Feb. 28, 2016 DAVIS, Calif. - A celebration of the life of Jon Vochatzer, whose career as a UC Davis educator, head men's track & field coach and assistant football coach spanned more than three decades, will take place at the UC Davis Conference Center on Sunday, March 13 at 11 a.m.
Vochatzer suffered a stroke in late January shortly before he and his wife, former women's track coach Deanne Vochatzer, were to depart for an annual trip to Pismo Beach. He subsequently battled for two weeks before entering hospice on Wednesday, February 10. He died on Monday, February 22, at the age of 71.
Deanne hopes the March 13 event will take on an upbeat, joyful tone, true to her husband's effervescent personality. "Our family has a special request that our remembrance will absolutely be a true celebration of Coach V's life -- casual attire, smiles on faces. And if you have anything with a fish on it, wear it," she added, the latter a nod to one of Jon's favorite hobbies. In fact, he taught a popular UC Davis course in fly fishing, specifically designed for women.
A standout football and track athlete at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, San Joaquin Delta College and Cal State Hayward (now Cal State East Bay), Jon Vochatzer joined the UC Davis athletics staff in 1979 after successful coaching stints both in the U.S. and in Germany. He became an assistant football coach under Jim Sochor, and took over the men's track & field reins from John Pappa, who remained on his staff as an assistant until 1992.
In his career at the track helm, Vochatzer earned 11 conference Coach of the Year awards plus 12 West Region Outdoor Coach of the Year awards, six in the indoor season, six in the outdoor season.. Eight Aggie men won NCAA individual championships during his tenure, headlining a list of 76 All-America awards bestowed upon the program in the Vochatzer era. His teams placed among the top five at either the Div. II indoor or outdoor championships four times shortly before the university made a transition to Div. I.
Off the track, Vochatzer held campus administrative posts on bodies such as the Executive Council, Academic Federation, Committee On Committees, and Public Affairs subcommittee. Furthermore, Vochatzer used his expertise from his master's degree in adaptive physical education to develop programs for senior citizens, as well as mentally and physically challenged athletes. His knowledge and passion in that field, which Deanne refers to as Jon's "real love," earned him a position as a consultant for the California Special Olympics.
On the national and international scene, Vochatzer represented the university with appointments to the coaching staffs at the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival, 1997 World University Games and 1999 IAAF World Championships. He also lent his expertise to the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team -- for which Deanne served as head women's coach -- while serving as competition manager at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Jon and Deanne Vochatzer jointly ran the two track & field teams throughout the 1990s and 2000s, although department listings officially distinguished them as the men's and women's head coaches, respectively. Appropriately, both Vochatzers entered the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame as a husband-and-wife tandem in 2013, although each is enshrined for their respective individual accomplishments.
However, when it comes to his proudest achievements, the awards and medals take a backseat to the connection Vochatzer made with his student-athletes. He cultivated an environment that matched his own positivity and enthusiasm. Shortly before his retirement after the 2010 season, Vochatzer reflected on what he would miss about coaching: "Every day, two or three of the student-athletes will walk in, come by the office and just start talking," he said. "Not so much about technique or about jumping -- just personal stuff. I'll miss talking about moms and dads, their personal lives, their thoughts about graduating and moving on."
Vochatzer's energy had an immeasurable effect on the Aggie student-athletes, according to Jamila Demby, an All-American and UC Davis' first winner of the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award.
"Coach V was a lot of things: life, love, caring, energy, dedication, definitely all heart, and a role model all wrapped up in a package of silliness that just made you shake your head sometimes," she said. "He brought us all smiles daily while making sure that we were healthy and happy as individual people first and athletes second. You can't ask for a better human being than that. We were truly blessed to have had Coach V touch our lives. Truly. He will be missed but I know a lot of us will carry on the life lessons that we have learned from him."
Another All-American, Byron Talley, had the rare opportunity to know the Vochatzers as a student-athlete, as an assistant coach, then as their successor when he assumed the track helm in 2011. Like many Aggies before and since, Talley cherishes the relationship we built with his former mentor:
"Hundreds of Aggies in this world will reflect upon four or five formative collegiate years in their lives. Those hundreds of people may feel joy when they think back to those memories. One should hesitate when speaking for hundreds of people. However, I feel the utmost confidence in saying that hundreds of people in this world strongly recognize what a beautiful person their Coach V was. His presence will be prominent in so many wonderful memories and experiences, in so many lives. Bless you, Coach V, and thank you for all that you've given us."
Jon is survived by Deanne, sons Chris and Scott, grandson Jonathan and grandaughter Addison, mother Mary, and brothers Gary and Charlie. Vochatzer was surrounded by his family throughout his valiant battle after his stroke. However, according to Deanne, the thoughts and prayers of hundreds of friends, colleagues and former student-athletes were with him in spirit. "Our heartfelt thanks go to all of the remarkable support and love," said Deanne. "Scott and I would not have made it without our family, our Aggie family, and friends."
"How blessed and lucky Coach V and I were to share our professional and personal lives for all these years," she said. "To work together and love together, day in and day out, was rare indeed."
UC Davis track & field alumni have established a Jon Vochatzer Memorial Fund to Coach V's memory. GIfts in memory of Coach Vochatzer should be payable to the Jon Vochatzer Memorial Fund and mailed to UC Davis Athletics Development/One Shields Avenue/Davis, CA 95616. Update (Feb. 29): donors may now also give online via Give UC Davis.
