A.G. Longoria, who started powerhouse tennis program at Sage Hill School, dies at age 76
A.G. Longoria, the first tennis coach at Sage Hill School who built the Lightning into a powerhouse program, died on March 3 at the age of 76.
His friend David Abella, who was to help Longoria coach at Laguna Hills High and has now taken over the Hawks, said Longoria had fast-moving bone cancer that was diagnosed earlier this year. He went back to his native Texas to be with family before passing away in Dallas.
Anselmo Gregorino Longoria, who played and coached tennis at University of Texas-Pan American and also coached at University of North Texas, was an accomplished college coach before joining Sage Hill when the Newport Coast school opened in 2000. He quickly turned the Lightning into a winning program on both the boys’ and girls’ sides, one of the school’s most successful, before stepping away in 2015.
Under Longoria’s guidance, Sage Hill won 10 Academy League titles and advanced to six CIF championship matches. The Lightning struck to win the 2005 CIF Southern Section Division 5 girls’ tennis title, as well as the 2011 Division 3 boys’ tennis crown.
Dave Siegmund, who at 75 is one year younger than Longoria, was a volunteer coach with his friend from 2009 to 2011 before taking on a job as the school’s sports photographer. He said Longoria definitely had a joke up his sleeve at times, but he wasn’t afraid to be tough on his players.
“A.G. was one of the smartest coaches I’ve ever seen,” Siegmund said. “His forte was he would take whatever players he had, and if they weren’t good singles players, he’d load them up in doubles. He was very good at manipulating lineups, a good trainer, just a very smart guy … and real professional about everything he did.”
Always dedicated to the sport of tennis, he also became known for the high school tournaments he would run at Sage Hill’s then-home courts at the Tennis Club Newport Beach, as well as his work with World Team Tennis’ youth program.
At the tournaments and in nonleague matches, Sage Hill built up a fun rivalry with Newport Harbor, coached at the time by Kristen Becwar (Case).
“It was always an honor to coach against him, as his teams were always incredibly prepared and had the utmost level of sportsmanship,” Becwar said in a text message. “Some of my greatest coaching memories have come from his Sage Hill Invitational tournaments, where he would go above and beyond to put on a fun, challenging and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. The laughs and fun shared with A.G. at these Invitational events will be moments I cherish forever.”
Longoria stopped coaching at Sage Hill in 2015, after a growth on the left side of his neck was found to be cancerous. But he has been coaching at Laguna Hills High in recent years, building up that program.
Sage Hill athletic director Megan Cid said that she is working with Longoria’s family to organize a celebration of life on the Sage Hill campus this summer. The No. 6 showcase court at Sage Hill’s tennis complex, which opened in 2016, is named the A.G. Longoria court.
Cid, who has been at Sage Hill since 2003, said it felt like a gut punch when she heard the news of his death.
“It’s sad to hear, for sure, because A.G. did have a big impact on our community,” she said. “He built a great foundation for us, and we’ll forever be grateful to him for that.”
Longoria is survived by his siblings, Pam Longoria and Rick Longoria, along with five nieces and nephews and two great-nephews. He’s also survived by his sister-in-law Sylvia Longoria and her son, Thomas Riley, as well as his stepmother Mary Alice Longoria and four stepsiblings and their families.
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