Ricardo Romo​

Dr. Ricardo (Richard) Romo drew national attention as one of Texas finest mile runners. Romo first gained fame while competing for Fox Tech High School’s track and field and cross-country teams. He won the mile run at the University Interscholastic League Class 4A state meet in both his junior and senior seasons, 1961 and ’62. He was also the UIL state cross-country champion in 1961. In addition to his daily team practices, Romo ran to and from school every day.​

At the University of Texas, he became the first Texan to run the mile under four minutes, clocking a time of 3 minutes, 58.8 seconds. Romo won Southwest Conference mile titles in 1964 and ’66; the SWC 3-mile title; and the individual and team cross-country titles in ‘64. He finished third in the NCAA Championships mile and earned All-American honors in 1966.

Romo earned a bronze medal in the mile for the U.S. Track and Field Team at the Commonwealth Games. A back injury in 1967 ended Romo’s athletic career and dashed his hopes for running in the 1968 Olympic Games. Romo became President of the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1999.  He has been inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor and the National Hispanic Sports Hall of Fame.​