Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas — The Museum of South Texas History presents a spotlight exhibit, “The 1962 Colt League World Series Champions from Hidalgo County,” with a reception at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24.
One could argue that sports in the Rio Grande Valley, with baseball at the top of that list, are part of the culture. It wasn’t until the mid-20th century, a tumultuous time filled with racial and economic barriers, that baseball was used as a way of interaction between the Mexican American and the Anglo-American communities.
Inspired by Leonardo “Leo Najo” Alaniz, a Mission, Texas, native who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1925, children across the Valley picked up a bat and glove, dreaming of the Major Leagues. This resulted in a boom in little league baseball in South Texas, and in 1962, Hidalgo County provided support in forming the all-star team of fifteen- and sixteen-year-old boys—seeking to garner a win for South Texas. The group of boys, inspired and determined, would become the 1962 Colt League World Series Champions.
The museum will display the three championships trophies, a baseball bat, newspaper articles, photos and a baseball signed by the winning team, items on loan from some of the players. This display will open Tuesday, Aug. 20, and close Sunday, Sept. 1. An opening reception with some of the players will be held on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with free admission until noon that day.
For questions about the spotlight exhibit, please contact Curator of Exhibits Jenarae Bautista or Archivist Melissa Peña at 956-383-6911.
