Inside the local Boys and Girls Club gym, a wall bears six names. They’re the club’s all-time “Honor Coaches,” those who’ve made indelible marks on the youth they’ve guided. Listed among the group is Eddie Navarro.
If the name rings a bell, don’t be surprised. There’s a good chance you’ve either been coached by him or know someone who has. That’s what happens when you’ve been a volunteer coach for as long as Navarro has: nearly 40 years.
“I’m just doing my part,” Navarro said. “We’ve all had good coaches in our lives—especially me—and it’s time to give back.”
Born and raised in Santa Maria, Navarro spent his own childhood on a ranch. At age 11, he signed up to play for the Westside Little League. Since his parents were farmworkers, they couldn’t attend many of their son’s games, so Navarro’s coaches took him under their wing, giving him rides to and from games. The experience left an impression on the young boy, inspiring him to take up youth coaching while he was still in high school.
In 1966, Navarro was a freshman at Santa Maria High when the school’s legendary center Steve Patterson was a senior. After taking the Saints to the CIF championship, Patterson went on to play for coach John Wooden at UCLA. Spurred on by his classmate (though he didn’t play basketball himself), Navarro started following Wooden’s coaching philosophy. To this day, he still hands out copies of the legendary coach’s “Pyramid of Success” to his players.
After graduating in 1969, Navarro went straight into the city’s Recreation and Parks Department, beginning his long tradition of working with youth as a recreation leader at Oakley School in 1970. Right away, Navarro saw how the kids looked up to him, especially those from broken homes. Today, many of them still call him “coach.”
“The biggest kick is seeing them grown up now, and they come up to you somewhere and say, ‘Hey coach, remember me?’ Then they’re introducing their own kids to you. That thrill right there is like somebody handing you a million bucks.”
Now approaching 60, Navarro still coaches in the minors division of the Southside Little League. He’s been coaching Little Leaguers since 1970, with just a few years off in between for work or health reasons. In 2008, he captained his Southside Indians to the minors’ title, and though a recent back surgery has relegated him to assistant coach, he hopes to have a continued role with the team
in 2011.
“Come spring, you smell the grass and the leather of the gloves. You get that spring fever,” Navarro said. “During the middle of the season, you think, ‘I can hardly wait until the season’s done,’ but then once the season’s over, it’s like something’s missing in your heart. You have an itch to call the kids up and at least get together.”
Though his own children are grown, Navarro still helps coach his granddaughter’s softball team and in the Boys and Girls Club’s “Bitty Basketball” program, teaching third and fourth graders the fundamentals of the sport. It’s demanding, but Navarro wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Volunteering is very time consuming, but I’ve got a very understanding wife who lets me go out and play with the kids,” Navarro said. “But we do a lot together, so that’s why I’m able to do these things. She’s very supportive.”
Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Bill Libbon called Navarro a “great role model” who’s displayed impeccable integrity in the decade-plus he’s spent in the organization.
“If I had a kid playing, I’d want him to play for Eddie just because of the type of person he is,” Libbon said. “He’s always encouraging the kids. He doesn’t really care about winning, he cares about the kids participating and having a good time—and that’s what it’s all about.”
Navarro’s contribution to youth sports doesn’t end with coaching. He’s also chairman for the Santa Maria Elks Club’s annual Hoop and Soccer Shoot competitions, held at schools in Orcutt and Santa Maria. He’s also been instrumental in maintaining Santa Maria’s rich Little League history. For the league’s 60th anniversary, he gathered photos, gloves, and memorabilia, putting together what he calls a “traveling circus,” an exhibit displayed at the Santa Maria Valley Historical Museum and the Library. Among his long-term goals, Navarro would like to create a permanent sports museum for Santa Maria, honoring the finest athletes from the area.
As for his philosophy from the sidelines, Navarro said he strives to instill pride and encourage leadership in his players, in sports and in life. But at the end of the day, he said, it’s all about having fun.
“One thing I stress to the kids is, to be a good winner, you’ve got to learn to be a good loser,” he said. “Everyone wants to win, but to me it’s more important that a parent comes to me at the end of the year and says, ‘You know coach, my son had fun, and he learned a lot.’ To me, that’s a winning season.”
Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas is a winner. Contact him at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 13-20, 2011.
