SAL GONZALES | 1975-2026
Popular Rio Rancho coach, athletic director succumbs to cancer after lengthy battle
Gonzales, 51, passed away Monday afternoon
Sal Gonzales was loved, admired and respected around the halls and the fields of Rio Rancho High School, and within New Mexico鈥檚 running community as a whole. Hearts were heavy on both fronts Tuesday upon news of his death.
鈥淚t has been a hard day,鈥 Rio Rancho district athletic director Todd Resch said. 鈥淲e knew he had been battling for quite some time, and we are struggling to come to terms that he is gone. Right now, we鈥檙e still a bit numb.鈥
On Monday afternoon, colorectal cancer finally claimed the life of Gonzales 鈥 Rio Rancho High鈥檚 campus AD 鈥 after a multi-year battle with the disease.
He was just 51.
鈥淒espite everything he faced, he fought his battle with cancer with unwavering strength and determination until the very end,鈥 his wife, Hope Alcon Gonzales, said in an email to the Journal. 鈥... His resilience, courage, and sense of duty were a true reflection of the kind of man he was.鈥
And his death left many grieving deeply.
鈥淗e was a premier coach and equally a premier person in the running community,鈥 said Hall of Fame coach Adam Kedge of Albuquerque Academy.
Gonzales鈥 health had been deteriorating in recent weeks. He had to resign his position at Rio Rancho last month in order to focus on his health. That his resignation occurred with the school year still in progress was an ominous sign. He had been fighting cancer for about 2陆 years, and had endured multiple treatments, like radiation and chemotherapy, plus a surgery.
鈥淚t was really somber today,鈥 longtime Rio Rancho volleyball coach Toby Manzanares said.
Manzanares, one of the school鈥檚 longest-tenured coaches, had been friends with Gonzales for many years, going back to when Gonzales himself was a cross country and track and field coach for the Rams.
鈥淗e was passionate about athletics. He was passionate about kids. He was passionate about coaches,鈥 Manzanares said. 鈥淗e wanted all of us as head coaches, all the way down to our assistant coaches, to remember that these kids will have a lasting impression of who we are and how we treated them and what they learned from us.鈥
Gonzales arrived at Rio Rancho from Pecos, where he was a coach and teacher.
Before he became Rio Rancho鈥檚 athletic director four years ago, he was a hugely successful cross country coach for the Rams, who won four state championships 鈥 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020 鈥 under his guidance. He had a long-held belief in the strength of developing program culture.
And he also, Rio Rancho principal Millan Baca said, was once a force in the classroom.
鈥淗e was a dynamic teacher,鈥 Baca said.
Baca on Tuesday reflected on Gonzales鈥 commitment as AD to identifying and cultivating coaches, which Baca said was a crucial element to the legacy he leaves behind.
鈥淪al loved coaching. He missed it every day,鈥 Baca said. 鈥淏ut he realized that developing coaches would have a greater impact on the community than if he had stayed on as a coach himself.鈥
Rio Rancho鈥檚 coaches learned of his passing late Monday, others around school on Tuesday.
鈥淪al was sort of the heart of Rio Rancho High School,鈥 Baca said.
Gonzales鈥 struggle against cancer was known to many, but Gonzales himself rarely spoke of it, instead preferring to focus on the job as best he could, hailed for working through his pain and fatigue and of attending to the needs of others even above his own.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard,鈥 Kedge said. 鈥淗e was young, and he was a fighter. He never complained.鈥
Gonzales leaves behind a wife, Hope, and two children, Natalie and Gabriel. His wife described him as a devoted father and husband.
鈥淗e had a passion for running, but more than anything he loved his family, and watching kids succeed,鈥 Kedge said. His friendship with Gonzales dates a quarter century to when Gonzales coached at Pecos.
He also spoke his mind to his coaches, a much appreciated quality, Manzanares said.
鈥淗e shot from the hip, he was unapologetic about that,鈥 Manzanares said. 鈥淗e was true and honest and insightful.鈥
Kenny Henry, a cross country and track coach at rival Cleveland, said Gonzales made a positive impact on his career and that of many others in his profession.
鈥淎t Rio Rancho, he pushed his athletes to be the best, and he forced the rest of us to do the same,鈥 Henry said, adding, 鈥淗e鈥檚 gonna be missed. His time was far too short here.鈥
Sandia High鈥檚 cross country account on X paid tribute: 鈥淗e was a great coach and person. He pushed everyone around him to be better.鈥
Gonzales鈥 unselfish nature, Resch said, is a trait that will long be remembered by his friends and the Rams鈥 community.
鈥淗e was a dear friend,鈥 Resch said, 鈥渁nd he will be missed throughout this entire school district. He cared deeply for his coaches, and for the student-athletes of Rio Rancho High School. He went above and beyond for them as long as he could.鈥
James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at .