Book Description

“ Our son Todd was once asked which coach he admired most in Jr High, High School and as a College Athlete; without hesitation he immediately said Coach Sepulveda. (Notice not his dad.) However I totally agree with Todd.” -Gary Hveem, Athletic Director Rio Rancho. “Coach Sepulveda is definitely on the top five of most admired men in my life.” -Scott Hutt Tiger Track 1972.“Everything I do in track and field as a coach; from organization to training of athletes, I learned from my years with Coach Bob Sepulveda.” -Dale Lindley, Coach Chaparral Junior High “I can think of no better word to describe Coach Sepulveda's character than Mana. In the New Zealand Maori culture one who has Mana carries with them a great deal of honor, presence, or prestige. This is Coach Sepulveda hugely respected and able to bring the best out of his athletes.” -Coach Lorne Singer (“Kiwi”), Tiger Track 1994 This book series, beginning with book 1, is an Alamogordo Tiger Tale of the Historical Crossroads of Football, Track & Field and Cross Country In Building New Mexico Pride. Co-written by authors; Chris Edwards & Rene Sepulveda, the book series begins with the Alamogordo, New Mexico athletic program in 1916 and progresses through today. The focus is on the Track and Field and its paths that crossed into interscholastic football and cross country. The book is a comprehensive history that tells the stories of the many personalities from 1916 to 1996 that influenced New Mexico interscholastic sports in Track and Field, Cross Country, High School Football and beyond. Coach Bob Sepulveda had the longest consecutive State Track & Field Winning streak in the 90s of any New Mexico Coach. The book highlights the records and the stories of hundreds of athletes. The book series takes on the tough issues of the launch of national high school interscholastic sports standards, integration in the 50's and 60's, Title IX implementation and girls interscholastic championships, the politics around high school football and more. The book series contains the records of 100s of high school athletes, rich in dialog and interviews with athletes, coaches and community members. It tracks the successes and failures of some great athletes & coaches. The central characters in the book are Coach Bob and Marilyn Sepulveda paired with a variety of characters that played a role in the program success of the Alamogordo New Mexico Track and Field, Cross Country & Football programs. While the story is focused on a small town in New Mexico; it is national in scope; as many associated coaches and athletes had a national or international influence in athletics, politics and world events with the common theme of all being touched by the Alamogordo Track & Field, Cross Country or Football programs, Coach Bob Sepulveda and his legacy Stories include interviews and first hand accounts of athletes and coaches some of which went on to the NFL, Olympic Trials, professional or political successes. No book would be complete without some tearful stories with tragic endings but overall this book will educate, inspire and remind each of us of the good within each of us. Coach Bob Sepulveda, the central figure spent his entire adult life (30 years at Alamogordo High School)- imparting qualities in athletics that are supposed to carry over into life: teamwork, dedication, punctuality, leadership, sacrifice and poise. He’s certainly not alone, but his character, integrity and influence, on so many people, goes well beyond the geographic bounds of Alamogordo or New Mexico. His story is one of hope and inspiration as is the story of his many athletes. “Coach Bob Sepulveda is just a good, hard-working coach and a good responsible person who cared about the kids in his charge. That for anyone who’s paying attention, is all the message that’s necessary”, per a Commentary by Rich Wright Assistant Sports Editor, The Albuquerque Journal. Review "Resilience, happiness and freedom; that is what I felt when I read, Coach Robert Louis Sepulveda: The Early Days. During these dark and down days in sports, due to political unrest and the public health issues; this book is a refreshing look at a positive sports history, with detailed research and great inspirational stories of each sports season covered.A history lesson (with records dating back to the start of interscholastic sports in the early 1900's), part inspirational story with tales of NFL and Olympic heroes; this book gives us hope for better days ahead by reflecting on an inspirational past. Coach Sepulveda rekindles my belief in the athletes and the coaches that make up interscholastic sports. Buy this book to learn and to be entertained" - David Andres, Sportsman Continental, North America Bureau From the Author About the Authors: Chris Edwards & Rene Sepulveda Executive Coach, Essayist & Author Chris Edwards: is recognized as a mentor in teaching those around him the skills of positive self-esteem and business success. Chris's releases have ranked in the Amazon top 100 in "Self Esteem Self Help" and in "Self Help Short Reads". Chris's releases include 90 Days to a Glass Half Full Lifestyle and 2 Hours Unplugged: Unplug & Reconnect which launched as a #1 New Release on Amazon in the "Information Theory" Category containing books on technology and their impact to quality of life. Author, Rehabilitative Exercise Specialist & Coach Rene Sepulveda: is recognized for his 8 NCAA & Conference Awards for Coach of the Year. As a university level Track & Field Coach he developed; 3 Track & Field Olympians, 4 NCAA Individual Division I National Champions, 22 NCAA All-Americans and 34 Individual Conference Champions. Rene Sepulveda is an accomplished athlete in his own right. He placed 2nd Place Overall San Francisco Men's Health Urbanathlon 2013,Finalist 1500m World Masters Track & Field Championships, holds 5 USATF Masters Track & Field National Championship Medals, A Top 20 finisher at the US Snowshoe National Championships, and a 2 time 2-time US Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifier 1996 & 2000. Coach Rene Sepulveda has tailored running and core fitness programs to a wide variety of clients at all levels and ages. Many of these programs focus on