Legendary high school football coach Richard Sanchez resigned as ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ High's on-field boss Thursday, just before the Badgers were scheduled to begin training camp.
That day, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ High's athletic director "received Coach Sanchez's notice to leave for undisclosed reasons," a TUSD spokeswoman said in a statement.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ High's plans to replace Sanchez were not immediately known. The Badgers are scheduled to begin camp on Aug. 8, with their opener scheduled for Sept. 2 against Mesa Dobson.
Sanchez went 1-9 in his lone season at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ High, the victory coming when the Badgers topped Rincon/University 42-6 on Oct. 1. Sanchez came to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ High from Santa Rita, where he led an undermanned Eagles team to three victories in 2019.
An old-school coach who demanded toughness and inspired loyalty from his players, Sanchez is best known for his state-championship tenure at Sunnyside. Sanchez coached the Blue Devils to a 105-24 record and won state championships in both 2001 and 2003. In 2003, he was inducted into the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame.Â
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Last year, the Star's Greg Hansen listed Sanchez as the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s No. 84 sports figure in the last 100 years. Earlier this month, Hansen ranked Sunnyside's 2001 squad as the 64th-best team in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ history, all sports.