Tag Archives: Athletic Coaches

Beloved Sp Ed teacher and coach Jerry Landers succumbs to Covid-19

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Covid-19 claims the life of beloved high school Special Education teacher and girls basketball coach Jerry Landers of Tennessee. Photo credit: Tennessean

Sadly, we must report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Jerry Landers, a teacher and coach at Gallatin High School in Gallatin, Tennessee, succumbed to the disease on January 9, 2022. He was 60 years old.

Jerry worked at the Gallatin in the Sumner County School District since 2013. There he taught Special Education History and coached the girls basketball team. He served a the last five years as the Head Basketball Coach. After Jerry led his team to a 21-10 record and a Region 5 AAA Quarterfinals appearance, he was named the 2019-2020 District 9-AAA Coach of the Year.

But, says Gallatin High School Principal Ron Becker, “He was much more than just a coach. He was a mentor and a genuinely great guy. It wasn’t all about wins and losses with him as he was more focused on life and mentoring our kids.,” Becker remembered. Jerry’s wife, Nancy, agreed. “Jerry knew he could make a difference by teaching and coaching,” Nancy said. “His love for sports allowed him to reach people, and he always used that to help his students bloom.”

In addition to his work in the classroom and on the basketball court, during his lengthy career as an educator, Jerry coached volleyball, track and field, in addition to serving as a school athletic director, a youth leader, and a Sunday school teacher.

Jerry Landers, born March 30, 1961, was a native of Nashville, Tennessee. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Pensacola Christian College, a private Baptist college located in Pensacola, Florida. He earned his Maser’s degree from Union University in Hendersonville in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Texas PE teacher and coach Joey Rodriguez succumbs to Covid-19

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Sadly, beloved Texas PE teacher and soccer coach Joey Rodriguez succumbed to Covid-19 on Oct. 17, 2021. He was only 43 years old. Photo credit: The Dallas Morning News.

We are sad to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Joey Rodriguez, and teacher and coach from Arlington, Texas, succumbed to the disease on Sunday, Oct. 17.

At the time of his passing, Joey was a Physical Education teacher and soccer coach at Sam Houston High School in the Arlington Independent School District. Joey Rodriguez devoted 12 years of his professional life to the school.

Former student Selena Saldana, class of 2013, says she will greatly miss her former teacher. “He was my high school PE teacher, and he was always pushing me to do much more,” she remembered. “Every time we had to run on the track and I would stop to take a break, he would yell, ‘Come on, Selena. You can do it. Don’t stop now.’ He was really supportive,” she said.

In addition to teaching physical education, Joey worked as the school’s soccer coach since 2009. “Twice, he led his soccer teams to the state championship,” recalled  Marcelo Cavazos, Superintendent of Arlington Schools. “He grew the program so rapidly that the district had to hire more coaches so that all of the kids who wanted to learn from Coach Rodriguez could have the opportunity,” Cavazos noted.

Coach Rodriguez’s Sam Houston team made their first state tournament appearance in school history in 2015.That year, the student athletes reached the Class 6A semifinals and finished 23-3-2. In 2017, the Sam Houston team was the state runner-up, losing to Jesuit in overtime in the title game to finish 22-3-2. Sam Houston High School is one of only three schools in the Arlington District to qualify for the state tournament in boys soccer. In addition to coaching, Joey served as the President of the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches.

Joey graduated from Abilene High School in 1995 where he participated in soccer, football, and marching band. After his high school graduation, Joey enrolled at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he studied and played soccer for two years before transferring to Hardin Simmons University in Abilene. He graduated from Hardin Simmons with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 2001.

Arturo Arredondo: Consummate counselor, PE teacher, and coach

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Arturo Arredondo, originally from Arizona, was a consummate school counselor, physical education teacher, and coach.

I always enjoy sharing stories about outstanding athletes who become teachers and coaches. One of these is Arturo Arredondo, originally from Arizona, who chose a career in education instead of professional baseball.

Arturo was born on August 21, 1931, in Kingman, Arizona. As a youngster, he attended Kingman High School, where he played varsity basketball, baseball, football, and track. He was particularly adept as a pitcher, and he was even scouted and drafted by the LA Dodgers, but Arturo chose instead to go to college.

As a young man, Arturo attended Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. Later he earned a Master’s degree in Counseling from the University of California, Riverside.

