RA Martinez starts every day with a host of text messages, dozens of them.
Friends, family, neighbors and former students all receive a daily Good Morning from the 83-year-old.
“If he doesn’t text us, the group behind us (of softball players) is like, ‘What’s wrong? Why isn’t he texting us? What’s going on?” former Española High School athlete Dorothy Sisneros told a crowd.
Española Valley High School dedicated its baseball field to and named it in honor of Richard “RA” Martinez in a May 24 ceremony and unveiled a banner with his name. Martinez, 83, a longtime baseball and softball coach at the high school, receives immense respect from many community members.
“It’s amazing, I didn’t expect this,” Martinez said. “When I was coaching and teaching, it was never about myself. It was always about my students and athletes. But, finally in old age, something like this happens, and I’m honored.”
Martinez said that the school originally planned to honor the softball field for him, but they added up the years and found he coached more years with the baseball team, so they gave him that field instead.
In attendance at the event was a who’s who of Española politics — Mayor John Ramon Vigil, Mayor Pro Tem Peggy Sue Martinez, school board members including president Jeremy Maestas, school superintendent Holly Martinez, county commission chairman Alex Naranjo, to name a few.
Vigil mentioned the impact that RA Martinez had on him as his next-door neighbor, and became emotional describing the daily text messages.
Sisneros, a 1975 Española graduate (the last graduating class), played basketball at the University of Arizona back before the NCAA sponsored women’s sports.
More than a dozen former softball players of RA Martinez’s were at the dedication and helped plan the event.
Martinez coached in Española for decades while teaching English. He originally coached at Española High School before it merged with Santa Cruz and became Española Valley in 1975.
During those years, he became known for sending athletes and students to college, and helping them find schooling. Martinez spoke about his focus on academics with athletes, and pushing them toward college in days long before internet and cell phones.
“What I didn’t realize was all the work that RA had done as a sponsor behind me,” Sisneros said of being recruited to college. He had met the Arizona athletic director at an event and convinced her to give Sisneros a spot on the team.
Lisa Villareal played softball at Española Valley before later becoming the most decorated female coach in New Mexico history with five state championship titles at Volcano Vista. She credits Martinez’s leadership for her success.
“I’ve become the coach I am today because of his mentoring to me,” Villareal said.