Longtime West Contra Costa County high school football coach Steve Alameda dies at 70

RICHMOND – Legendary Bay Area football coach Steve Alameda died over the weekend after a battle with colon cancer. He was 70 years old. 

Alameda was a beloved coach in West Contra Costa County, winning North Coast Section championships with Kennedy-Richmond in 1984 and 1988 before a successful tenure at Pinole Valley from 2002 to 2011. 

During his 37-year run as head coach, Alameda compiled a 124-45-4 record and coached NFL players Terry Obee, D’Marco Farr, Travis Feeney, and Thomas DeCoud. 

Alameda’s death comes just under a month after former longtime El Cerrito coach Frank Milo died at 83 of natural causes. Speaking to the Bay Area News Group in the days following Milo’s death, Alameda said, “I can say that his teams were so well-prepared, and I’m sure that God has prepared a place in heaven for him.”

While known for his work on the field, Alameda’s contributions to the West Contra Costa community were some of his most notable acts. 

Alameda was an educator for 40 years, holding positions as a teacher and administrator. According to Mark DeLuca, a former basketball coach and teacher at Pinole Valley and one of Alameda’s closest friends, Alameda had accrued over 400 sick days that went unused during his career in education. 

After retiring from coaching in 2011, Alameda accepted a position as the Chief Executive Officer of the West County Salesian Boys and Girls Club, where he cultivated activities and programs for underprivileged youth in the Richmond area. 

“He dedicated his life to making sure kids were off the streets,” DeLuca said. “He was one of the rare coaches that enjoyed the education process.

“I was really blessed not only to be his best friend but to have our classrooms side-by-side at Pinole Valley.”

A 1971 graduate of Salesian College Prep, Alameda worked his way to becoming an educator. He attended Contra Costa College, San Francisco State, the University of San Francisco, Cal State Hayward, and Sonoma State to obtain his teaching and administrative credentials. 

Alameda started coaching in 1973 as the head coach of the Crockett Warriors Pop Warner team. He became a high school coach and teacher at Kennedy in 1975. 

Known for his laid-back approach, Alameda was revered for his ability to connect with his players on a personal level. 

“Alameda was always the guy everybody wanted to play for,” Pinole Valley head coach Troy McConico told the Bay Area News Group on Monday. “You started to see all the Richmond kids flood into Pinole when Alameda got there because we grew up hearing about him. A lot of our dads and uncles played for him, so we wanted to do the same.”

News of Alameda’s death hit the West Contra Costa community hard over the weekend. Dozens of social media posts from former players and colleagues were posted throughout the weekend as many mourned the loss of the longtime coach. 

“I will miss him dearly,” wrote Black Sports Agents Association CEO Andre Farr on Facebook. “He was my coach and my friend.”

“I’m so sad right now,” wrote former Kennedy football player Torriano Sanderson on Facebook. “This man showed me so much love and believed in me and the team. He battled for me when nobody really believed in me, when nobody stood up for me at one of the toughest times in my life.”

Even as Alameda became more successful as a coach, he never wanted to leave his role as an educator in West Contra Costa County. 

For Alameda, who grew up in El Sobrante, winning with the community he spent all of his life with always meant more to him. 

“The success he had … was because of the investment into both the Richmond and Pinole communities,” said former East Bay Times sports writer Ben Enos. “That’s what made him such an effective coach. The kids knew he was there for them. When you see someone who is your teacher, coach, and administrator, you really start to respond to that person.”