TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucsonans gathered today to celebrate the life of Jim Flannery, the longtime coach, teacher and Pima County Hall of Fame member who passed away at the end of August.
Family, friends and students — both past and present — packed into the Salpointe Catholic High School gym, the same gym where Coach Jim Flannery played and decades later coached basketball.
"Jim Flannery has been at Salpointe for such a long time that I feel like his association with the school is completely inseparable," said Salpointe Catholic President Jennifer Harris.
Flannery spent 51 years at the school, leading their basketball team to three regional titles and their golf team to two state championships, which earned Flannery a place in the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame.
"I think he just had a profound effect on the students he worked with over the years," Harris said, adding he made just as large of a difference in the school's halls.
"There were so many people who attributed the positive way their lives had evolved to his guidance and his discipline sometimes," Harris said. "Everyone who came onto campus wanted to talk to Jim."
Though he's no longer physically on campus, Coach Flannery's memory will live on through the titles on the Salpointe walls and the memories of the community that he loved.
"He would probably say he was lucky to have Salpointe, but I promise you, Salpointe was lucky to have him," Harris said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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