Revised March 6, 2026

By Mark May, RGVSHOF Board Member

Eight inductees are set to become sports legends following selection to the Rio Grande Valley

Sports Hall of Fame. The Class of 2026 was selected this month.

The group includes four athletes, three coaches, and one who made his mark as both an athlete

and coach. All will be inducted at the 38th annual RGV Sports Hall of Fame banquet on

Saturday, June 20, at the Mission Event Center.

They are Robert Mangum of Edinburg (football), Anyssa Olivarez of Mission (track & field),

Toby Nivens of McAllen (baseball), Pablo Almaguer of Weslaco (track & field), Dr. Sonia

Trevino of Mission (volleyball), Celso Gonzales of McAllen (golf), Joe Pena of Brownsville

(football) and Patrick Arney of McAllen (soccer).

“This is an amazing class,” RGV Sports Hall of Fame President Paula Gonzalez said. “Each one

has made a strong contribution to the history of sports in the Valley. It will be an honor to induct

them on June 20.”

In addition to the individuals, the RGV Sports Hall of Fame will recognize multiple teams for its

Hall of Honor; these are 1986 Mercedes High baseball, 1991 Mission High girls cross country,

1991 La Villa girls cross country, 1978 and 1979 Brownsville Pace girls cross country plus the

1977, 1982 and 1985 Brownsville Pace boys cross country teams.

All of these teams won a state title, were state runner up or finished third in state.

A standout offensive lineman, Mangum played football at Edinburg High (Class of 1960) before

going on to greater achievements at Texas Christian University. He accepted a scholarship to

TCU and became a starter at guard/linebacker in his sophomore year in 1961. He played a big

part in TCU’s 6-0 victory over No. 1-ranked Texas that year. Mangum was named to the First

Team All-Southwest Conference in 1962 and Second Team in 1963. He played in the 1963 East-

West Shrine Game.

In the mid-1990s there was no better discus thrower in the state of Texas than Anyssa Olivarez,

of Mission High. In 1994, she broke the state high school discus record when she threw 160-feet,

six inches. She broke the state record which had stood for 15 years. Later that year, she won a

gold medal at the UIL Texas High School State Championship Track & Field Meet. At Louisiana

State, she finished on the school’s all-time top 10 list for discus throwers.

Nivens went to McAllen High and was selected in the first round of the 1986 Major League

Baseball draft by the Minnesota Twins (the California Angels drafted him in the 24th round one

year earlier following Nivens’ senior year). A right-hander, he pitched in the Twins’ minor-

league system from 1986-88. At San Jacinto Junior College, he was chosen as a Texas Junior

College Athletic Association All-Conference player and pitched in the 1986 Junior College

World Series.

Almaguer overcame adversity to become a highly successful coach in cross country and track &

field. As the girls coach in both sports at Weslaco High, his teams won 18 district championships

in 23 years. In addition, they won 11 area titles, one regional championship and were regional

runners up twice. As an athlete, Almaguer was Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year at the

legacy institution University of Texas Pan American in 1996. He was the Sun Belt runner up in

the 400-meter hurdles and was a key part of the 4x400-m Sun Belt Championship team, both in

1996. In 1998, he was paralyzed in a car accident. Despite the challenge, he graduated and began

coaching at Weslaco High.

Dr. Trevino played volleyball at the highest collegiate level as an athlete at Florida State

University in 1988 and 1989. At FSU, she was Metro-Conference All-Tournament and CoSIDA

Academic All-District and helped the team to two NCAA Tournament appearances. Prior to that,

she was a star hitter at San Jacinto Junior College where she was named an NJCAA All-

American, All-Conference, All-Regional, Academic All-American, and The Reebok JUCO

Player of the Year. She also ran track at San Jacinto and was a NJCAA National Champion in the

400-m hurdles in 1987. At Mission High, she was a four-year letterman in volleyball, basketball,

track, cross country and tennis.

Gonzales, a golf coach, has guided McAllen Memorial High to 20 district championships, 25

appearances in the Regional Tournament, one regional title and 10 UIL state championship

appearances. Six of his golfers and four of his teams have driven fairways at the state level.

Gonzales has also served as a basketball official for 38 years.

Pena coached for 36 years with 18 years at Brownsville St. Joseph and 18 more at Brownsville

Rivera. He specialized in football but also assisted in basketball plus track & field. He was the

football coach and Athletic Director for the Bloodhounds when they won Texas Christian

Interscholastic League (TCIL) state championships in 1977 and 1980. His teams also made the

semifinals in 1979 and the title game in 1984. Pena played for the 1963 PSJA High Bears who

advanced to the state championship game.

One of the state’s most successful coaches in girls’ soccer, Arney’s McAllen High teams have

never missed the playoffs in 27 years. The Lady Bulldogs have won more than 600 games and 20

district titles, finishing below second place only once. His teams have enjoyed multiple trips to

the Regional Tournament and, in 2018, they became the Valley’s first girls’ team to advance to

the state final four.

This year’s class will bring the Hall of Fame’s total membership to 312. Inductees are selected by

a vote from the RGVSHOF Board of Directors and past Hall of Fame inductees.  

Founded in 1985, the RGV Sports Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization, the mission of

which is to showcase men and women who have brought honor and recognition to the Rio

Grande Valley through their participation in sports as an athlete, coach, official, trainer, journalist

or other sports-related position.r.