ForeverMissed
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Coach Till (2004)

Long-time El Capitan High coach and teacher Joe Till passed last Sunday (Apr. 1) of an apparent heart attack. He was 82.

Till was known throughout East County as a "3 yards and a cloud of dust" football coach who had been involved in the Vaqueros football program off and on for more than four decades.

“Coach Till was well known and well liked throughout the El Capitan community,” said current Vaqueros head football coach RON BURNER. “He touched many lives and still taught and coached this year.

“When Joe passed he was doing what he loved, and that was swimming.”

Till began teaching at the Lakeside school in 1964. He taught geometry, advanced senior math and junior varsity football. He is a member of the El Capitan Hall of Fame.

courtesy: © East County Sports.com

Tributes

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Jerry Sweany
April 1, 2015
April 1, 2015
Coach Till believed in hard work to achieve your goals. One day our team showed up for practice and he was unhappy with us from the start. Within the first 30 minutes he kicked the entire team off the field because we were "lagging". I remember him throwing his clipboard down and ripping us. Each day he expected us to give our all. Years later I found out that he did that once a year on purpose. He was a master motivator.
Jerry Sweany
October 19, 2012
October 19, 2012
Till was my Freshman Football Coach in 1975/76.He scared the crap out of me and challenged our team to achieve the greatest heights possible. The first time I met him he gave us a speech where he roamed around the room calmly until...he said "Winning isn't everything..long pause..IT'S THE ONLY THING...at the top of lungs. We went undefeated that year. I respected him immensely RIP Coach.
Stephen Griffin
October 16, 2012
October 16, 2012
I never played football. But I was a Vaquero. Coach Till taught me what 5! meant. When my dad was at El Cap he taught him what a post pattern was. When I was a sophomore, I had to get the pool cover off at some godawful hour so coach Till could swim. He was a real Vaquero, a real teacher.
Cindy Gustafson
April 12, 2012
April 12, 2012
Thank you for all the great years you gave to so many...you will be missed. R.I.P
scottwasson wasson
April 12, 2012
April 12, 2012
!975 -1976 Freashman Football was one of the best years of my life thank's to Coach Till,,,he took us undefeat'd 17-0 that year as he did with many other group's of young men !!,,,,RIP Coach !!
Carolyn Sandoval
April 10, 2012
April 10, 2012
Coach Till was not just a mentor, he was a friend. I met Coach Till in the fall of 1977, as a freshman football player. The life lesssons that he taught us have remained with me, and I have tried to impress those values upon my own children and the youth that I have coached through the years.  Coach Till will be greatly missed. - John Sandoval
Robert Ridgway
April 6, 2012
April 6, 2012
Joe, you are one of my heroes. I am amazed to learn that you were 82 years old and still making a difference. We at the Grossmont High School Math Department will miss you as our go to sub.

I personally will miss our lunches together and the fresh fish you so generously shared.

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Recent Tributes
Jerry Sweany
April 1, 2015
April 1, 2015
Coach Till believed in hard work to achieve your goals. One day our team showed up for practice and he was unhappy with us from the start. Within the first 30 minutes he kicked the entire team off the field because we were "lagging". I remember him throwing his clipboard down and ripping us. Each day he expected us to give our all. Years later I found out that he did that once a year on purpose. He was a master motivator.
Jerry Sweany
October 19, 2012
October 19, 2012
Till was my Freshman Football Coach in 1975/76.He scared the crap out of me and challenged our team to achieve the greatest heights possible. The first time I met him he gave us a speech where he roamed around the room calmly until...he said "Winning isn't everything..long pause..IT'S THE ONLY THING...at the top of lungs. We went undefeated that year. I respected him immensely RIP Coach.
Stephen Griffin
October 16, 2012
October 16, 2012
I never played football. But I was a Vaquero. Coach Till taught me what 5! meant. When my dad was at El Cap he taught him what a post pattern was. When I was a sophomore, I had to get the pool cover off at some godawful hour so coach Till could swim. He was a real Vaquero, a real teacher.
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Coach Till (2004)
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