The 36th annual Alumni Hall of Honor Celebration takes place Saturday, March 23 at 5:30 p.m. CST at the Granada Theatre, 207 E. Holland in Alpine, Texas.
Five individuals will be inducted into the athletics hall of honor: Billy Carthel (1968), Marian Bennett (1976), Joe Sanchez (1977, 1978), Elidia Polanco (1975, 1983) and Robert Polanco (1970, 1975).
The distinguished alumnus includes Lori Cobos (1998, 2000) and Tiki Davis (2003, 2005).
This year's College of Agriculture, Life and Physical Sciences rodeo inductees include Ted Yadon (1975) and Elizabeth Yadon (1971, 1976).
Marian Bennett (Class of 1976)
A member of the class of 1976, Bennett majored in health and physical education.
She played two years of volleyball and basketball at Howard College and two years of volleyball at Sul Ross State.
The Lobo volleyball program competed in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) as the NCAA did not sponsor sports for women at the time.
Sul Ross State competed in the national AAU championships both years.
After graduation, Bennett coached and taught in the public-school system for nearly 40 years.
She was inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame after coaching for 32 years in El Paso, Texas with 900 career wins and 15 district championships.
Bennett was named Coach of the Year four times.
She finished up her career coaching in New Mexico for seven years.
Bennett is one of the winningest high school volleyball coaches in the state of Texas and continues to be an outstanding ambassador for Sul Ross State.
Billy Carthel (Posthumous) (Class of 1967)
Carthel graduated in 1967 with a degree in communications.
He played baseball for the Lobos from 1964 to 1968 as he was an All-American in 1967.
Carthel was drafted by the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers, but he decided to remain at Sul Ross State for his senior season.
He was re-drafted by the New York Mets and played Triple-AAA baseball for most of his seven years of professional baseball.
Joe Sanchez (Class of 1977 and 1978)
Sanchez graduated in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education while he earned his master's in 1978.
He played football for the Lobos from 1974 to 1977.
Sanchez was a four-year starter at middle linebacker as he led the team in tackles each of those years. He was named to the Lone Star Conference All-Conference team and to the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA) All-Conference team.
He coached and taught at Sul Ross State for five years and was in the public schools as a teacher, coach and athletic director for over 30 years.
While at Sul Ross State, he recruited players from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
He coached on the staff of the 1982 conference championship team.
His father was the first Hispanic football player at Sul Ross State as he played on the 1949 undefeated Tangerine Bowl team.
Joe was followed to Sul Ross State by his four younger brothers who were also outstanding football players for the Lobos.
Outstanding boosters
Robert Polanco (Class of 1970 and 1975) | Elidia Polanco (Class of 1975 and 1983)
Both Robert and Elidia graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees from Sul Ross State.
The pair are both retired educators from the Alpine Independent School District and have been married for 55 years.
The Polancos have fed Sul Ross State's athletic teams during the holidays when the dining hall was closed and have always had an open door for hungry athletes.
They have also been consistent supporters of any and all Sul Ross State athletic teams by attending all athletic contests when their busy schedules permit.
They were also members of the Sul Ross Century Club when it was active.
In addition to supporting Lobo athletics, their busy schedule includes volunteer work at many community activities including the organization of various reunions and fundraisers.
They also work the local political elections.
Elidia is the director of Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church bereavement ministry, of which Robert is a member.
Elidia served as the past president of the Our Lady of the Peace Catholic Church guadatupanas service organization. She was the recipient of Alpine's Benjamin Berkley Citizen of the Year award.
Robert is a veteran of the United States Army, receiving a Bronze Star. He was also the past commander of the American Legion and past grand knight for the Knights of Columbus.
Distinguished alumni
Lori Cobos (Class of 1998 and 2000)
Cobos, a native of Alpine, Texas, received a bachelor's degree in business administration in general business with magna cum laude honors while she also earned a master's in public administration from Sul Ross State.
She was inducted into the Pi Sigma Alpha and Alpha Chi honor societies and was a recipient of the presidential endowment scholarship.
After graduating from Sul Ross State, she served on the Sul Ross State alumni board.
She received a doctor of jurisprudence from Texas Tech University, where she was a member of the Texas Tech law review.
Cobos is also a member of the state bar of Texas as she has served as chair of the public utility law section.
Her accomplishments include being appointed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to three statewide positions, most recently June 17, 2021, as the commissioner on the public utility commission.
Cobos is the first Latina to serve as chief executive and public counsel for the office of public utility counsel.
She has also served on the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation Board of Directors.
Also serving the private sector, Cobos was a director of government and regulatory affairs for a power generation company and has served as principal owner of her own legal and consulting firm, where she represented clients in the Texas electric power industry.
Tiki Davis (Class of 2003 and 2005)
Davis played football for the Lobos in 1999. He earned his bachelor's in 2003 and his master's in 2005.
The former homecoming king in 2000 made it to the silver screen starring in "Friday Night Lights" as a principal actor.
He then went on to excel as one of the top oil and gas engineers in the Permian Basin which led to the founding of T.D.C. Frac Solutions and Equipment.
Davis later went into real estate and entrepreneurship as his ventures include property flipping and the establishment of T.D. Construction, which specializes in building homes for communities in need.
He also ventured into the restaurant industry by acquiring several barbecue establishments.
Seven years ago, Davis embarked on a new venture giving inspiring keynote speeches by empowering individuals of all ages and backgrounds.
In Odessa, Texas, he was named man of the year in 2013 and business person of the year in 2018.
Davis was the keynote speaker during the spring commencement at Sul Ross State in May 2023.
He reached the pinnacle of his career when he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the President of the United States and a conferral of an honorary doctorate in humanities.
Rodeo
Ted Yadon (Posthumous) (Class of 1975) | Elizabeth Yadon (Class of 1976 and 1991)
Ted and Elizabeth Yadon each started college at Sul Ross State in 1971.
They are both being honored for their years of dedicated service to agricultural programs and the rodeo team.
Ted earned his bachelor's in range animal science in 1975 and began working in the program that same year. He eventually retired in 2012 after 37 years.
Elizabeth received a bachelor's in animal science in 1976. She later worked part-time as a secretary and teachers assistant in the range animal science department while she earned her master's in 1991.
>> SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION:
Platinum sponsor ($2,500): Includes eight tickets, one full table at event, prominent advertising as event sponsor in program, sponsor table signage, free full-page advertisement in program and listing in all press releases.
Gold sponsor ($1,000): Includes four tickets, half table at event, prominent advertising as event sponsor in program, sponsor table signage and half page advertisement in program.
TO PURCHASE TICKETS AND SPONSORSHIPS: https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/registration-form/?formId=107bf7a8-7887-47c6-b21e-46bb70871e34&envId=p-NAJvMKfYXU2m3WTR_wu6Wg&zone=usa
EVENT INFO: https://www.sulross.edu/alumni/lobo-night/#1610397960922-161ab327-6afb
FOR MORE INFO: Alumni Director Kathy Moreno at
kathy.moreno@sulross.edu or coordinator Jasmine Vargas at
jasmine.vargas@sulross.edu, or call 432-837-8443.
