Del Mar College mourning loss of Regent Hector Salinas
Regent affectionately known as “Coach” elected to DMC Board of Regents in 2018
Article by DMC College Relations Office
Del Mar College (DMC) is mourning the passing of Hector Salinas, who held an at-large seat on the College’s Board of Regents. The College extends our deepest condolences to his family and many friends, colleagues and community members who are also mourning his loss.
Salinas was elected to the Board in 2018 for a first term that would have run through 2024. Prior to serving on the DMC Board of Regents, Salinas had served on the Corpus Christi Independent School District’s (CCISD) Board of Trustees.
The loss of Regent Hector Salinas is truly heartbreaking for the Del Mar family. I served with Coach Salinas, as he was affectionately called, on the Corpus Christi Independent School District board where he was a strong advocate for K-12 education. I then had the privilege of serving with him on the Del Mar College board. Through it all, Coach Salinas remained sharply focused on student needs and ensuring that all those seeking an education were afforded the opportunity to learn. He will be greatly missed by the Del Mar family and by our greater community in which he gave so much. We send our heartfelt condolences to the Salinas family and all those who are mourning this great loss.
Salinas graduated from Mary Carroll High School, where he played both baseball and basketball and led the Carroll Tigers to their first district baseball championship and state tournament. He attended Pan American College in Edinburg and earned his bachelor’s degree. Salinas then obtained a master’s degree in education from the University of Texas-Pan American.
For one year (1968-1969), Salinas played Triple-A baseball for Veracruz and Mexico City in the Mexican League. His career included teaching and coaching at CCISD’s Tom Browne Middle School and Roy Miller and Foy H. Moody high schools. Salinas led the Moody Trojans to six University Interscholastic League playoffs over a seven-year period and their first state tournament in 1978.
Salinas served as head baseball coach at Texas Southmost College in Brownsville and Laredo College before the Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) Javelina baseball program selected him to build their sports team. Beginning in 1993, he served as head coach with TAMUK’s intercollegiate program for six years. In 1995 and 1998, Salinas’ teams won the Lone Star Conference championship. In 1998, the ball club also was selected for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II national playoffs, making them the first Javelina club recognized at that level.
Salinas coached at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) for seven years after leaving the Javelinas in 1998. He became the first “Islander” baseball coach and led a successful career with the Islanders, earning him the NCAA Independent Coach of the Year award during his tenure.
Our college community has suffered a great loss. Regent Salinas was an integral part of the Del Mar family and devoted his life to educating our youth and adult learners. From coaching on the baseball fields of South Texas, to serving in leadership roles on educational governing boards, Coach Salinas gave his time and attention to the things that mattered most. He made our community a better place and for that he will never be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Salinas family and our greater community during this sad time.
Salinas received many awards affiliated with his coaching career across South Texas, including induction into the Leo Najo Sports Hall of Fame (1980), Moody High School Hall of Fame (2000), Rio Grande Valley Hall of Fame (2009) and TAMUK Javelina Hall of Fame (2012). He also received the 10th Lifetime Achievement Award for South Texas Winter Baseball.
-DMC-mce
Editor’s Note: Some content was sourced from the Texas A&M University-Kingsville website under the Javelina Hall of Fame (https://javelinaathletics.com/honors/javelina-hall-of-fame/hector-salinas/118) and the 29th Annual Winter Baseball Banquet page for Hector Salinas (https://www.milb.com/corpus-christi/news/gcs-66611138).
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.