2025 Athletics Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor Class

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Athletics Hall of Fame Committee announced on Thursday the 2025 Athletics Hall of Fame class, which includes the 1967-68 men’s basketball team, former baseball student-athlete Garry Dippel (1978-80), former women’s basketball student-athlete Shawnte’ Goff (2013-17), and former volleyball student-athlete Lisa Yanez (1993-96).The committee has also revealed that Raul “Doc Z” Zamarripa (1970-74), who served as a student athletic trainer, has earned induction into the Hall of Honor.

The Athletics Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor induction ceremony is scheduled to take place in the UTRGV Ballroom on Saturday, March 22 at 11 a.m.

Space is limited and those planning to attend are asked to purchase tickets in advance. Individual tickets can be purchased for $50 at GoUTRGV.com/HOFTickets. Tables of 10 can be purchased for $500 at GoUTRGV.com/HOFTables. Those with questions can call (956) 665-4069 or send an email to vaf@utrgv.edu.

1967-68 Men’s Basketball NCAA Division II Tournament Second Round Team
First and only NCAA Tournament appearance at any level for men’s basketball program … Capped off stretch of seven postseason appearances in eight years (other six were at NAIA level) … Beat Jackson State 96-73 in first round of NCAA Tournament before falling to Trinity in Southwestern Regional Finals 87-83 in overtime … Ranked as high as No. 4 in NCAA Division II … Team went 21-6 … Average margin of defeat in six loses was just 5.67 points per game … After starting season 2-3, went 19-3 the rest of the way, including winning streaks of eight and 10 games … All three of those loses were by three points on the road, with one taking overtime … Team went 16-0 at home, marking one of just three times the program has gone undefeated at home … Averaged 90.4 points per game, the third-highest total in program history … Led by Hall of Famers Otto Moore (24.6 points, 18.5 rebounds, 51.0% FG, First Team All-American) and Fred Taylor (21.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 48.5% FG), both of whom have had their numbers retired … Final season before making jump to NCAA Division I.

“It’s a great honor to see the whole team get inducted,” Moore said. “We were really close to winning a championship, and I think if we’d won that second game, we would have won it all. It feels good to see the whole team get honored.”

Garry Dippel, Baseball, 1978-80
Hit program record .443 (54-for-122) in 1979 … 1979 All-District VI honoree … Hit .356 during career, which ranked fourth at the time (now eighth) … Drew 55 walks in 1980, then the third-highest total (now seventh) in program history … Recorded .550 on-base percentage and .508 slugging percentage in 1979 … Hit .359/.506/.451 in 1980 … Part of second-winningest two-year span in program history from 1979-80 (113 wins) … Walked on to the team in 1978 … 1980 Team Captain and Jody Ramsey Award winner … Went on to play for Gulf Coast League Cubs in 1980.

“It means a lot, but it really means a lot being that I was a walk-on there that was given the chance to show what I could do because a lot of times people don’t get that chance,” Dippel said. “That means a lot to me. That’s a tremendous baseball program, always has been, and it’s an honor to be part of it.”

