SAN ANTONIO — Longtime high school football coach John Torres, who led South San Antonio High School to two district championships in the first decade of the 2000s, died Friday morning. He was 50.
"The main thing I'll remember about my brother is that he was always smiling when he walked into a room," said Jeanette Torres, an older sister. "He always treated everybody with kindness."
Torres, a 1988 Central Catholic graduate and former Buttons quarterback, had battled lupus for more than 10 years. He was on the Judson coaching staff as a varsity football assistant for five seasons (2014-2018) before he became too ill to continue coaching the sport.
Torres remained at Judson for one more semester, coaching the golf team until he retired after the 2018-19 school year.
Known as “JT” and Johnny by his friends, Torres was highly popular among Central alumni and area high school coaches.
“Everybody I’ve talked with said JT was one of the good guys,” said Carlos Enrico, who coached Torres at Central. “I’d have to agree with them. JT was a great guy. The guys he went to school with at Central loved him.”
A proud member of the “Central Catholic mafia,” as some jokingly call the school’s alumni, Torres became part of another close-knit community at Judson.
“JT always had a smile on his face,” Rockets head coach Rodney Williams said. “Even when he was hurting, he always found a way to make a joke and keep everybody else on their toes and in a good mood, in good spirits. He didn’t dwell on his illness. He knew it was something he was dealt in life. He probably came to accept it. He just kept going. He kept being JT.”
Torres was a second cousin of Veterans Memorial head football coach Richard Mendoza, a former Judson quarterback.
“He was like an older brother when I was growing up,” Mendoza, 41, said. “I went to his games when he played quarterback at Central Catholic. I also remember going to his baseball games when he pitched for Central Catholic. We were later brothers in the fraternity of coaching, but as young kid in the mid-80s, I looked up to him.
“I’d say, ‘That’s my cousin playing quarterback.’ And when you’re a young kid, that means a lot. Those are fond memories. I’ll always remember his infectious smile. He would always be laughing, joking around. He showed me how to be a good friend."
Torres was head coach at South San and Mendoza was an assistant coach at Wagner when they faced each other twice on the football field.
“There was a little bit of a rivalry there because we were so competitive,” Mendoza said. “We had a mutual respect. We paralleled each other in a lot of ways. He and I shared a passion as competitors and coaches.”
Asked how he would describe Torres to those who never met him, Mendoza said: “He was a guy who cared about his community, cared about his family and was an outstanding friend.”
Mark Sauceda joined the Judson coaching staff in the spring of 2014, a few weeks before Torres was hired to coach the Rockets’ slot receivers. Sauceda and Torres sat next to each other in the Judson coaches’ office and shared a strong bond.
“We were like brothers,” said Sauceda, 47. “This is tough for me. JT was magnetic and had a big heart. His smile and his laughter were infectious. It was just great to be around him.
"We loved to kid around with each other. I have some great memories of when we’d go fishing with some of the other guys on the staff.”
Orlando Sanchez graduated from Central with Torres and was a football teammate.
“JT was the kind of guy who would light up a room,” Sanchez said. “He was loyal to his friends and loved Central Catholic. He was a leader on and off the field. There was just something about him that made you feel good when you were around him. Central is a brotherhood and we loved JT like a brother.”
Torres was Enrico’s first starting quarterback after Enrico became the Buttons’ head coach in 1986. Torres was a part-time assistant coach at his alma mater for six seasons (1990-95) under Enrico, who remained his close friend and mentor to the end. Central won the TCIL Class 4A state championship in Torres’ first year on the coaching staff.
Torres was a finalist for the Central head-coaching job in 2012, but former Alamo Heights coach Don Byrd got the nod. Torres said coaching at his alma mater would be “my dream job.”
"Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and wait your turn," Torres said before Byrd was hired. "I love Central Catholic and have a lot of respect for everything the school stands for. I would be honored to have the privilege of carrying the torch for the football program and continuing the tradition.
"Who doesn't want to coach at the school where they graduated from? But I want to be considered because I'm a good coach who happens to be an alumnus, not an alumnus who happens to be a good coach."
Torres also spoke of his strong bond with Enrico.
"I've always leaned on him a lot because he's somebody you look up to,” Torres said. “I went into coaching because of him and I felt obligated to apply for the job. It's my dream job. Who better to continue the tradition that he built than somebody who played for him and coached under him?"
Torres joined Enrico’s staff at Central in 1990, after playing football at Missouri Valley College as a freshman and baseball at St. Mary’s for two years.
"I was injured and couldn't play baseball anymore, and Carlos gave me the opportunity to coach," Torres sad. "I fell in love with the coaching aspect. I really enjoyed working with the kids and seeing them develop and mature."
After earning his degree at UTSA in 1995, Torres joined Mike Kelly’s staff at Southside High School in January 1996.
When Mike Gaston, who succeeded Kelly in 1998, left Southside after the 2000 season to become head coach at South San, Torres went with him and was the Bobcats’ offensive coordinator for two seasons.
Torres was promoted to head coach at South San in 2003 after Gaston became head coach at Holmes. The Bobcats won district and finished 6-5 in their first season under Torres, and took another league title in 2007. Torres, who went 35-49 in eight seasons at South San, also led the Bobcats to the playoffs in 2006.
Torres was head coach at South San until going to Dwight Middle School as an administrator and teacher after the 2010 season. He also coached at Wood Middle School before joining Sean McAuliffe's staff at Judson in 2014.
Roman Castillo, who graduated from Central with Torres, was one of his best friends.
“I wasn’t an athlete, but we became good friends and kept up with each for many years,” Castillo said. “I remember when we first graduated from high school, you could tell coaching was his passion. He had a passion for teaching kids.
“Even on Friday nights during football season when most people would go out to the clubs, he would go to scrimmages and games. You could tell he was reading guys, reading plays. He’d talk to the kids and try to teach them.”
Castillo said the circle of friends that has stayed close since the salad days at Central won’t be complete without Torres.
“He was a loving, loyal, jovial, genuine person,” Castillo said. “He wasn’t fake. He was a true friend. Thick and thin, we were there for each other. He had an aura about him, and people enjoyed being around him. He was good-natured. There wasn’t a mean bone in his body. I just want our brother to be at peace."
A native San Antonian, Juan Torres Jr. was the third of five children born to Romelia and Juan Torres. Torres' father died on Jan. 16.
