Dippel Reflects on Hall of Fame Induction

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics inducted the 2025 Athletics Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor class earlier this spring, including including 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), former volleyball studentathlete Lisa Yanez (1993-96) and Raul “Doc Z” Zamarripa (1970-74), who served as a student athletic trainer. Dippel is shown second from left. Garry Dippel

La Grange native Garry Dippel was officially inducted into the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley’s Athletic Hall of Fame earlier this spring.

In his speech at the banquet on March 22, Dippel had a lot of people to thank for his college baseball career from 1978 to 1980 at the school, which used to be called Texas Pan-American.

“I want to thank my friends and family for being here,” Dippel said during the banquet. “That means a lot to me. In 1980, my senior year, we were 61-18. Today, we still have the most hits, most RBI, and highest team batting average. We had nine starters that hit between .325 and .397. We had the most doubles. We were second in runs scored, stolen bases, and walks. The thing I’m most proud of is we had the longest winning streak at 29 games. My greatest play, though, was marrying my wife.”

Dippel is the son of Onie and Joyce Dippel and was a key player on three straight Leps regional final baseball teams from 1974-1976 – but he really blossomed on the baseball field for Pan-American.  Among Dippel’s accolades there:

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.

In a conversation with The Record since the banquet, Dippel said he wanted to make sure two special people were recognized.

One was teammate Jerry Smith, who introduced Dippel at the banquet. Dippel, after his playing days at Temple Junior College were over, was prepared to move back to La Grange to work at the power plant. But Smith talked the Pan American coach into giving Dippel a shot and the rest if history.

Dippel’s also been business partners with Smith in a financial planning business for 44 years, and Smith also introduced Dippel to his wife Shelly.

“He takes credit for my whole life,” Dippel laughed.

The other person Dippel said he really wanted to thank was former La Grange teammate, and cousin, Tommy Supak. Dippel and Supak teamed on the 1980 Pan American team that went 61-18 and won 29 straight games.

Dippel said he is pushing for that entire 1980 Pan American team to be inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame. – Jeff Wick