FALFURRIAS, Texas — Some people are called to the coaching profession because they love sports and helping kids, but some go above and beyond dedicating their service to bettering the lives of their students like Gabriel Perez at Falfurrias High School who passed away on July 1, 2023.
"He just brought that (energy) to the field, and every time we would suit up he would always say, 'Let's get ready for war'," Michael Longoria, Falfurrias senior offensive lineman, said. "It was the energy that was everything."
Coach Gabriel Perez returned to his alma mater, Falfurrias, at the start of the 2022 football season. The 1995 grad brought back traditions like the Haka chant before running out of the football tunnel. A tradition that sparked a fire of motivation.
"We had won 1 out of 19 games in the last two years and I was one of the people asking our athletic director to bring Coach Gabe back," Rene Martinez, Falfurrias senior running back, said. "Finally one day the athletic director Ruben Garcia had texted me and said, 'Hey, guess who's coming back?' I just couldn't believe it. Like it just brought me energy.
Perez motivated athletes on the football field, in the weight room and on the baseball diamond, which held a special place in his heart as part of the Fightin' Jerseys' 1993 state runner-up team. A role model for Marcos Gonzalez.
"Before like in the summer we go and he was like can I talk to you. It was in front of the junior high gym," Gonzalez said. "He was like I have big things for you in baseball. I dedicate my baseball this year to him."
He was also a family man, even for his children's best friends.
"It had to be Easter. It was me, his daughter and two other girls," Destiny Caro, Falfurrias 2023 graduate, said. "We told him we had to show him something, and in reality we broke eggs on his head because he was the Easter bunny."
Bryan Ramirez remembers the day Coach Gabe joined him to go fishing just two weeks before he passed. Perez would even serve his time helping special needs students. Really anyone who needed a smile on their face.
"He just had a heart of gold and he could connect with you easily," Ramirez, Falfurrias junior slot receiver, said. "You don't have to be an athlete. He could just connect with you."
Perez' memories won't be forgotten.
"So much energy when it came to his sports or like his family or like his athletes," Jewellyssa Salinas, Falfurrias senior and multi-sport athlete, said. "He's always going to be there in our hearts."
His traditions will be carried on by the Fightin' Jerseys.
"We want to continue the Haka," Martinez said. "It was one of the best things he motivated us for, and we feel like continuing his legacy would probably be the best way to honor him."
There is a Go Fund Me account set up in memory of Coach Gabe. He had the heart of a lion and would give more than was thought possible at every turn. The Go Fund Me is to pay for his funeral and future expenses for his family as in true Gabriel fashion he left his life insurance to his two daughters that he loved with all his heart. Any further donation will go towards continuing his yearly scholarships that he provided to his student athletes. Click here to help out his family.
The funeral mass for Gabriel Perez will be held on Friday, July 7 at 10 a.m. at The Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Falfurrias. Burial will take place at the Loma Blanca Family Cemetery.
Perez was born May 17, 1997 in Falfurrias. After graduating high school he earned a Bachelors degree of Science in Psychology and a Bachelors of Science in Criminology at Texas A&M University in Kingsville. He became certified Special Education teacher. Perez coached and taught at Premont, Zapata, Cotulla and Falfurrias.
