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Mario “Mike” De La Fuente: Died A Longhorn Legend, Rene Torres

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mario de la Fuente was born in 1909 in Mexico, the twelfth child of a prosperous rancher and merchant. His early life was disrupted by the Mexican Revolution, forcing his family to flee to Mexico City and later to the United States, where they faced poverty and racism. Despite these challenges, Mario excelled in academics and sports, particularly baseball, at Del Rio High School and later at the University of Texas. He became the first Mexican to earn a baseball scholarship at UT and led his team to multiple championships. After a brief professional baseball career, he returned to Mexico, …