HOUSTON – The funeral for the Stafford High School head baseball coach, who died suddenly last week, will be held Friday at noon at the Stafford Centre at 10505 Cash Road.
Michael Mesa, 26, was head coach at the high school for two seasons. He died after collapsing after a paintball game last Friday. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Stafford Municipal School District will be closed Friday in remembrance of Coach Mesa. Students are invited to attend the service.
Stafford MSD will be CLOSED on Friday, May 6 to honor Teacher/Coach Michael Mesahttps://t.co/wnmw73nDNP
— Stafford MSD (@StaffordMSD) May 4, 2016
Players say he was more than a coach, he was more of a big brother and friend.
Mesa’s death was a shock to the community. He was a Stafford High School graduate who came back to serve the place he loved.
Great tribute to Coach Mesa, from Pre-K to his first full-time job, Michael Mesa loved @StaffordMSD pic.twitter.com/a9Y2TgXY2y
— Stafford MSD (@StaffordMSD) May 3, 2016
“He was the type of person that you would want to be around on and off the field, and he would always try to make us better young men,” said player Payne Rodriguez.
“He was always about team, family, community and giving back, and we’re gonna miss that about him,” said parent Donna Rodriguez.
“Every time we step on the baseball field, we’re gonna honor him,” player Kameron Gaskin.
The family has started a gofundme page to raise money.
The Stafford Municipal School District released last week a statement in regards to Mesa’s death:
“Dear Members of the Media,
The Stafford Municipal School District is shocked and saddened to learn of the death of a faculty member who was also a coach, mentor, father, friend and community leader.
Stafford High Head Baseball Coach Michael Mesa passed away unexpectedly at age 26 on Friday night. He had just completed a game of Paintball with his family, when he collapsed. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, and an autopsy to determine his cause of death is currently underway.
Stafford MSD will have grief counselors on campus — available to students, staff and community members — beginning at 5 p.m. today (Saturday), 5 p.m. tomorrow (Sunday) — and throughout the school week.
Funeral arrangements have not been made at this time, but we will send out a statement when those are finalized.
Mesa’s players have decided to host a Candlelight Vigil in his honor at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Stafford High baseball field, 1625 Staffordshire Road in Stafford.
Stafford MSD has decided to dedicate its upcoming Cinco De Mayo program in Mesa’s honor, and a Moment of Silence will be observed prior to the presentation on Wednesday morning. Mesa, a 2008 Stafford High graduate, taught Spanish at Stafford Middle and High Schools.
“Michael Mesa was one of the most respected teachers and coaches on campus, and in the community,” Stafford MSD Superintendent Dr. Robert Bostic said. “We are going to miss the leadership, dedication and positive attitude that he brought to both the High School and Middle School campuses. We will do everything we can to support Michael Mesa’s family at this extremely difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mesa Family, as well as the hundreds of students, colleagues and community members who were fortunate enough to consider Michael a mentor or friend.”
In 2014, Mesa became one of the youngest head baseball coaches in the State of Texas when he was promoted at age 24 — after just one season as an assistant coach. He also coached the Stafford Middle School Football Team.
Mesa grew up in Stafford and was a proud Spartan student-athlete.
As a senior, Mesa was named an all-district catcher, and was recognized for his efforts by media outlets as far away as Victoria — more than 100 miles south of Stafford. His success on the baseball field drew the attention of Huston-Tillotson University, where he went on to play catcher at the college level.
Mesa put SMSD and community first.
Earlier this month, he led a group of players to volunteer at the annual Classic Chevrolet Chili Cookoff.
Last month, he welcomed the Fort Bend Star newspaper to a home baseball game against Needville, and treated Star editor Joe Southern — whom he’d never met before — like a member of the family, allowing him to join the team in the dugout for the first couple of innings.
His hospitality and friendliness made an impact on Southern, who wrote a glowing editorial about his experience in the newspaper’s next edition. Here is the link to the article, if you’re interested in reading it.
Teaching and coaching at Stafford MSD was more than a job for Mesa. It was a calling to return to the place that he cherished so much.
He will be dearly missed, and his students and players will continue to carry on his legacy of excellence and dedication to the Stafford Municipal School District.
Please keep the Mesa Family and Stafford MSD in your thoughts and prayers at this time. If you have any questions or would like to speak to an SMSD staff member, contact SMSD Communications Coordinator Michael Sudhalter at 281-979-8109 or msudhalter@staffordmsd.org.”
2016 Click2Houston/KPRC2
