Legendary high school football coach Richard Sanchez resigned as Tucson High's on-field boss Thursday, just before the Badgers were scheduled to begin training camp.
That day, Tucson High's athletic director "received Coach Sanchez's notice to leave for undisclosed reasons," a TUSD spokeswoman said in a statement.
Tucson 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 Tucson High, the victory coming when the Badgers topped Rincon/University 42-6 on Oct. 1. Sanchez came to Tucson 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.Β 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.Β
Last year, the Star's Greg Hansen listed Sanchez as the Tucson'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 Tucson history, all sports.
