Former LACES soccer coach Cesar Del Cano Rico passed away on January 18 at the age of 40. Before leaving LACES in 2023, he was a well-established coach at LACES, coaching girls’ varsity and JV soccer after school. According to those close to him, he was a passionate coach and kind person. Three of his former LACES colleagues fondly recall their experiences working with him.
Athletic director Mr. Marlon Shows, “Recall(s) his amount of focus; he was a very driven person.” The two of them worked together often. “Working with him was easy,” Shows adds.
As a coach, “He was very driven, focused; he took it seriously and pushed his students very hard,” recalls Shows.
When asked about what he remembers coach Cesar for, he then recalls, “He would wear a suit and tie to games, almost like a European football coach.” He chuckles, remembering fondly.
“His passion was sports, so he pushed his students a lot, very hard.”
When asked about the impact coach Cesar had on LACES, “He helped put women’s basketball on the map, for sure, at LACES,” said Shows. Despite not seeing him for years, Shows still recalls the passion and dedication coach Cesar held for sports.
LACES principal Ms. Kimberly Lesure holds fond memories of how, “He would pop his head in (the office) and wave ‘Hi’.” She mentions that he was very kind.
“He had a kind personality, he was always a good person,” said Lesure. On his coaching, “He was very dedicated and passionate about sports…He won LACES a soccer championship once or twice.” She attributes this to, “How good of a coach he was; his students always seemed receptive to his words.” Lesure still remembers his kindness and his passion for sports.
“He will be missed,” Lesure gently notes.
History teacher and soccer coach here at LACES Ms. Melissa Portillo, seems to have known coach Cesar more closely than the others who were interviewed.
“I remember how passionate he was. He was strict with his students; they called him ‘tough’ but they listened to him.” “I remember how passionate he was as coach; he was very driven to succeed,” said Portillo. Portillo was also friends with him, seeing as they were both coaches.
“Outside of coaching, we were friends, so I did know him more than some other people (at LACES),” said Portillo.
“He was a good person, he was nice to everyone,” said Portillo. Besides his coaching and friendship with Portillo, she recognized his contributions and impact at LACES.
“He helped bring much needed attention to women’s sports here at LACES, he was a great coach,” said Portillo. “I thank him a lot for teaching, being a coach here, and I think the girls who knew him can think of many ways that Cesar helped them with being better players, and better people,” said Portillo.
According to some of the people who knew him, coach Cesar was a kind, outward person, as well as a very passionate coach. The words kind, passionate, dedicated and friendly seem to be the most common terms to describe coach Cesar. While he is no longer with us, his memory and legacy continue to thrive at LACES.