Coach Al Ogletree
Ogletree coached at Texas-Pan American for 41 years, retiring after the 1997 season with 1,217 victories. His all-time mark at UT Pan American of 1,217 victories, 713 defeats and one tie leaves him with a winning percentage of .631, and tenth place on the all-time list of victories as a collegiate baseball head coach.
A 1952 graduate of Texas A&M, where he also earned a Master’s Degree in 1956, Coach Ogletree played professional baseball for two seasons and spent two years in the United States Army as an officer, then began his coaching career at the University of Dallas. He led them to an 82-45 record, then left for Sul Ross State, where he compiled a 50-45 record in three seasons before the program was dropped. He then came to Texas-Pan American, known at that time as Pan American College.
Named Coach of the Year by the Sporting News after he led the Broncs to a fourth-place finish at the College World Series, he was named Texas Coach of the Year for spring sports in 1971 by the Texas Sports Writers’ Association. He has been elected to eight Halls of Fame: Texas A&M, the American Baseball Coaches Association, the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame, the UTPA Hall of Fame, and the Central Texas Semi-Pro Hall of Fame, the University of Dallas Hall of Fame, the Sul Ross State University Hall of Fame, and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame..
During his tenure as a college head coach, Coach Ogletree helped develop 175 future coaches, including current UTPA Head Coach Willie Gawlik and his predecessor, Reggie Tredaway. Ogletree and his wife, Joann, live in McAllen.
The Al Ogletree Scholarship
The Al Ogletree Scholarship was set up in 1996 to honor
the legendary Bronc head coach. The award recognizes the achievements
of a Texas-Pan American baseball player, both on and off the field. Andrew
Wallace was the first recipient of the Al Ogletree Scholarship during
the 1999 season. In 2000, Dustin Hart received the honor.
|
Year
|
Recipient | Position |
| 1999 | Andrew Wallace | Outfielder |
| 2000 | Dustin Hart | Shortstop |
| 2001 | Jason Thompson | Pitcher |
| 2002 | Ed Marko | Pitcher |