Chris Fanning never imagined he would still be coaching after more than three decades, but the Sahuarita High School softball coach has built one of Southern Arizona's most successful programs since taking the helm in 1993.
"If you would have told me 30, 33 years ago, that I would've been coaching this long, I don't know if I would've believed you," Fanning admitted.
Fanning began his career at Sahuarita High School leading the Mustangs' football team before being asked to take on a new challenge at his alma mater.
In 1993, Sahuarita launched its softball program, and Fanning became the first head coach in school history.
"I didn't know what to expect. In having played college baseball…the first year I coached softball, I tried to incorporate a lot of the things we did in baseball and found out that a lot of those things did not work," Fanning said.
Thirty-three years and more than 650 wins later, Fanning has built one of the most successful programs in Southern Arizona, capturing multiple state titles and shaping generations of athletes along the way.
"The first state championship was pretty special, and we've won a couple after that. So just competing at the highest level and seeing the growth from the beginning of the year to the end, and the sustained success has been pretty enjoyable," Fanning said.
Fanning credits the talent of his athletes for his success, along with someone even closer.
"My brother (Steve “Skeets”) has helped me coach almost every year for the past 30 years that I've coached. He's helped me and we bounce ideas off each other and I'm not sure without him that we'd have the success that we've had," Fanning said.
That brotherly bond made the news even sweeter when Fanning got the call that he would be inducted into the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame. It was his brother John this time that got to share the news.
"I just kind of had to take a step back and think of all the different people that I admired growing up. To be a part of that it's pretty special and pretty humbling," Fanning said.
Now retired from teaching, Fanning still returns to the diamond.
"I said I was going to coach softball as long as it's been fun and rewarding. And you know we were close going all the way but we tripped up there at the end. But I have a lot of talent coming back and I'm excited for this year in particular," Fanning said.
Fanning says what made his career so special is the community he has built at his alma mater, coaching generations of players, including mothers and daughters, and working alongside some of his former teachers.
Fanning, along with a long list of other success stories, will officially be inducted next month on Nov 16 in Tucson.
The 2025 Pima County Sports Hall of Fame Inductees:
Marc Barcelo
Kathryn Bertine
Chris Fanning
Eric Finical
Walt Haywood
Wayne Jones
Jeff Kern
Dan Noli
Steve Owen
Colin Porter
Tommy Steele
Phil Wright
Sunnyside 1992-93 Boys Basketball Team
Catalina Foothills 1996-97 Girls Basketball Team
