2007----About Al B. Muñoz, Class of 1945, Miami High School--- Al B. Munoz was born on October 31, 1926 in Miami, Arizona. He passed away on March 21, 2007. He was an exceptional athlete at Miami High School & at Arizona State College in Flagstaff, (now called Northern Arizona University), excelling in football, boxing and basketball. He served his country during World War II in the Pacific and later won the Army-Air Corp Heavyweight Boxing Championship at Keessler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi. In part, from his love of sports and genuine compassion towards young people, he became a teacher and coach after graduating from Northern Arizona University in 1950. Al began his teaching/administrative career as principal and teacher at Hunters Point Day School on the Navajo Reservation. He earned his masters degree from NAU in 1955 with an emphasis in administration. His journey then continued to Eloy;s Santa Cruz High School and Glendale High School where he served as a social studies teacher and the first Mexican-American Head Football Coach in the Glendale Union High School District. Coach Munoz had a prolific career at Glendale compiling numerous division titles and state semi-finalists teams. He also had coaching stints at Moon Valley, Independence, and Sunnyslope High Schools. He was known as a strict disciplinarian but was a players coach with tremendous compassion for all the lives he touched. He concluded the last decade of his career in education as an administrator at Independence High School. He received numerous awards and recognition for his teaching, coaching, and administrative service in his nearly 40 years in the education field. In 1989, Coach Munoz was inducted into the Arizona Coaches Hall of Fame and in 2002 in the Arizona Hispanic Sports Hall of Fame. However, for those who knew Coach Munoz, the most crowning moments in his career in terms of personal accomplishment was seeing the young men and women he taught and coached become successful people in their respective communities. Throughout his work as an educator, boxing remained one of Als great passions. As a result, in 1976, he was appointed by Governor Raul Castro to serve on the Arizona State Boxing Commission and was reappointed by Governor Bruce Babbitt to serve two more terms serving as chair to the commission until 1986. He continued his commitment to boxing by becoming an internationally known referee and judge for the World Boxing Organization, World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation. Al refereed or judged 32 championship fights in every continent of the world and was recently to be inducted into the Arizona Boxing Hall of Fame and the Top Rank Hall of Fame.--Al passed away on March 17, 2007. He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years Evangeline Vangie H. Munoz, five children, Dr. Michael Munoz, Mark Munoz, Gregory Munoz and wife Tania, Zachary Munoz and wife Patricia, Bryan Munoz and wife Suzanne and is preceded in death by daughter Valerie Munoz. In addition, he is survived by nine grandchildren, Tonya, Joshua, Luke, Danielle, Talia, Victoria, Alana, Alyssa, and Sophia. Also surviving are sister, Bertha (Munoz) Sanchez; his, brother, Sammy Munoz and five nieces and four nephews. And, he is preceded in death by father, Agripino G. Munoz, mother, Guadalupe B. Munoz, and brother, Michael Munoz. Al was greatly loved by his family and friends and is deeply missed. Visitation and Rosary were held on March 27, 2007 at Menke Funeral Home, in Sun City, AZ. Funeral Mass was held March 28, 2007 at St. Thomas Moore Catholic Church in Glendale, AZ ; interment followed at Resthaven Park Cemetery in Glendale, AZ. -----(Source: Robin Maynes, Educator and Musician. 2007--).......NOTE: our Growing Up in Globe facebook friend, @Samuel B. Munoz is Als younger brother...--
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 05:54:37 +0000
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