 1994 Greyhound teams created more than championships and unforgettable Friday nights. They created lifelong friendships. They created discipline. They created unity. They created a standard that every generation has tried to uphold.
The Greyhound Standard was never just about winning football games, it was about building young men with the character to carry responsibility long after the stadium lights went dark.
Even today, if you walk the halls of San Benito High School, you’ll still hear the echoes.
Not from the crowd. Not from the band. But from a generation that taught an entire community that the hardest opponent you’ll ever face is the one inside yourself.
No matter where life takes you, never let the Little Man win.