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Died January 28, 2021.
Tucson High Magnet School, Tucson, AZ
Social Studies, Soccer Coach
TUSD’s governing board will on Tuesday honor former Tucson High boys soccer coach Ismael Arce, who died Jan. 28 from COVID-19. He was 51.
The board will remember Arce and the seven other TUSD employees who have died of the virus in the last year during their scheduled meeting, a district spokesperson said.
Arce coached the Badgers’ boys team for 19 seasons, winning the 2014 Division II state title while going undefeated.
Badgers athletic director Bobby DeBerry said Monday that Arce was well-liked by students and faculty alike.
“Being here at Tucson High for almost 20 years, he was a cornerstone here,” DeBerry said. “He was a good coach, the kind of coach that players go to. He was good with his kids, managing … their teenage years. And he was a good mentor.”
Tucson High’s 2014 team might have been Arce’s best. Led by striker Julian Gaona and his 32 goals, the Badgers went 24-0-3. Their 3-0 win over Glendale Copper Canyon in the Division II championship game secured the program’s first-ever state crown and the first state title by any Tucson High team since 1988.
Arce was named the Star’s 2014 boys soccer coach of the year, while Gaona earned player of the year honors. In a 2019 column, the Star’s Greg Hansen rated the Badgers as the 10th-best team of the decade, all sports and all levels.
Arce referred to the season as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. DeBerry said the undefeated state title run was “a huge deal” in the community.
