WEST ORANGE, Texas — From the courts to the fields, many great athletes call Southeast Texas home and communities do what they can to honor them.
One West Orange native who made it to the big leagues is being by honored by having his name attached to the field he grew up playing on.
On Monday, West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District officials announced the high school’s baseball field would get a new name. The park’s name will stay the same, but the field will now be named the Andre Robertson Field.
Robertson is one of a handful of people from West Orange who went on to play Major League Baseball. His career began at West Orange’s Memorial Field Little League in the 1960s.
Robertson was a part of the first group of Black players in the little league.
“One of the things my dad was asked was, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?' and he said, ‘Oh yeah. No problem. My kid wants to play so I’m going to let him play,’” Robertson said.
Robertson said the words of wisdom his father instilled in him early on played a huge role in his success.
“’Don't start anything you couldn't finish,’” Robertson said. “Even though I left Texas after my junior year, I did go back and graduate."
Being a part of the little league was just the beginning of Robertson’s extensive sports career. He went on to play football, basketball, baseball and ran track at West Orange-Stark High School.
During a track meet in Austin, Robertson went to the Darrel K. Royal Memorial Stadium.
“Walked in, there's Brad Shearer, outland trophy winner, and when I looked down a little farther, there was this guy with these 34-inch thighs named Earl Campbell,” Robertson said.
Robertson would later attend to the University of Texas after he visited the what was then brand-new Disch-Falk Field.
"I said 'You don't have to recruit me. I want to play here,'" Robertson said.
Robertson became the first Black scholarship player for the Longhorns baseball team. Robertson played second base for the Longhorns for three years, before being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1979.
The West Orange native would later play for the New York Yankees and found himself on the Word Series stage in 1981.
“They called me up,” Robertson said. “Bucky Dent got hurt. They called me up, and I got to appear in a World Series game.”
After playing in the big leagues for a decade, Robertson retired and returned home to West Orange. He has worked at the Dow Chemical Plant for 32 years.
Robertson accomplished a great deal on and off the field. Having the West Orange-Stark High School field named after him has been included in those accomplishments.
Robertson said he appreciates that district officials decided to name the field after him.
“It's all about giving back,” Robertson said. “When people do that, that's what keeps that level going up and up because you can have the greatest players, if they never come back and share what they know, it's not going to help you get better.”
The West Orange native looks forward to getting out to more games to watch the Mustangs in action and mentor the players.