From his earliest years, Coach Armando Simon Rodriguez loved sports and learned that discipline and commitment were key to athletic success. He understood that physical conditioning created balance and a strong foundation for mental agility, academic success, and character development. For Coach Mando, athletic skill could be achieved through disciplined practice – a lesson that could be carried over into every aspect of life and learning. But his key was happiness – to bring a smile that reflected the value and worthiness he saw in his student athletes. 

In his pre-school and elementary years, Armando Rodriguez, played a variety of ad hoc neighborhood and organized community sports, including ice skating, tennis, Little League baseball, ASYL soccer, and wrestling. Mentored by his grandfather, Armando excelled at wrestling and was quickly elevated to Bishop Ireton Varsity Wrestling as a high school sophomore. Elected Team Captain in his Junior year, he won the State Championship in 119 class in his senior year and placed 4th at National Preps in 112 class. During his years at Ireton, he was nominated into the National Honor Society and served as a Page to the Commonwealth of Virginia State Senate. As a champion wrestler, he was recruited to the University of Southern Colorado. While at USC, he served as a Senator to the Associated Student Body and was an active member of MECHA. While pursuing his Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Sociology and Political Science From his early pre-school and elementary years, where he attended community-organized schools, Son of Man in Oakland, CA and Escuela de La Raza in Long Beach, CA, Armando developed a strong sense of social responsibility and, as an adult, exercised that dedication through youth coaching, mentoring and teaching, sharing the skills and knowledge that brought him happiness. As a father, he was a volunteer coach for youth T-ball, baseball, football, basketball, with the Wildcats, Rebels, AYL youth sports, and Eaglecrest football and wrestling. By 2014 he realized that youth coaching brought him the greatest personal success and joy, so he transitioned from corporate manager to pursue a career in teaching and coaching – putting his career in sync with his love of coaching and teaching.

 Armando Simon Rodriguez is survived and missed by his loving wife, Nadine, his mother and brother, Christy and Emiliano, his grandparents, Armando M. and Beatriz, his step-father, Tom and his most beloved son, Armando Rafael.