increasing sports performance and returning from injuries (rehabilitative exercise training), while others focus on weight loss and muscle building. Rene's highly popular training groups programs for Tough Mudder events, The Men's Health Urbanathlon and Spartan races have gained him a great number of followers. Together, the two have partnered on a series of books; focused around fitness, sports history and healthy life balance. The current endeavor is a book series, beginning with book 1 of a 3 part series. The book series is titled: Coach Robert Sepulveda: the Historical Crossroads of Football, Track & Field and Cross Country In Building New Mexico Pride. Book 1 available now, is Coach Robert Sepulveda: The Early Days Book 1. The book series begins with the Alamogordo, New Mexico athletic program in 1916 and progresses through today. The book series is a comprehensive history that tells the stories of the many personalities from 1916 to 1996 that influenced New Mexico interscholastic sports in Track and Field, Cross Country, High School Football and beyond. Coach Bob Sepulveda had the longest consecutive State Track & Field Winning streak in the 90s of any New Mexico Coach. The book highlights the records and the stories of hundreds of athletes. The book series takes on the tough issues of the launch of national high school interscholastic sports standards, integration in the 50's and 60's, Title IX implementation and girls interscholastic championships, the politics around high school football and more. The book series contains the records of 100s of high school athletes, rich in dialog and interviews with athletes, coaches and community members. It tracks the successes and failures of some great athletes & coaches. The central characters in the book are Coach Bob and Marilyn Sepulveda paired with a variety of characters that played a role in the program success of the Alamogordo New Mexico Track and Field, Cross Country & Football programs. While the story is focused on a small town in New Mexico; it is national in scope; as many associated coaches and athletes had a national or international influence in athletics, politics and world events with the common theme of all being touched by the Alamogordo Track & Field, Cross Country or Football programs, Coach Bob Sepulveda and his legacy. Book 1 of 3 is available now and covers 1916 to 1976. Book 2 1977 to 1996 will be released on August 30th, 2020 Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Few of us know the greatness within our self, nor what we can do... few of us have ever been coached to our full potential, nor pushed our self-hard enough to find out. Those fortunate, few of us, who have experienced great coaching, to find the strength within ourselves, to find our personal best; we are the blessed ones. Michael Jordan once said, "Life is often compared to a marathon, but I think it is more like being a sprinter; long stretches of hard work punctuated by brief moments in which we are given the opportunity to perform at our best." Many people debate who should receive the credit for Michael Jordan's success. Is it Coach Phil Jackson or is it Michael Jordan? These two things are not mutually exclusive. This author team, of Chris & Rene, believes both deserve the credit. While researching Coach Bob Sepulveda's story and the history of Alamogordo Track and Field, we came across the editorial to follow. It touched us deeply, as it speaks to Bob's values and the values of the Alamogordo High School and New Mexico Athletic Programs. Its point: "The Sepulveda's, Taskers and Jim Hulsmans of the world help kids not so much through what they do, but through who they are...." Factoid- 2020, the United States spends more tax dollars per high-school athlete ($1500) than per high-school math student ($628) -- unlike most other countries worldwide. Friday, May 13,1994 The Albuquerque Journal: Message There for Those Who Watch, Listen Commentary by Rich Wright, Assistant Sports Editor The decision of the day was this. Should I go downbeat, with a column about the travails of fallen Super Bowl hero Timmy Smith, or upbeat with a column about Bob Sepulveda, Alamogordo High School's fine and dedicated boys track coach? I flipped a coin, and it came down on its edge. The face is, in an ironic sort of way, the two go together. Sepulveda is a perfect example of the many scholastic coaches who send a positive message to their athletes. Smith is a perfect example of an athlete who, apparently, never got the message. Smith's story, of course, was not always so downbeat. Six years ago, in fact the Hobbs native seemed to have the world at his feet. What a story it was Smith, a superstar running back at Hobbs High School, had overcome a disappointing, injury-plagued college career at Texas Tech to make the roster of the National Football League's Washington Redskins. January 31st, 1988, the 23-year-oldrookie made Super Bowl History with a record 204 years rushing in the Redskins'42-10 victory over the Denver Broncos. The city of Hobbs and the state of New Mexico were justifiably proud of this native son. Before and after the Super Bowl, memorials praising Smith were introduced in the New Mexico Legislature. On February 15, two of those memorials were approved by the state senate-despite embarrassing news that Smith owed nearly $6,000 in delinquent child support payments. The news regarding Smith never really got better. THE LONGEST RUN... ...Sepulveda isn't Knute Rockne; he is just a good, hard-working coach and a good responsible person who cares about the kids in his charge. That for anyone who is paying attention, is all the message that is necessary. For anyone who is not paying attention, no message is possible... ...Interscholastic Sports programs rather in the small town of Alamogordo, New Mexico or in the large cities such as Manhattan have had a history of controversy; with loud and outspoken proponents and equally loud critics.... ...Alamogordo High School began an organized sports program in 1912 for Caucasian boys offering PE, Track & Field, Basketball and Football. ...In 1941 Alamogordo Track and Field sent another athlete to the state meet named John "Bud" Wilborn who medaled: (John Bud Wilborn Factoid)