Abilene man whose triumph as Mexican-American golfer inspired book, film passes away at 84
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The Abilene community is mourning the loss of a local man who made history as a South Texas high school golfer in the 1950s.
Mario Lomas passed away last Thursday, April 18 in Abilene at the age of 84.
Lomas’ obituary with North’s Funeral Home reads in part; “Besides his love of adventure and family, his other greatest love was golf. Mario was a great storyteller and his favorite story to share with everyone was his and his team’s journey to lead the San Felipe High School golf team to the 1957 state win, which was a first for an all-Mexican American team.“
Lomas went on to be inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, alongside his four teammates from the San Felipe golf team.
Left to right: Felipe Romero, Guadelupe Felan, Gene Vasquez, joe Trevino, and Mario Lomas
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That great feat would later be made into a book called Mustang Miracle by Humberto G. Garcia in 2010, and in 2024 that book would be adapted into the film, The Long Game, directed by Julio Quintana.
The movie follows five Mexican-American teenagers who work as caddies as they hone in on their craft as aspiring golfers in South Texas. The film features big names like Dennis Quaid (The Day After Tomorrow, A Dog’s Journey), Cheech Marin (Tin Cup, Up in Smoke), Gillian Vigman (The Hangover, New Girl), and Oscar Nunez (The Office, The Proposal). Lomas’ character is played by Christian Gallegos (Good Girls).
“I remember those times back then growing up as a kid in Texas,” actor Dennis Quaid told The Christian Post about working on The Long Game. “There were separate bathrooms, separate drinking fountains, and people of color sat in the balcony of the theater with a separate concession stand. I remember being a kid and going, ‘That’s weird. Why is that?’ This is a story that reminds us of where we were and of who we were as a nation back then, how far we’ve come, where we are now and where we’re going to go from here.“
Although the film was released on April 7, Lomas’ family told KTAB/KRBC he never did get to see the film he inspired.
Mario Lomas Sr. is survived by his three sons, their children, and his siblings. He is joined in the afterlife with his son, Mario Lomas Jr.
Service arrangements with North’s Funeral Home are pending at this time. However, The Long Game is now showing at the Mall of Abilene, and Mustang Miracle is also available online.
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