Former MLB manager Terry Francona, second from left, shares a moment on the putting green with his scramble team at El Rio Golf Course. (Photo by Thomas Forbes/Cronkite News)
Ken Jacome, second from right, enjoys playing at the Rich Alday Memorial Golf Tournament to help raise money for the Pima Aztecs baseball team. (Photo by Raymond Suarez/Pima Community College)
TUCSON – Anyone who knew Rich Alday had nothing but kind remarks about the former Pima Community College baseball coach. People described his amiable nature, fair and measured approach with his players and the family atmosphere he created on the diamond in the midst of fierce competition.
Those values translated into three NJCAA World Series appearances from 1974 to 1989 for the Aztecs before Alday became the head coach at the University of New Mexico from 1990 to 2007. He carried the same traits to Albuquerque, where he left his mark as the winningest coach in program history with 515 victories. He returned to Pima for one last season in 2017 before retiring.
While the Pima County Hall of Famer died in 2021 at age 71, his unmatched legacy still lives today through his numerous accolades and the Rich Alday Memorial Golf Tournament, which held its fourth annual event last Saturday at El Rio Golf Course to fundraise for the upcoming baseball season.
In addition to raising money, the event honored the positive impact Alday had on his players and friends, who showed strong support throughout the day’s itinerary by sharing stories and laughs with each other.
Norma Alday, Rich’s wife, was happy to see her husband’s former players still coming together years later to keep the memories strong.
Legendary Pima baseball coach Rich Alday, who died in 2021, delivers his Hall of Fame induction speech at Pima Community College. (Photo courtesy of Pima Community College)
“It’s like a family reunion,” Norma said.
Norma reiterated how important it is for alumni to come together and support the next generation of athletes at Pima, “because these kids are the future,” she said.
Norma still refers to the former players her husband coached as her ‘mijitos’ which is a Spanish word of endearment translated to ‘my little sons.’
One of those “mijitos” who played for Alday is Oscar Romero, who is now an assistant coach at Pima.
“It’s great to see all these past Aztecs and people in the community come out and support the team,” Romero said. “It’s a great celebration, especially seeing Norma.”
“It means something special to me,” Romero added.
The tournament was a four-man casual scramble where the team with the lowest reported score would win a prize. This, of course, was based on the honor system. There were also individual prizes for players who had the longest drive and closest shot to the pin which was supervised by the close eye of Edgar Soto, Pima Community College’s dean of athletics.
A lunch accompanied the round with a silent auction of signed memorabilia to close out the day.
Ken Jacome, Pima’s sixth-year baseball coach and first-year athletic director, was pleased to see the turnout include some familiar faces at the event, some of whom knew Alday personally and even played for him.
“There’s a lot of great people here supporting our Pima baseball program and honoring the great Rich Alday,” Jacome said. “It’s all about coming together and enjoying the moment with each other.”
Terry Francona, left, a late addition to the Rich Alday Memorial Golf Tournament, was invited by his longtime friend and former coach, Jerry Stitt. (Photo by Raymond Suarez/Pima Community College)
Jacome worked with Alday briefly at the University of New Mexico as a pitching coach before returning to Pima and becoming the head coach of the baseball team in 2018. Jacome’s record with the Aztecs is 214-90, with his seventh season approaching.
“It’s a privilege and honor to be a part of it (the golf tournament),” said Gilbert Heredia, who played for Alday at Pima. Heredia went on to win the College World Series at the University of Arizona in 1986 before having a 10-year career in the MLB.
Terry Francona, a former MLB manager for the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians was invited by Jerry Stitt, Pima’s executive assistant athletic director, to the golf tournament for the first time this year. Stitt was Francona’s coach at the University of Arizona.
Francona, a two-time World Series champion, said he and Alday “were like brothers,” adding he was happy to see the turnout at the tournament to commemorate Alday while also giving back and supporting Pima’s baseball team.
Pima’s baseball team continues to play preseason games in the fall, including a doubleheader scrimmage against the University of Arizona at Hi Corbett Field, before starting its season in the spring.