Editor's note: The following tribute, written by Jesse Gallegos, was read during The Luna Community College Half Hour radio show on Sept. 21. Sanchez was a part-time instructor in sports performance at the college.

I was walking through The Luna Community College Campus at noon Wednesday and one student asked me if I had heard about Mayor Henry Sanchez's death. He didn't know that I was close to Coach Sanchez. And he went on to ask if I knew the man.

I played it off a little and said I did, without giving him too much detail. He went on to tell me that Coach Sanchez was nice and friendly and that he was one of the first people he met when he moved to Las Vegas. I told him yeah, Coach was nice and friendly.

As I was planning to write this for the radio show, I wasn't sure what adjectives to use. "Nice" and "friendly" are probably as good as any. That seems to be what may fit Coach Sanchez the best.

And these aren't my words. These are words coming from a stranger — a student that most people probably don't know. There isn't anything special about this student that would make him stand out — I don't think he has any political influence or a lot of money.

He's probably someone that most of us meet on the street and don't say a word to. Obviously, Henry Sanchez did. Even if it was just a few words, Coach Sanchez must have made a positive impression on him — just like he did to many of us.

Like it or not, Henry Sanchez had rock-star type status. Everyone knew who he was when he walked into a room. Although most of us might believe he attained it because of his 700 wins or his highly successful, yet short, political career, perhaps — now that I think about it — it was because he was genuine. It may come down to the simple fact that coach Sanchez was nice and friendly.

Two simple words in the English language, but two words Henry Sanchez took seriously day in and day out.

What can you say about a man who has his résumé full of accomplishments, such as a National High School Coach of Year honoree, for starters? Keep in mind, that this is a national award — he wasn't just competing against Pojoaque, Raton, Portales or Las Cruces High.

He got this award over other coaches in Utah, Arizona, New York, California and Minnesota. Aside from being a great coach, he was a great ambassador not only for his profession, but, more importantly, for mankind.

I remember one day in 1996 walking into a restaurant in Denver as New Mexico Highland University was getting ready to play Colorado Christian the next day. Well, the waitress at the time kept passing by the Highlands table.

To truly understand this, you have to understand a little of the journey. Beyond his wins and countless trophies, Sanchez is a humanitarian. He recruited the best player he could — the majority of them were minorities. That particular year, Highlands had several Hispanic, black and white players, as well as a Native American and one Korean.

But back to the restaurant story. Sanchez politely asked to speak with the restaurant manager, who came out and apologized. He offered us a free dinner. Coach Sanchez refused, asking for his players only to be treated with dignity like everyone else.

Everyone ate that night and Coach Sanchez left the waitress that had earlier refused us service a generous tip. Coach Sanchez smiled and we left without incident.

Someone told me the day after Coach Sanchez died that he was especially nice that Monday morning. Maybe he knew something we didn't.

In my 25 years of association with Coach Sanchez, one thing I noticed is that he grew closer to God as time passed.

Material things didn't matter to him. At the end, he wanted one last victory, and that victory was to go to heaven. And he is 1-0 in this category.

Aside from his daughter, Janine, his granddaughter, Kelsey, his son, Darren, and his father, Tony, one of the things Coach Sanchez wanted to take care of was the "Love Your Neighbor" fund, which helps people that need help in the Las Vegas community by keeping warm during the winter months.

I saw him donate thousands of dollars and hours to this cause. In my heart, this would be one thing Coach Sanchez would want Las Vegans to continue. And I know that it may be more successful now than ever.

What can I say? I and many thousands of people will miss him. Not because he was a great coach or politician, but like a student at Luna Community College told me — it may just be because he was nice and friendly.