'Snake' among Rattler greats to be honored at Basketball reunion

SAN ANTONIO — Robert "Snake" LeGrand never saw a life past the Air Force.

Had it not been for a chance connection between coach Ed Messbarger, coach Buddy Meyer and Staff Sergaent Tony Trovato, LeGrand might not have ever had a career as a Rattler.

"I had no plans on coming out of the Air Force," LeGrand said, a member of the basketball Hall of Fame. "What happened was that coach Messbarger was good friends with Tony Trovato, the guy that coached us in the Air Force."

LeGrand's discharge date was August 13, 1967 and with school starting in two weeks, he had a decision to make.

"My last base was here at Kelley Air Force Base," LeGrand said. "I loved Texas, I didn't want to leave Texas. I planned on staying in the Air Force on the buddy system, but coach Messbarger said that I could do better, I could go to college."

"I wound up going to St. Mary's and it was one of the greatest decisions I ever made."

Following LeGrand from the Air Force to St. Mary's were NAIA All-Americans, Don Wesley, George Harris, and Ron Lloyd.

LeGrand wore the Rattler gold and blue from 1968 through 1970. In his three years as a Rattler under coach Messbarger, the Rattlers won the Big State Conference each year.

"I was the point guard my senior year and it was the first time I played that position," LeGrand recalls. "Coach Meyer was always pulling me aside and teaching me some little trick that always helped me (playing at St. Mary's)."

A big part of the team's success in LeGrand's three years as a Rattler is due to the type of teammates he played with.

"We were older guys, 23 or 24 years old," LeGrand said. "There were several of us that had been in the Air Force. We had good guys that worked hard and had great coaches that all blended."

Although basketball is what got LeGrand to St. Mary's, some of his most memorable moments have nothing to do with the sport.  

During the 1960's and 1970's, segregation was still a prominent issue. But at the university, the Marianist heritage and Catholic values took precedence.

"(St. Mary's) was one of the first schools that had black players," LeGrand said. "They opened up to us just like they would to any other students. We were always welcome there and that was a really memorable moment."

LeGrand says that in all his time at St. Mary's, graduating was his biggest success.

"The most important thing [student-athletes can do] is to get that degree," said LeGrand. "For students to be able to get their education paid for is huge."

LeGrand went on to get inducted into the Men's Basketball Hall of Fame, in the class of 1987. His son Chris LeGrand was also inducted, in the class of 2008; the two are the first father-son duo to be together in the St. Mary's Hall of Fame.

After graduating from St. Mary's, LeGrand went on to coach at Jefferson High School and then left to coach at the University of Texas-Arlington for 11 years. After that, he coached for six years at a high school in Arlington before becoming a counselor for 14 years.

LeGrand is now retired, but keeps himself busy with his T-shirt business.

Coming back for the reunion is something that LeGrand looks forward to every year.

"I enjoy the camaraderie and seeing all of the guys," LeGrand said. "Everybody comes back, even the guys that played after me when I was gone. "

St. Mary's Men's Basketball will host an all-teams basketball reunion at their game Saturday at 3 p.m., paying special tribute to the teams of 1964, 1974 and the national championship team of 1989. A Rattler Nation social commemorating these benchmark teams of the Rattler Basketball program will take place after the game in the Movement Studio.