Oscar Zeta Acosta

Oscar "Zeta" Acosta (April 8, 1935 – disappeared 1974) was an American attorney, politician, novelist and activist in the Chicano Movement. He was most well known for his novels Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo (1972) and The Revolt of the Cockroach People (1973), and his friendship with American author Hunter S. Thompson. Thompson characterized him as a heavyweight Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo, in his novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Acosta disappeared in 1974 during a trip in Mazatlan, Mexico, and is presumed dead.

Life and career

Acosta was born in El Paso, Texas to Manuel and Juanita (née Fierro) Acosta, from Mexico and El Paso, respectively. Oscar was the third child born but second to survive childhood. He had an older brother, Roberto, born in 1934. After the family moved to California, the children were raised in the small San Joaquin Valley rural community of Riverbank, California, near Modesto. Acosta's father was drafted during World War II.

After finishing high school, Acosta joined the U.S. Air Force. Following his discharge, Acosta worked his way through Modesto Junior College. He went on to San Francisco State University where he studied creative writing, becoming the first member of his family to get a college education. He attended night classes at San Francisco Law School and passed the California Bar exam in 1966. In 1967, Acosta began working locally as an antipoverty attorney for the East Oakland Legal Aid Society.

Oscar Acosta (baseball)

Oscar Carlos Acosta (March 21, 1957 – April 19, 2006) was an American professional baseball player and pitching coach. He and a colleague, Humberto Trejo, were killed in an automobile accident on April 19, 2006, while coaching in the New York Yankees minor league system. Acosta, who was 49 years old at the time of his death, served as international coordinator of instruction as well as manager of the Gulf Coast Yankees of the Yankees' Gulf Coast team in Tampa since 2004, guiding the team to the Gulf Coast League championship in his final two seasons. He had first joined the Yankees' organization in 1996, spending three seasons as the pitching coach at Triple-A Columbus (1996–98).

Biographical Information

Acosta was born on March 21, 1957 in Portales, New Mexico. He played in the minors from 1978 to 1982. He debuted with the Helena Phillies, going 0–1 with a 9.00 ERA in five appearances. In 1979, he pitched for the Peninsula Pilots and had a career year, with a 10–7, 3.04 season. He finished 9th in the Carolina League in ERA. Returning to Peninsula in 1980, he only pitched in 9 games, going 2–0 with a 3.55 ERA, 2 saves and a shutout. He resurfaced in the 1982 Mexican Baseball League, posting a 0–3, 6.75 record for the Plataneros de Tabasco to complete his career.