No one appreciated Blanca’s obscurity more than University of Houston golf coach, Dave Williams. Blancas always had a good place to play. His father was greens keeper at River Oaks Country Club, one of Houston’s premier clubs. Little Homero played the course very early or very late and caddied in between.

Blancas played on two NCAA championship teams at The University of Houston (1960 and 1962) and was twice an All-American. Blancas played a NCAA championship practice round in 1961 with another college junior, Jack Nicklaus.

Blancas is an extremely low-key person who became animated and forceful on two subjects: education and golf. Homero Blancas won four PGA tour titles. He shot 61 in the second round of the 1972 Phoenix Open, which he won. He was 1965 Rookie of the Year and played on the winning 1973 Ryder Cup team.

He also played on the PGA Senior Tour (now the Champions Tour) and won the 1989 Doug Sanders Kingwood Celebrity Classic. He was inducted into the University of Houston Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978 and currently teaches at Cypress Lakes in the Houston area.

Birthplace: Houston, Texas

Born: March 7, 1938