Joseph Ortiz, Perry High School’s football coach, is featured as one of the 2024 Arizona Cardinals Latino Heritage Community Spotlights in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
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HISPANIC HERITAGE / LOCAL SPORTS
Chandler district coach honored by Valley’s NFL team
Perry football's Ortiz was CUSD's 1st Latino head coach
Independent Newsmedia/Jason W. Brooks
Joseph Ortiz, left, smiles at Chandler Unified School District Superintendent Frank Narducci at a recent CUSD board meeting ceremony. Ortiz, one of many coaches and educators of Latino heritage, has been honored by the district and by the Arizona Cardinals this fall as part of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Joseph Ortiz, Perry High School’s football coach, is featured as one of the 2024 Arizona Cardinals Latino Heritage Community Spotlights in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
According to a news release, when Coach Ortiz joined the Perry Pumas for the 2022-23 school year, he became the first Hispanic head coach in Chandler Unified School District history.
Ortiz started coaching football when he was age 19 and spent 10 years as an offensive coordinator before becoming a head coach in Glendale.
The Arizona Cardinals Latino Heritage Community Spotlight program highlights local community members, unique success stories, and influential voices making an impact in the Valley.
Ortiz has helped return Perry football to prominence, as the Pumas won eight games and reached the 6A quarterfinals last year. Despite Friday's 40-37 loss to CUSD rival Casteel, Ortiz has the Pumas positioned to again help represent the district well, as all six teams have chances to go far in the postseason.
Ortiz was also one of several Latino-heritage CUSD staff members recognized at a September board meeting.
Jason W. Brooks is a News editor for the Daily Independent and the Chandler Independent.
He covers the Chandler area for both yourvalley.net and the monthly print edition while writing for and assisting in the production of the Daily Independent.
Brooks is a well-traveled journalist who has documented life in small American communities in nearly all U.S. time zones.
Born in Washington, D.C. and raised there and in suburban Los Angeles, he has covered community news in California, New Mexico, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska and northern Arizona.
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