Andy’s Tribute
By Laura Charles
Teacher-Sweetwater High School
It has been said that one man has enthusiasm for thirty minutes, another for thirty days; but it is the man whose life is wonderfully energetic and enthusiastic for thirty years who has achieved greatness. The family, friends, colleagues and students of Andy Sanchez are here this evening to honor his life and work. Andy, when asked about how his day was going, would often flash a smile and say, “Every day is Christmas!” Throughout his life, Andy Sanchez was just like Christmas! He was an extraordinary gift that kept on giving!
Andy grew up with his three sisters and a brother in Chula Vista. His gifts in athletics and community leadership surfaced in elementary school, and his family and neighbors knew early on that this child would quickly climb the ladder to success!
The ladder of success must be set upon something solid before you start to climb. When Andy entered Castle Park Junior High, his ladder of success was already set on the solid ground of high expectations, intellectual curiosity and solid athletic performance.
Andy honed his leadership skills in the classroom and on the field of play. He served as President of the Castle Park Middle School A.S.B. and participated in leadership programs with local and state government representatives. He was voted Best All-Round Student by his peers and captained the football and basketball teams.
In 1967, local sports pages provided a week-to-week chronology of Andy’s leadership as a member of the Chula Vista Pony League and their journey to a World Championship banner. In the game against Springfield Illinois, Andy stole five bases and scored twice to advance Chula Vista Pony to the Championship game against Tulsa, Oklahoma. In that final game, Andy was called upon to pitch-with two out in the ninth inning and Tulsa with two men on and a heavy hitter at the plate that could erase the Chula Vistans’ dream of glory. Andy walked to the mound, took the sign from the catcher and struck out the hitter on three pitches. The rest, as they say, is history. The Chula Vista Pony League World Champions flew home; not just on the turbo-prop airplane but on the wings of it’s most valuable series player, Andy Sanchez.
Andy’s spirit was always “Sky-High”. At Castle Park High, Andy lettered in three sports. A gifted athlete, he continued to be recognized by his peers as a natural leader and was both mentor and motivator to his teammates and was every coach’s dream. At 5’ 8” and 165 pounds, many sports pundits would temper their assessments of Andy’s accomplishments with the caveat that his superior talent would be overshadowed because of his size. Andy had no time to reflect on such assessments. He was busy in 1969 rushing for 2,020 yards and leading the Castle Park Trojans to the CIF playoffs. He was named both CIF Back of the Year and then CIF Player of the Year. The following year this oft-described “pint-sized dynamo” moved on to Southwestern College and was named their Best Offensive Player before transferring to Cal Poly. Even against the big boys, Andy triumphed. In 1973 he was named Cal Poly MVP and signed immediately after his college graduation to play for Memphis Southmen “grizzlies” of the brand new World Football League.
When the WFL folded in 1976, it turned out to be a fortunate failure for Andy. His feet followed the pathway home and he was welcomed with open arms. From 1976 through 1984 Andy transformed from great player to great coach, honing his skills at Chula Vista High School and his alma mater Castle Park, and then finally Sweetwater High.
It was to Sweetwater High that Andy surrendered his heart. He joined the faculty in 1985 and his extraordinary gifts of leadership and hospitality and passionate compassion became the very seeds that continuously cultivated seasons of dreams come true for his students. In 1986, then principal Al Goycochea selected Andy Sanchez to assume the position of Head Football Coach, stating, “I made the choice of Mr. Sanchez on the basis of his work in motivating youngsters.”
While Andy worked to continue the SUHI football legacy, he decided to coach baseball after the retirement of Jim Mann. It was on the baseball field that Andy truly crafted magic! He was the sorcerer and his players, apprentices. His vision for the baseball program transformed the lower field into a “Field of Dreams” that sparkles with pride of ownership for the generations of players who helped it flourish. Those players and the ones who have followed, learned more than baseball from Coach Sanchez. They learned commitment, perseverance, discipline, sharing the load, and finishing what you start. Andy leveraged relationships with his many business acquaintances to create one of the most prestigious and popular Baseball Tournaments in Southern California. Sweetwater Baseball under Andy generated a legacy of tradition and pride that is recognized and respected throughout San Diego County.
Andy’s motivational skills extended far beyond gridirons and diamonds. As an educator, he chose to work with those students who faced the greatest challenges; those who had given up on themselves or who had no resilience in the face of the day-to-day stresses and tragedies that seemed insurmountable. “Work hard and good things happen” became the Andy Sanchez Mantra. Hundreds of students under his guidance took the mantra as their own. Andy gave them a whole new vocabulary: Mistakes became “Learning Opportunities”; Failures became “feedback”, and Laziness became a “momentary stop” to access stored energy for making forward progress. Most importantly, he helped them find their true Courage. He taught them that courage is how far you bounce back after you hit the bottom! As a result of his work as Coordinator of the Sweetwater Learning Center, students have picked up the pieces of their lives, bounced back and have graduated, many going on to universities and all going on to better lives. Most days, Andy would have drop-in visitors: walking evidence of his power of positive thinking and motivation. “Hello Coach, remember me? Well I did OK… I’m a teacher, a lawyer, a supervisor… I own my home, I am putting my kids through college… Thanks, Coach.”
Andy Sanchez found his greatest joy not in getting, but in giving himself away as a gift in service to others. He did not live for honor or glory. He was not about holding and taking, but about doing the striving for excellence in his life; building capacity for excellence in his students; fostering a legacy of character and attitude in his athletes; cultivating a pride and personal responsibility we still see every time we walk by the baseball field.
The thousands of lives he touched as a teacher, coach, mentor and colleague over his twenty-five year career at Sweetwater High School, and as a life-long resident of our great South Bay, bear witness to Andy’s limitless love for his beautiful family and his passion for his work and his community. We return this love tonight. A love neither finite nor etched in stone; but inscribed on our hearts where it shall remain forever within the heartbeat of the SUHI Nation. END
The Andy Paul Sanchez Foundation, called the APS Foundation, is a tax deductible charity 501(c)(3) non profit public benefit corporation effective date October 1, 2009 EID number 27-1167176