After completing his Bachelor’s degree, Arturo inaugurated his career as an educator when he accepted a position as a sixth grade teacher in Douglas, Arizona. He also coached baseball and basketball. In 1958, he and his wife relocated to Riverside, California, where he became a teacher at Chemawa Junior High School. He taught Spanish there. Later he transferred to Riverside’s JW North High School, where he worked as a counselor. Arturo also worked as a counselor at both Mira Loma Middle School and Mission Middle School in the Jurupa United School District. Throughout his lengthy career as an educator, Arturo was an advocate for the rights of people in the Mexican American community. In addition, he worked tirelessly for such organizations as MeCha and ESAA. He also spent some time as the Director an an educational program called “Follow Through,” and he worked as a referee for local high school teams.

Arturo retired in 1998. In his golden years he established a translation service and indulged his love for language arts projects—he compiled a dictionary of English idioms, adages, and phrases and translated them into Spanish. This Chalkboard Champion passed away on August 19, 2021, from heart failure. He was 89 years old.

Former athlete, teacher, and basketball coach Bethany LaSeur

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Former New York athlete Bethany LaSeur now enjoys success as a teacher and basketball coach. Photo credit: liHerald.

Many fine educators have also enjoyed success as an athlete. One of these is Bethany LaSeur, high school teacher and coach from New York who also earned a reputation as an excellent women’s basketball player.

Bethany was born on January 6, 1983. As a youngster, she attended Garden City High School in Long Island, New York. While there, she excelled at several sports, including basketball, lacrosse, and soccer. She led the team to three Long Island Championships Twice she was named Gatorade Player of the Year for New York (2000, 2001). She also garnered the title of Miss New York Basketball in 2001. She was recognized as a Street & Smith All-American, a USA Today All-American, and once she also started in the Nike-WBCA All America Game. As if all that were not enough, she was also a member of the National Honor Society/Merit Scholar.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and her Master’s degree from Hofstra University. While there, she served as the team captain. She garnered many accolades, including Defensive Player of the Year and the Patricia E. Corace Hustle Award. Bethany was in the top ten in steals in the Big East in both her junior and senior years of college.

Today, Bethany teaches Business Education at East Meadow High School She also coaches the girls varsity basketball team. In addition, she is the Head Female Trainer for Pro Hoops, Inc., and she serves as the Directory of Female Programs for the Rising Stars Organization.

To read  more about this Chalkboard Athlete, see this interview of her published by Patch.com.

Miss America 1969 went on to career as a PE teacher and coach

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Retired PE teacher and coach Judith Ford Nash of Illinois enjoyed fame as Miss America 1969. Photo credit: Dispatch Argus.

Many fine classroom teachers have earned fame in areas outside of education. One of these is Judith Ford Nash, a physical education teacher and coach who was crowned Miss America in 1969.

Judith was born on December 26, 1949, in Iowa City, Iowa, although she was raised in Belvidere, Illinois. As a student at Belvedere High School, young Judith already demonstrated talent in gymnastics and athletics. In 1965, at the age of 15, she became a member of the US trampoline team and traveled to Vienna, Austria, to take part in an international exhibition. She was also a member of her school’s cheerleading squad.

While still a teenager, Judith won her first pageant title: Miss Illinois County Fair. During those years, she was also named Miss Illinois Teenager. In 1968, she garnered the title of Miss Boone County. That same year, she went on to capture the title of Miss Illinois. At the time, she was working as a lifeguard at the city public pool and also as a swimming instructor. In 1969, Judith represented Illinois as a contestant in the Miss American Pageant. By then, she had earned a reputation as a world-class trampolinist, and she used her skills on the trampoline for her performance in the talent portion of the competition. She is the only Miss America contestant ever to compete using the trampoline.

After completing her freshman year of college at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Judith completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at the University of Illinois, Ubana-Champaign. Later she earned a Master’s degree from the Western Illinois University.

After college, Judith spent eight years as a member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, having been appointed by Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. In 1990 she moved to Geneseo, Illinois, where she taught elementary school physical education. She also coached high school girls’ golf and middle school basketball and track for nearly 20 years. During that time, Judith remembers, her students relished having a celebrity as a teacher and coach. “My golfers liked to tell their opponents, ‘You may have beaten us, but our coach was Miss America,'” she says, laughing.

You can read more about this amazing educator and athlete at Northwest Quarterly.