He believed in RBI Austin before we had launched. When asked to speak at the inaugural RBI Austin benefit banquet in 2011, Coach Augie Garrido cheerfully accepted, noting his friendship with John Young, the founder of the original RBI program in South Central Los Angeles. Under Coach Garrido’s watch, Cal State Fullerton hosted one of the first ever RBI World Series in 1994.
At the 2011 and 2017 RBI Austin benefit banquets, Coach Garrido spoke about his journey growing up as an inner-city kid. He spoke to the challenges inner-city kids face, and the hope that caring coaches – or “teachers” as he liked to call them – could bring these kids through the game of baseball.
Coach Garrido got it. He understood why inner-city kids need consistent, enduring relationships with people who care about their life even more than their batting average.
We are thankful for Coach Garrido’s life and his indelible impact on others, and pray for the close ones he has left behind.
Thank you, Coach Garrido. You will be missed.