Shawnte’ Goff, Women’s Basketball, 2013-17
Career program record holder in points (1,912), field goals made (653) and attempted (1,860), 3-pointers attempted (737), free throws made (385) and attempted (520), games played (127), minutes played (4,118), and wins (71) … Ranks second in assists (338), third in steals (187) and 3-pointers made (219), fifth in free throw shooting percentage (.740), seventh in rebounds (530), and eighth in blocks (64) … Posted three of seven highest scoring seasons in program history, scoring 522 points in 2016-17 (fifth), 512 points in 2015-16 (sixth), and 491 points in 2014-15 (seventh), three of the top 10 field goal totals in program history with 178 in 2016-17 (fifth), 173 in 2014-15 (ninth), and 168 in 2015-16 (10th), the fifth-most 3-point field goals with 67 in 2015-16, the ninth-highest 3-point shooting percentage at .380 (54-for-142) in 2013-14, three of the top nine free throws totals with 113 in 2016-17 (fifth), 109 in 2015-16 (sixth), and 100 in 2014-15 (ninth), and three of the top eight minute totals with 1,109 in 2015-16 (first), 1,072 in 2016-17 (fifth), and 1,038 in 2014-15 (eighth) … Hit seven 3-pointers vs. UT Arlington (12/18/13), tied for the fourth-highest total in program history … Made 11 free throws at Seattle U (2/18/16), tied for the 10th-highest total in program history … Went perfect 10-for-10 from foul line vs. Seattle U, becoming the fourth player in program history to hit all her free throws in 10+ attempts (1/28/17) … 2015-16 WAC Player of the Year and UTRGV Co-Female Student-Athlete of the Year … Three-time All-WAC First Team and two-time WAC All-Defensive Team and All-WAC Tournament Team selection … Four-time WAC Player of the Week … 2013-14 WAC Freshman of the Year, WAC All-Newcomer Team, and UTPA Female Rookie of the Year honoree … Two-time Academic All-WAC and seven-time AD Honor Roll recipient … 2016-17 UTRGV Female Team Impact Player Award and Battle on the Border Tournament MVP … 2014-15 Team MVP, Team Offensive MVP and Maggie Dixon Classic All-Tournament Team … Led UTRGV to first three postseason appearances (2014-15 and 2016-17 WBI and 2015-16 WNIT) and first Preseason WNIT appearance (2016-17) in program history … Led UTRGV to first postseason victory in first postseason home game by scoring a season-high tying 30 points with a career-high tying 12 rebounds and three steals in a WBI opening round victory over top seed Stephen F. Austin (3/16/17).

“It means everything to me. It’s a huge honor,” Goff said. “Just looking back on my time at UTRGV and reflecting on my teammates and coaches and the support system around me that was with me day in and day out through the ups and downs, it makes it all worth it. To know I made my mark on UTRGV means a lot because it’s something no one can ever take away from me. I know I hold a lot of records, but records are meant to be broken, and I hope my records are broken because that means UTRGV will continue to experience greatness. This induction is a testament to the hard work and greatness of my teammates. It really was a group effort, and I can’t wait to celebrate.”

Lisa Yanez, Volleyball, 1993-96
Career program record holder in hitting percentage (.320) and block solos (89) … Ranks fourth in total blocks (323, was program record holder until 2015), tied for 10^th in blocks per set (0.73, was program record holder until 2001), and 11^th in block assists (214, was program record holder until 2005) … Also ranks eighth in sets played (441) … Single-season program record holder in block solos (44 in 1996) … Ranks second in total blocks (138 in 1996, program record until 2016) and blocks per set (1.14 in 1996, program record until 2016), and eighth in block assists (94 in 1996, program record until 2016) … Also tied for sixth in blocks solos (31 in 1995) … Single-match program record holder in total blocks (13) and only player in program history with three 10+ block matches … Single-match program record holder in hitting percentage (.818), a record she initially set at .786 (now tied for second) … 1995 Academic All-Sun Belt Conference selection.

“I am deeply grateful for this honor,” Yanez said. “This recognition is a reflection of the incredible experiences and memories I made at The University of Texas-Pan American and I’m proud to be part of this legacy.”

Hall of Honor
Raul “Doc Z” Zamarripa, Student Athletic Trainer, 1970-74
Served as head athletic trainer as a student … Received athletic training scholarship at Pan American … Recipient of the Southwest Athletic Trainers Association John Harvey Humanitarian Award, the City of Palms Hall of Honor Award, and the Rio Grande Valley Coaches Association Meet of Champions Hall of Honor Award … Inducted into RGV Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 … Texas High School Coaches Association Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2015 … Inducted into Valley Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in 2017 … Inducted into Texas State Athletic Trainer Association Hall of Honor in 2020 … Worked with Sam Williams, Al Ogletree and Abe Lemons … Passed away March 23, 2023 at age of 71.

“I think if Raul was still alive, he’d be the most excited person,” said Nora Williams Zamarripa, Raul Zamarripa’s widow. “He loved Pan Am and had many fond memories from his days there. I’m so honored that he’s being remembered.”

For more information about the Athletics Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor, visit GoUTRGV.com/HallofFame.