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Non-Typical Solutions

Animas loses a local mentor/coach UPDATED!

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Animas is a pretty small place in the middle of no where and we always rely on those special people that help us and support us! Coach Charlie Richardson passed away yesterday, I stole this memory from one of his many that he influenced! 

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Whether you called Coach Richardson, Mr. Richardson, Charlie, Charles, Chuckie, or just Rich. He touched everyone of us that played for him. The greatest Animas Panther coach that ever lived-my mentor, my hero, my friend. I was a 13 year old maybe 4’5” when I started playing for this great man-he instilled my love for the game of basketball to which I never lost. So many memories as a player at AHS but also came and watched me play at WNMU. My 1st job interview they said for you played at Animas for Charles Richardson then you know to WIN! I believe he had a hand in me getting my first coaching job in 1984. I finally made it back home 1991 and got to coach with the man I had always admired. I was his assistant he was my assistant. I coached his kids he coached mine. We taught school together even shared a classroom. We even came out of retirement together. I was refing a volleyball game in 2016 he was in the stands I went and sit by him told I thought I was going back to coaching. I told him I wanted him for jr high and he said yes. We spent 3 more years together. Charles was the most unselfish, honorable man I know. It was never about his accomplishments but always about the kids. True coaching to the core I learned so much from him. I guess my greatest accomplishment was not the state titles we won together but just knowing he was proud of me and thought that I was a good coach too. What a legacy we lost in our valley yesterday no one will ever replace. Thanks for the 30+ years you spent in my life and all the other years you put in to all of the student/athletes at AHS, including my boys, my nephew, my nieces, and coming back to coach my Laikyn so she would know my hero too! To all the Richardson’s thank you for sharing your husband and dad with all of us. I love you all.
Goodbye my ole friend I will never forget you.

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The family brought me a pile of old bleacher material, some old hardwood flooring, some horse shoe welding that Charlie Coach had welded, a bucket of collected junk and said, can you make him a casket!!!

Charlie Coach coached in the Animas Valley for 40 years, lost his mom when he was 5 and his dad when he was 16. His first wife passed after 25 years of marriage and lost her life to cancer! 

One of the great characteristics Charlie Coach had was he never once used his losses as an excuse for trying every day to be a great example for the kids he taught and coached! I hope he can see from above that love and appreciation put his scraps together for what hopefully does the man the respect he deserves!!! I appreciate the opportunity to serve him this one last time!!!

 

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Sounds like an amazing person. Animas had some great athletes/teams for such a  middle of nowhere, hole in the wall, type of town. So many now days could use him as an example on how to lead. Our schools are filled with so many terrible coaches ruining more athletes than helping these days. So many kids never playing sports or quitting because of it. Great coaches, teachers, etc are worth more than any amount of money. If you’ve had either great or bad, or both, you definitely understand. 

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Wonderful tribute!

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29 minutes ago, muledeerarea33? said:

Big ole boys in animas when we played them in football! Glad I was 4th string!

I was a sophomore in 75 when Vance Lee brought football to Animas! I probably weighed a heavy 100#! I didn’t play that first year, but did then my next two years! 

We were horrible playing a JV schedule mostly! All of our gear was used from another school that had purchased new equipment!

Animas got on the charts when Billy Henson came to town! My little brother played for Billy, they were an execution well disciplined program for several years!!!

Their winning streak got snapped by none other than Lordsburg our county rivals! 7-6 final score! My dad said it was because they spent too much time on ESPN😂

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2 minutes ago, Non-Typical Solutions said:

I was a sophomore in 75 when Vance Lee brought football to Animas! I probably weighed a heavy 100#! I didn’t play that first year, but did then my next two years! 

We were horrible playing a JV schedule mostly! All of our gear was used from another school that had purchased new equipment!

Animas got on the charts when Billy Henson came to town! My little brother played for Billy, they were an execution well disciplined program for several years!!!

Their winning streak got snapped by none other than Lordsburg our county rivals! 7-6 final score! My dad said it was because they spent too much time on ESPN😂

Lordsburg was our wrestling rival I believe. Wasn’t huge into sports but always was on a team. Safford/thatcher were easy wins. The round valley tournament was rough.

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