He was a key member of Mercedes’ first official district football champion, back in 1932 under Coach Herman Schmalzreid, and after graduation, Stanley Etnire played quarterback and several other positions for Manchester (Ind.) College.

Returning to the Valley, Etnire took the helm of the Tiger gridders for four seasons (1947-50) and led the Mercedes basketball unit to 91 wins in 99 games during that span.

Then he became one of the finest junior high coaches in area annals. In 27 seasons with Travis Junior High in McAllen, Etnire won a total of 651 games in football and basketball, finally retiring in 1983 at age 71.

Etnire once said that he’d remained at the junior high level because, “The first years in sports are the most formative years, all the fundamentals are learned there.”

He showed that a coach can have an impact at any level.

“Stanley Martin Etnire.” Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame, 2018, rgvsportshalloffame.com/?inductee=stanley-martin-etnire.