Javelina Hall of Fame
Livia Diaz, from Mercedes, is one of the pioneers in the Javelina women’s intercollegiate athletic program. She was inducted into the Javelina Hall of Fame in 2007.
She joined the Javelina staff in 1971-72 as the softball and track and field coach and continued to coach until the late 1970s.
Diaz started what is now the Javelina invitational track and field meet as a lab for students in track and field classes.
She was appointed the TAMUK faculty athletic representative to the Lone Star Conference in 1997 and held the position until she retired from the post year. She represented the University at LSC meetings several times a year.
Diaz has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and a master’s degree from the University of New Mexico.
She was unable to participate in athletics in high school and college because schools didn’t offer sports for girls and women at that time. She did play independent softball at Texas.
Diaz taught at Molina Junior High School in Weslaco for one year and was in public schools in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1970-71 while working on her master’s degree.
She has done doctoral work at Texas Woman’s.
