National Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight

Tony Rocha, a former Tulsa midfielder from Spring, Texas, plays for Major League Soccer's New York City FC.

Rocha was a four-year letterwinner (2011-14) for the Tulsa men's soccer team. He started in 73 of 76 career games and had seven goals and 10 assists for 24 points. Rocha was a three-time, third-team all-Conference USA honoree, was named the C-USA Freshman of the Year and picked up C-USA all-Freshman team accolades in 2011, and was a C-USA and American Athletic Conference all-tournament team selection a combined three times.

Rocha was selected by Sporting Kansas City in the fourth round of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, and has been affiliated with Austin Aztex, Orlando City B, Orlando City, Saint Louis FC and New York City FC. He has also played with the Belize National Team.

Tulsa will be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Night with the raffling off of this year's Hispanic Heritage Night Honoree Tony Rocha's New York City FC jersey at the Tulsa-South Florida men's soccer game on Sunday, October 3 beginning at 7:00 pm at the Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium. Rocha, along with his NYC FC teammates, signed the jersey for the raffle which benefits the Tulsa Dream Center.

Why is Hispanic Heritage Month and TU Men's Soccer's Hispanic Heritage Night important?
I think it is great that the University is bringing awareness to Hispanic heritage and putting us on a platform to show our achievements. For other Hispanic people, they might think there isn't a way for them to do things, but this helps show them that anything is possible.

How did your Hispanic Heritage play a role in your life as a student-athlete and how does it today?
Soccer is a popular sport in the Hispanic community so it was a common interest. Today, it helps me relate to other Hispanics around me and to reach out to them. I also always have that sense of community I can tap into.

Why did you choose Tulsa?
I chose Tulsa because the year before I went there the soccer program was in the top 25 and it was the closest top 25 team to Houston.

When did you start playing soccer and why?
I started playing soccer when I was five or six and my parents put me in sports.

What were your best memories of Tulsa (on and off the field)?
I enjoyed every minute that I had at Tulsa. Off the field is the lifelong friendships that I have now that I created while I was there, and on the field is winning the conference championship twice while I was there.

What are some of the things you learned at TU (either on or off the field) that are still with you today?
On the field I learned teamwork, putting individual stuff aside and working as a team. Off the field I learned time management in finding a balance the student-athlete lifestyle.

You are still playing soccer – what have been the keys to your success?
A lot of it has been sacrificing and being disciplined with my time in the off season - making sure I am fit and staying healthy on a daily basis. It is taking care of my body and making sure I can play as well as I can.

National Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight – Tony Rocha

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