1921 — Inaugural State Champions
Coach: Luther Coblentz
El Paso High was one of 16 teams invited to the first-ever Texas State Basketball
Tournament.
The Tigers outscored their opponents 122–45 on the way to the
championship, defeating:
• Shiner 45–5
• Celina 28–14
• Houston Central 24–15
• San Antonio Brackenridge 25–11
Leaders: Andy Cohen (8 pts), Sandy Esquivel (12 pts), Louis Springer (3 pts)
Honors: Cohen and Springer — First Team All-State; Esquivel — Second Team All-State
Cohen was later inducted into the Texas Basketball Hall of Fame (1985).
Sources: Ray Sanchez’s 'The Good, The Bad, and The Funny of El Paso Sports History' and Dr. Billy Wilbanks’ 'Texas Boys State Basketball Champs' (texasbasketballchamps.com).
1922 — Controversial Champions
Coach: Luther Coblentz
El Paso was initially defeated by Lindale 27–15 in the title game but was later awarded the championship when Lindale was disqualified for using over-age players.
Tournament Results:
• Waco 30–13
• Stephenville 17–15
• Kirbyville 29–13
• Lindale (forfeit)
Key Players: Andy Cohen, J. Lozano, Alfred Uhlig, R.A. Brown, “Dog” Dawson
Honors: Cohen and Dawson — First Team All-State; Brown and Lozano — Second Team AllState
1941 — “Team of Destiny”
Coach: Jewell Wallace
The Tigers defeated:
• Mt. Vernon 28–25 (Round 1)
• Houston Jeff Davis 37–32 (Semifinal)
• Abilene High 27–20 (Championship)
Houston Jeff Davis, led by future NBA player Slater Martin, was heavily favored, but El Paso prevailed. Abilene played the title game short-handed due to illness and injuries.
Key Players: Mario Palafox (6 pts), Mike Izquierdo (7 pts, 16 in semifinal)
All-State: Palafox and Izquierdo — First Team
Team Members: Yvan Rechy, Fernando Palafox, Steve Minas, Francisco Salas Porras, Gordon Brandon, James Allen, Milton Cherno, Bob Hoover, Ralph Marmolejo, Bobby Goldfarb, Buddy
Ward, and manager Ruben Corral.
Goldfarb, at 13 years old, was the youngest player ever to appear in the state tournament.
Ralph Marmolejo later became a police officer and was killed in the line of duty in 1951; his name is inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Sources: Ray Sanchez’s 'The Good, The Bad, and The Funny of El Paso Sports History'; Dr. Billy Wilbanks’ 'Texas High School Basketball Champions' (texasbasketballchamps.com).
1947 — The “Flying Tigers”
Coach: C.D. Jarvis
El Paso High made history as the first team to fly to the state tournament, earning the
nickname “Flying Tigers,” inspired by the famed WWII air squadron.
Results:
• Dallas Crozier 37–36 (Round 1)
• Greenville 49–31 (Semifinal)
• San Antonio Jefferson 27–22 (Championship)
Leaders:
• Jose “Pepe” Palafox — 12 pts (R1), 18 (SF), 8 (Final)
• Richard Montoya — 8 pts (Final)
• Ramon Orona — 14 pts (R1), 13 (SF)
All-State: Jose Palafox
Other Team Members: Pete Gonzalez, George Mengel, Stanley Blaugrund, Bobby Parra, Robert Mena, Ray Esquibel, Eddy Jabolie, Robert Avina, and Morgan Broaddus.
Notable Opponents:
• Greenville’s 6’10” Marcus Freiberger set a scoring record (86 pts) and later played for the University of Oklahoma and the 1952 U.S. Olympic Team.
• San Antonio Jefferson’s Kyle Rote, later an All-American at SMU and NFL star with the New York Giants, was the first athlete ever named All-State in both football and basketball.
After high school, Jose Palafox led Tyler Junior College to an undefeated national
championship season, attended the University of Houston, and later became a medical doctor, as did his brother, Mario Palafox.
Sources: Ray Sanchez’s 'The Good, The Bad, and The Funny of El Paso Sports History'; Dr. Billy Wilbanks’ 'Texas High School Basketball Champions' (texasbasketballchamps.com).
