Leroy Vega’s grandparents immigrated to this country from Mexico decades ago. The Portage native has gone on to achieve tremendous success as a wrestler and now as an instructor and motivator.
BY PAUL TREMBACKI
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Representing the University of Minnesota for a Fellowship of Christian Athletes speaking engagement that featured the Twins’ Torii Hunter and the Vikings’ Rich Gannon, Leroy Vega had a simple introduction.
“I’m 5-foot-2, I’m Mexican and I come from a small Indiana town called ‘Portage,’ ” he said, “and growing up, people didn’t expect me to do much.”
Vega would go on to tell his story of success through wrestling — two state titles for the Indians, three trips to the All-American medals stand for the Golden Gophers, an individual Big Ten title and a role on two NCAA team championships.
When he signed his scholarship to wrestle at Minnesota — a few years removed from being an 84-pound, freshman “D “student — it was the greatest feeling of Vega’s life to that point, a move signifying his rise above expectations and stereotypes. His family and supporters beamed.
Dozens of Latin-American athletes have played sports in Porter County in the last decade, but no one has bucked the odds and achieved quite as much as Vega.
Had his grandparents not moved from Mexico to America, he wouldn’t have what he has now. It wasn’t easy at first for Vega, living in East Chicago, spending time with family in Laredo, Texas, and then living in a crowded duplex in Portage until eighth grade.
“(My grandparents) knew something better was out here and came out here, and it made it better for all of us, “Vega said. “We could be in Mexico right now and not have anything. I just moved into a nice house, and my parents have a nice house. We owe that all to my grandparents.”
And without Vega, Portage wrestling might not have the pedigree it has now.
Vega’s success was followed by wrestling achievements from members of the Torres, DeJesus and Alaniz families, the latter being several of Vega’s 59 cousins on his mother’s side.
Vega’s 1996 and 1997 state titles at 103 and 112 pounds, respectively, started a run of seven individual state championships in five years. Portage has nine in the last decade.
Many of his successors — not necessarily state champs, but vital cogs in Portage’s run to the team state finals eight times in 10 years — have been of Latin-American descent. Youngsters used to show up at the Portage Wrestling Club to watch Vega and subliminally realized they didn’t have to be big and tall to achieve athletic stardom.
“It seemed like if one cousin came out for our team, they all did, “former Portage wrestling coach Larry Tharp said. “Some kids played baseball in the backyard, and it seemed like these kids all wrestled their whole lives.”
Now 27, Vega runs Vega Wrestling Inc. on Ridge Road in Portage. Wrestlers come from all over the area to work out a few times each week.
Vega, who has had eight cousins wrestle for the Indians, has watched a family member graduate from Portage every year for 18 years. He just tries to support his wrestling brethren the same way his family does him.
While an uncle traveled all over America taking Leroy to national tournaments, Vega’s father worked more than 20 years in the steel mills without calling off. His first day off was last June 30, when he went to witness the birth of Vega’s daughter, LillyAnna.
“I think it’s nice that people of Mexican heritage — our generation of kids — we’re doing something, “Vega said. “We learned from our grandfathers and fathers and their hard work and dedication.”
Two-thirds of Porter County schools have seen 10-year increases in Latino students, most notably Boone Grove and Morgan Twp.
“Portage has had its share of minorities, but we always did well with the Latin students, “Tharp said.
Of the nine high schools in Porter County, Portage has the largest Latino population at 11 percent, according to the Department of Education.
“I think our whole community has diversified in the 30-plus years I’ve been in northwest Indiana, “Portage athletic director Bob Mattix said. “When we look at athletes at Portage High School, we don’t look at color. We’re interested in giving kids extracurricular activities and teaching them life lessons — to be responsible and be good team members.”
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