The Forgotten History of the Mexican-American Team That Ruled Texas HS Basketball In the 1940s

*What a wonderful piece about a storied barrio high school basketball team from the 1940’s. San Antonio’s Lanier High School is the least likely place you’d find state champions back then. The piece recounts the memories of former Texas state senator Joe Bernal, who played for the Lanier Volks in 1944. VL

By Manuel Solis, Remezcla

Sixty years before the Spurs won their first NBA championship, a scrappy young squad of Mexican American ballers was making history of its own in San Antonio’s Westside barrios. From 1939 to 1945 Lanier High School won two state basketball titles, finishing second once and third twice, along the way combating negative perceptions of knife-wielding Tejanos that were prevalent during the segregated WWII era. Lanier’s dynastic run started with a literal bang, as fist met face when the team won their initial championship in San Antonio.

“They were playing Brackenridge High School for the city championship,” says Lanier alum Joe Bernal, recalling the original 1939 team. “And Tony Cardona made the winning basket, and this guy ran up to him and smack! Hit Tony in the eye! That caused a big fight in the whole gymnasium.”

According to Bernal, who inspired Ignacio M. Garcia’s engaging book When Mexicans Could Play Ball, the win against Brackenridge represented the first time a predominantly Mexican American team had captured the city title, and Brackenridge’s Anglo contingent were not fans. The brawl escalated outside of the gym before being contained by SAPD.

Known to his teammates as Chema, Bernal played on the 1944 team before attending Trinity University and ultimately championing bilingual education and civil rights in the Texas legislature. His Lanier squad went undefeated until they reached the state championships . . . READ MORE