PHOTOS: Tonopah celebrates Jose Day
On Saturday, April 12, a large crowd attended the Joe Friel Sports Complex to celebrate “Jose Day,” where Ken Jose, beloved Tonopah coach, was presented with a field dedication in honor of his many years of service to the youth of the town. Jose coached baseball and softball for nearly 41 years, pioneering the beginning of the Little League for boys and girls, a program that is still going strong.
John Klapper, who organized the event and dedication, coached with Jose for many years and was inspired by his commitment and way of teaching. Klapper mentioned how Jose worked with many generations of baseball and softball kids in Tonopah from Little League years up until high school, including his own daughters.
“Ken used to say, no one cries at the end of a game,” recalled Klapper, noting his common words of encouragement. While coaching softball, Klapper added that Jose’s patience and understanding were very important and the girls learned not just the game, but also confidence and camaraderie.
One of the biggest feats that Jose accomplished in his years of coaching was the establishment of the Joe Friel Sports Complex. For many years there had not been a specific venue for baseball or softball games. Jose took the initiative to gather community support for planning the complex and participated in the construction, which needed a lot of dirt and grading to make the surface habitable for grass and soft enough for the kids to play. The location of the complex was beneficial because it was a lot closer to the high school, making it more convenient for practices and games.
“Watching these kids develop from having no background to becoming competitive athletes has been one of my proudest moments,” says Jose. In this rural town, with very few resources, the kids who began to play didn’t really know what they were up against as they approached teams from bigger cities, he adds.
Jose spent his life playing sports, from marbles and tetherball to softball and baseball in his teen and adult years. When he entered military service, he spent time in Korea, where he began to play fast-pitch softball. Jose spent some years living and coaching in the small town of Pioche, Nevada before moving to Tonopah. Having moved to the area with prior knowledge and experience of the sport, Jose was asked in 1988 to take over coaching the boys’ and girls’ teams at Tonopah High School while also tending to the startup of the Little League teams for the town.
“I was always impressed when kids stuck around and wanted to play,” expressed Jose. One of the biggest obstacles that he had seen kids overcome was the effort it took to travel to games or make it to practice, as some children lived hours away.
For kids who struggled with transportation, Jose emphasized the importance of school programs such as the Booster Club and athletics programs, which provided funding for bus rides to some of the school’s athletes, along with support for out-of-town games and uniforms.
Saturday’s celebration of Jose Day meant a lot to the coach, his former students, his own children and peers. For the event, Klapper reached out to one of Tonopah’s former rivals, Pahranagat Valley, whose head coach, Mike Sparrow, showed up to honor Jose’s dedication. Sparrow’s appearance was significant because Pahranagat Valley had always been a team that Tonopah struggled to beat, however over the years the two teams maintained strong sportsmanship.
“It’s amazing how much of an impact Jose had on the girls. When you look back and get an overall perspective of what he’s done and meant to the town, I am very proud,” says Ken’s son, Matt Jose.
Jose said, “I want to thank John Klapper. He is one of the good guys in the softball program and is always willing to help. I asked him to help me when I was coaching baseball but most of the time I was doing it by myself. I was tickled to death to be around and able to see this get done. It means quite a deal to me that someone appreciated the things that were done for the town.”
On Saturday, it was especially important to see a number of the women from his former teams, who have grown up to become mothers and pursuing careers, some in softball and some following other dreams, Jose said. “These women are all grown up facing the big world, it was really great to see them facing life and challenges,” said Jose.
Rachel Ebel is a freelance reporter living in Tonopah.
