Movies News Talk
Inspired by the San Felipe Mustangs, a championship-winning high school golf team from Del Rio, Texas, the 2024 movie "The Long Game" chronicles their inspirational journey in 1956. The film centers five young Mexican American friends who overcome racial discrimination and restrictions to realize their golf course aspirations. Echoing the ageless themes of great sports movies, the emotional trip of the film emphasizes the value of tenacity, friendship, and endurance.
Inspired by the actual tales of Joe Treviño, Gene Vásquez, Lupe Felan, Felipe Romero, and Mario Lomas, the real-life San Felipe Mustangs, "The Long Game" finds direction in the 2010 book "Mustang Miracle" by Humberto G. Garcia. The film veers somewhat creatively, but it stays mostly accurate to the team's past and their inspiring trip.
Comprising friends and caddies driven by a love of golf, the San Felipe Mustangs were Their path started under the direction of JB Peña, a school superintendent who, in spite of racial prejudice at the Del Rio Country Club, discovered inspiration in their commitment to the sport. Seeing their natural ability, he helped them design their own golf course, so enabling the San Felipe High School golf team to be established.
The movie shows the team's challenges in their daily lives as well as on the golf course. Their background caused discrimination and prejudice; this reality molded their experiences and motivated their will to succeed.
Originally declining several offers to play at Southwest Conference schools, Joe Treviño, portrayed as the hotheaded team captain and star player in "The Long Game," was a gifted golfer. Following a year at Sul Ross State University, he instead decided to enlist in the U.S. Air Force. Treviño spent 35 years in the Air Force, retiring in 1995 and then returning to Del Rio. He never gave up his love of golf and delighted in renovating clubs and sharing his enthusiasm by instructing the game. Sadly, Treviño passed away in 2014—just a few years after "Mustang Miracle" was published—almost a decade before the movie came out.
Originally presented as the geeky newcomer who discovered confidence on the green, Gene Vásquez followed a similar route to Treviño. After earning an education degree from Sul Ross State University, he went back to the San Felipe School District where he worked as a teacher. Later in life, Vásquez moved into a successful real estate career while still honoring his dedication to education and community. At 83, Vásquez passed away in 2023 having had the chance to see "The Long Game" premiere. Emphasizing his legacy as a loving family man surviving with seven children, eighteen grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren, his obituary
Following high school, Lupe Felan, a distinguished San Felipe Mustang member, joined the United States Marine Corps and served alongside several of his San Felipe friends at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. Over thirty years, Felan had a successful military career rising to the rank of Master Gunnery Sgt. He kept serving his community at the California Department of Motor Vehicles after leaving the Marines.
As Felan started to participate actively in the Southern California Golf Association, his passion to the game never wavered. Still well-known for his commitment to the game, he plays daily golf with a single-digit handicap. Felan and his fellow Mustangs were given a special prescreening of "The Long Game" at the White House in April 2024 in recognition of his continuous connection to golf and his outstanding military service.
Attending the PGA Business School for Golf Management in San Antonio, Felipe Romero, the sole San Felipe Mustang member pursuing professional golf, kept his business of golf under active development. Romero participated professionally on national and international golf mini-tours all through the 1980s. Showing his dedication to a balanced life, he also spent 29 years working as a bus conductor and instructor for the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Houston.
Romero accompanied Gene Vasquez to the March 2023 South by Southwest film festival in Texas premiere of "The Long Game". One month following the broad release of the movie, in May 2024 he passed away. He was buried in San Felipe, Texas, his hometown.
Following a career akin to his experiences as a caddie at the Del Rio Country Club at the beginning of the movie, Mario Lomas worked as a professional golfer on the PGA circuit. Later on, Lomas moved into a groundskeeper job at a country club, underscoring his lifelong love of the game. Lomas sadly died in April 2024 in Abilene, Texas, before he could see his story on film.
Interviews with Texas Monthly indicate that over time Romero and Felan had lost touch with Lomas. Lomas never saw "The Long Game" before his death, even though his family claimed his delight at seeing his story on film.
Inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame in Laredo, Texas, the San Felipe Mustangs were committed to golf and broke through conventions. Recognizing their ongoing contributions to sports and their tenacity against hardship, they also joined the National Hispanic Heritage Hall of Honor. Their narrative is evidence of the force of love of the game, tenacity, and teamwork.
Despite obstacles and following different paths after high school, the San Felipe Mustangs each had a significant influence. Inspired by their narrative, which is preserved in "Mustang Miracle" and "The Long Game," we are reminded that dreams can be realized and legacies can be created with dedication and the help of a strong community.
The Long Game reminds us compassionately of the San Felipe Mustangs' continuing spirit. Leaving a legacy for next generations, they stand for the strength of a community, the relentless search of a dream, and the power of friendship.