Blast from the Past

PORT ISABEL - Longtime Dallas Cowboys fans will not soon forget Mel Renfro's impact on their beloved team, and Doubleday's patrons will not soon forget his visit to Port Isabel.

He was an All-American college running back in the sixties, Super Bowl champion in '72 and once again in ‘78, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986, then enshrined in Canton a decade later and on Saturday he was in Port Isabel signing autographs at Doubleday's Sports Bar and Grill.

Several booths chalked full of sports memorabilia lined the back (or baseball) section of the estab-lishment but Renfro, who spent his entire 14-year career with Dallas, was the main attraction.

"A gentleman named Howard (Lau) who has card shops, I met him in Houston at Kenny Houston's foundation," Renfro said. "So he knew the people down here and they invited me to come down here and do an autograph session. I wish I could have added some beach time, some golf time and some fishing time but I have to go back tonight. It's fun being down here, the people are real nice and are die hard, loyal Cowboy fans."

The procession of fans beamed as they made their way to the former All-Pro where he greeted them with a handshake, signed autographs, posed for photos and told stories about "America's Team."

"I was in awe of him; Hall of Famer, that's incredible," Harlingen resident Thomas Bennett said. "I remember watching him in the seventies. (The best part of the event was) talking to him, shaking his hand, getting my picture taken with him."

Renfro seemed just as impressed with the location as the fans were to meet the former great and compared the restaurant to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

"I have never seen a (sports bar) with this much memorabilia, not even close," he said. "I visit the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco every year and this is not as large as it is but they (Texas Sports HOF) don't even come close to the items here on display, the amount of items and how detailed and thorough they are about displaying them. I think this is probably one of the wonders of the world, you won't see this probably anywhere else in the country."

Doubleday's co-owner and main collector of the displayed items Manuel Hinojosa was in atten-dance along with Howard Lau who owns Houston Sports Connection, a sports memorabilia store in Hous-ton. Lau sold Hinojosa several pieces over the years and was pleased to see them on display Saturday.

"I've known Manuel for over 15 years now, he's a customer of mine and we've developed a friendship," Lau said. "A lot of the memorabilia here, I've gotten it either for him or he's done it at shows that I have participated in. I tell people all the time because I travel all over the country doing shows, that this is by far the best sports bar with the memorabilia in there that there is."

Hinojosa was happy with the turnout and that the locals were able to meet a legend. He also hopes to have more card shows and star athlete signings in the future.

"It's another sporting thing for the people to get excited about," he said. "To see the smiling faces and to hear his old stories is a real treasure. I think it's a good thing for the bar and the community."