Through all the ups and downs, Rich Sanders lived life with no regrets

Rich Sanders was always one of those “glass half full” type of guys.

When Sanders was hired to take over the football program at St. Edward in 1996 he told the Daily Herald, “What St. Edward needs and what I'm going to bring is a very positive approach to playing football.”

And if you know anything about the history of St. Edward football, that was no easy task at that time. The program's numbers were low and the wins were few and far between.

But Sanders, who had been an assistant coach in the program since 1981, never let those things get him down.

Rich Sanders passed away Monday at the age of 59 after a long battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, aka Lou Gehrig's disease.

It was just another thing that Sanders refused to let alter his approach to life.

“He was completely selfless in everything he did,” said Sanders' eldest son, Dan, on Wednesday as Dan and his brothers, Doug, Kevin and Kyle, gathered at the family's insurance office to chat about their dad.

“During the sickness he never wanted any attention on himself. He was always worried about our mom (Cathy), us and the grandkids. He never felt sorry for himself and when he was coaching he was the same way. He was always doing it in the best interests of the athletes he was coaching.”

I covered many St. Edward football games during Sanders' nine seasons at the helm. Many of them were, well, they were pretty ugly. I remember one game in particular when St. Edward took the field with 13 players. Against Marmion. It was not a pretty day for the Green Wave.

But Sanders' ability to see a light at the end of the tunnel instead of a steaming locomotive was always there, no matter what had happened on the field 10 minutes ago or last week. A 1975 St. Edward alum, he believed in the school and the athletic program and did everything in his power to make it better.

“Rich and I kind of came in together and I got to know Rich outside of coaching. He did not have quit in him,” said Green Wave soccer coach Tim Brieger. “I remember days when we barely had one football team and we were playing the Montinis and Marmions. Rich was all about the kids. I remember sitting with him late nights and he was always looking ahead. Sometimes soccer coaches and football coaches butt heads but at the end of the day we were friends and I had great respect for him. He was one of a kind and I know a lot of kids would have gone down a different path if it weren't for Rich Sanders.”

The way Sanders approached life, in sickness and in health, winning or losing in sports, was an inspiration first and foremost to his four sons and his daughter, Carrie.

“The biggest thing for all of us is how thankful we are of the way we were raised and the person he was — and is — and the values he instilled in us,” said Dan Sanders. “Dad never had any regrets and we always cherish that — doing things with no regrets. It's been amazing to see and all those we've talked to about what an impact he made on people. That makes all of us very proud of him.”

Sanders also coached baseball for four years at St. Edward and reached two sectional finals. He did get the football program to the playoffs once in his nine years (2003) but the overall record of 21-61 is a true indicator of how tough the football times were during that period at St. Edward. His tenure also included a 23-game losing streak between 1998 and 2001, but he never once gave up.

He started the Crusaders youth program and he did everything he could to get St. Edward kids interested in playing football. One could say his perseverance is the foundation of a program that has now reached the playoffs five times in the past seven years.

“He's the one who got me involved at St. Ed's,” said current Wave football coach Mike Rolando, who took over for Sanders in 2005. “I had coached Doug in 1998 with the Elgin Chiefs and Rich brought Mike Childers and I over to start the Crusaders program. He touched a lot of kids through football and baseball and was a positive influence on their lives.

“He definitely had a burning desire to make St. Edward football successful and in doing whatever he could to increase the excitement around St. Edward football.”

Sanders, who always said the three keys to being a great athlete are having values, a good attitude and persistence, poured his heart and soul into the St. Edward athletic program. He didn't just coach, he was a true green-and-gold die-hard. And he did so much more, things like taking care of the football field, for example.

“He was the guy who was there at 5 a.m. watering the field and cutting the grass,” said Kevin Sanders. “Sometimes he did that with our personal lawn mower and our lawn didn't get mowed. But he never wanted anybody to know he was doing things like that.”

Just as he didn't want people to know when was diagnosed with ALS. Again, it wasn't about him. He didn't come out in public very much these last few years, but it was so very heartwarming to see him in November 2014 when he attended the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame banquet the night Doug was inducted. Rich's physical struggles were very apparent that night, but what I'll remember most is his ear-to-ear smile while Doug was giving his acceptance speech and then, after the banquet, when he was approached by so many and took the time he could to greet them with that smile. One of his last times out was just a few months ago when he was able to attend Doug's wedding.

“He never complained once,” Dan said. “He was the toughest guy there is. He always told us not to be bitter. He always saw things in a positive light and he always saw an opportunity to win. I think we've all inherited that and it's something that's stuck with us.”

Visitation for Rich Sanders will be from 4-8 p.m. on Friday at Laird's Funeral Home in Elgin and then on Saturday from 9:45 a.m. until a 10:30 a.m. mass at St. Laurence Church in Elgin. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Les Turner Foundation, referencing team name Dick's Army.

At those services, the memories will be many. The tears will be of sadness but also of joy in knowing Rich is now at peace and that he made such a positive contribution to life through his own.

“We're all studs because of him,” smiled Kevin. “He was a stud.”

And a winner, regardless of what record books say.

He was a man I am so very proud to have known.

jradtke@dailyherald.com