Zone Motion

My legendary high school coach, Al Endriss passed away yesterday at the age of 95.

Coach Al was a huge part of my life from the time I first watched his Redwood High School teams play when I was in grade school to just last week when we had another of our many fruitful conversations. He was the coach of our 1977 Mythical National Championship team. We were good, however not as good as he made us believe we were. There is nothing more important than our beliefs as they are the foundation of our achievements. He made us feel like we couldn’t lose and we rarely did. Coach Al was a coaching pioneer with how he ran the Redwood baseball program, from the fast moving practices to how we wore our uniforms, the length of our hair, flying to places to play other good teams and our “fireside chats” when we were free to share anything on our minds in a safe environment.

He went above and beyond in promoting his players to colleges and professional scouts. He had creditability with all the top collegiate programs. The University of Texas took his word and offered me a full scholarship without ever seeing me play a game including seeing me on video. Just his word was sufficient to Cliff Gustafson.

Coach Al touched so many lives and was such a powerful presence. A few years ago he had a very bad ankle and we met at a coffee shop to play a few games of backgammon. He got there early for what I believe was not wanting me to see him walk in. When we were finished and began walking to our cars, I could see he was limping badly. I grabbed his arm to help him and he quickly said “don’t touch me.” I laughed because it was another example of how he felt he was invincible. I said, “you need a cane” to which he replied, “I don’t need a cane, I’m Al Endriss.” That was the attitude he instilled in so many of his players. However, like all of us, he wasn’t invincible, yet the perception served him and so many of us well. I miss him already, yet so grateful I had him in my life. He will remain a part of me and those whose lives I am fortunate to touch. Much love and appreciation Coach Al!