After 41 years of coaching, this Wichita soccer legend is calling it a career
Wichita Northwest High School opened its doors in 1978 and Bobby Bribiesca entered.
More than four decades later, Bribiesca is walking out. A true Kansas coaching legend, Bribiesca has retired as soccer coach of the Grizzlies after 41 years. He is the only coach in school history.
Bribiesca said he had a “wake up call” in December that, though his retirement was around the corner, pushed him over the edge to make the decision.
“I had a daughter pass away, and she left me three grandkids,” he said. “I saw myself giving so much to Northwest that at sometimes, I left out a lot of things I should have done with my family. Northwest was my second home, but when my daughter passed away, my wife and I sat down and said, ‘You know what? It’s time that we spend more time with our grandkids.’ ”
He thanked his seven administrations, the parents, the players and his wife for their unending support.
“My wife, we are about to celebrate 52 years together, she has always been my backbone and my No. 1 supporter,” Bribiesca said. “Now I’m going to give her support.”
Bribiesca won 17 City League championships — 10 boys titles and seven girls titles. He is one of two coaches in Wichita Public Schools history to win a soccer state championship and the only one to capture multiple titles. He has two rings with the boys, from 1995 and 2011, when the Grizzlies went 21-0-0.
He will go down as the greatest high school soccer coach in Wichita history.
Bribiesca took over the boys program when the school opened and assumed the girls coaching role 22 years ago when the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) added girls soccer to its arsenal of sponsored sports.
“Coach B has built and maintained a winning program on and off the field and continues to improve the Erik Proffitt Soccer Complex,” Northwest said in a news release. “The Northwest community wishes Bobby and his wife, Vivian, all the best in their retirement.”
Bribiesca said he was thankful every day he woke up as a teacher and coach at Northwest because it never felt like work. He woke up at 4:30 a.m. each day, but he said he did it because he loved it. He retired from teaching in 2009, but he said he still got up early and went to school every day to talk with his former coworkers, administration and players.
The legendary coach said he isn’t going to miss waking up at 4:30 in the morning, but he will miss the relationships he forged through four decades of commitment. That said, he said he is ready to make even stronger relationships in retirement.
“Now I’m looking forward to being the best grandpa that I can be, and I think - no, I know I’m going to enjoy it,” Bribiesca said.
This story was originally published July 31, 2020 at 11:37 AM.