First athletes and then coaches, each experience leaving a lifetime of memories.
BOBBY KENNEDY
The San Diego State graduate was head baseball coach at Chula Vista from 1957-82, his teams winning six Metropolitan League titles, earning 19 playoff appearances, and compiling an overall record of 329-266.
Kennedy also was a championship softball player, almost to the end, participating all the way to age 89 and along the way teaming with several other locals of his generation to win 10 national association “World Series.”
Kennedy hit a three-run home run on his last time at bat.
You could look it up, as Casey Stengel would say.
Bobby, who passed days before his 94th birthday, grew up in the San Bernardino area and played two seasons in the Philadelphia Athletics’ system.
Kennedy’s San Diego State jersey No. 12 was retired. He also was a basketball game official for 25 years and president of the local association.
Kennedy was one of a group of coaches and ex-players, mostly from baseball who met for coffee each week for years at the Lake Murray Café. Bobby remained active up the end, attending the annual Coaching Legends event at the Scottish Rite Temple in October.
Pitcher Ron (Flame) Tompkins, a member of the Kennedy’s 1962 squad, toiled for the Kansas City Royals in 1965 and California Angels in 1971.
JOE GALINDO
A 1947 St. Augustine graduate, Galindo was the Saints’ head football coach in 1986-87 and played on Saints teams that occupied a unique niche in school athletics history.
Galindo was an end and defensive back for the Saints during an era when the Catholic school was shunned by its city and county counterparts and forced to find a league that required substantial travel.
The Saints were part of the Southland Catholic League that included Los Angeles teams Loyola, Mt. Carmel, and Cathedral, plus Santa Monica St. Monica and Long Beach St. Anthony.
Galindo, 87, began his career as a playground director for the City Recreation Department and coached many sports on many levels for more than 40 years.
MIKE CUNNINGHAM
A quarterback on the Saints’ 7-2 squad of 1958 and catcher on the baseball team, Cunningham, 75, was the Saints’ head football coach from 1978-81.
He also was head coach at Ramona from 1975-77, and at Julian from 1988-92 and 1995-96.
Cunningham’s teams in the mountain community posted an overall record of 30-14-1 and claimed a San Diego Section 8-man championship in 1992.
Hi, Rick. Thanks for posting information on great friends now contributing feats of sport in the land invisible! As we continue amassing years to our lives, I have developed a passion for celebrating, rather than mourning, the loss of the legendary sports persons who were positive influences on my earlier years of success. While I never knew Mike Cunningham personally, we must have played against each other in football and baseball during our senior year at the Hive (Lincoln HS); man, were those indeed some “good ole days!” On the other hand. Bob and Joe were strong friends and mentors during my high school athletic days and later officiating career. Joe Galindo and Jesse Thompson were the senior recreation leaders at Mt. View Park during the 1954 to 1957 era and I was their aide. My early baseball play was for Mt. View Park’s 5th and 6th grade, 10-inch baseball teams, and then another two years with Pic-Pac-Pickles (Mt. View’s 14 and under teams). If my memory still serves me correctly, we played your (Rick’s) Chollas View nine prior to our end of the season defeat by The Dents from University Heights at the now famous and memorable Lane Field. I can remember the Dent’s roster included a few guys named John Harmon, Terry Sparks, George Baker, Armatage, and Jerry Whitworth. The names on The Pickles roster included Gary Ewing, Vince Littleton, Kenny Torescano, Jim White, Albert Groff (Grasshopper), Jerry King, Martel Petties, Cleven Thomas, Billy Miller, “Little John” Gibson, Bob Moss, Oliver Moss (bat boy) and Coach Art Sick. I have said all of that to say Joe and Jesse had enough confidence in me, to many times assign me as the sole leader in charge of the Park on most weekends for two consecutive summers. I remember Joe as a strong leader with a keen sense of humor and long time teacher and coach at St Augustine HS. The influence of their positive and confident ability to lead others still lingers with me today, as I have often used Joe’s “feed ’em to the dogs” concept to encourage strong and competent life skills for those I am able to influence. Bob Kennedy and I go way back to the early days of my basketball officiating career, which began in the season of 1965. He is one of the most easy-to-get-along with offciating partner I ever worked with, including the likes of Ed Cain, John Hannon, Manny Gomes, Joe Frivaldski Frank Rustich, Mike Basalo and a few others who escape my mind at this time. The group was a small and close knit group who enjoyed working games played on high school, college, military and Muni league levels. I recall the joy we shared when Bob and I were assigned games in El Centro, Calexico, and Brawley. After our games, (JV and varsity), we would shower and stop for vittles at a restaurant somewhere off of Highway 8, on our return to San Diego. Bob took me under his wing and schooled me on the important facts of good officiating. Some of the most difficult games to officiate during that time were those played on the various military basses across town. For whatever reasons, at times those games would evolve into heated confrontations, but when I was working with Bob Kennedy, his cool, calm and collected personality would always result in our exiting from the courts with a feeling of peace prevailing. Upon completing four years of active duty and football seasons at MCRD, I initated a few seasons of officiating high school and Pop Waner football, enjoyed some 35 years of basketball refereeing, and also embarked on a fabled, 45-year baseball umpiring career, which ended in 2010 in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas, area. Baseball umpires catch more heat from players, coaches and fans than other sport officials. My enthusiastic and entertaining umpiring gestures made me somewhat of a big hit at the thousands of ballyards I visited; a sort of giant economy version of my great friend and mentor the late Emmett Ashford. However, I was neve immune to the angry wrath all umpires must experience. The two high school baseball coaches who I praise most for their fantastic umpire friendly relationships are Bob Kennedy (Chula Vista HS) and Bob Lamont (La Jolla and University City HS’s). Out of the dozens and dozens of games my partners and I worked for them, we never heard a discouraging or unfriendly word from them! Loud shouts of R.I.P from myself and so many others go out to these three great local legendary sport figures of days gone by.
Very well said, Bob.
When I covered high school baseball for the old Tribune, Bob Kennedy was one of my favorites. A fine gentleman and a savvy baseball man. Sorry we’ve lost him.
A gentleman, for sure.