Longtime basketball coach Raymond Townsend leaves lasting impact in South Bay
San Jose's Raymond Townsend Sr. mentored thousands of South Bay Area kids as a basketball, baseball and football coach, including stops at San Jose State, Bellarmine, Mitty and St. Francis. Townsend was a versatile athlete too, starring in three sports in high school, playing minor league baseball and getting a mention in Sports Illustrated when he played basketball at San Jose City College at the age of 39.
Raymond Townsend Sr. coached tirelessly for nearly six decades, across practically every court and diamond in the South Bay. So it was a little surprising to his family a few years back when he said he was ready to slow down.
Townsend, then 80, moved to Palm Springs to “play golf, you know, retirement stuff,” Raymond Jr., the oldest of five Townsend children, recalled.
It turned out Raymond Sr., always the strategist, had a different play in mind.
Raymond Sr. wasn’t in the desert more than a few days before landing a spot on the Rancho Mirage High boys basketball team’s coaching staff.
“Coaching and sports; that was his life,” said daughter Michelle. “He was so good at what he did. And he enjoyed it so much.”
A passion for teaching, competition and attention to detail are some of the legacy left by the longtime San Jose resident, who died Oct. 22 following complications from a heart attack. He was 83.
“He was always looking to help people,” said Mike Motil, the St. Francis High boys basketball coach and longtime family friend. “People gravitated toward him.”
Born July 10, 1936 in Apollo, Pennsylvania, Raymond was a child when his father, who was serving in the U.S. Army, was transferred to Monterrey’s Fort Ord. It was a move that established the roots for one of the most prolific sports family trees the Bay Area has ever seen. And it’s still growing.
It starts with Raymond Sr., an only child who was a baseball, football and basketball star at San Jose High in the mid-1950s and played briefly in the Milwaukee Braves system, where he crossed paths with Hank Aaron. His wife of 48 years, Virginia, who died in 2003, also was the sporty kind — even at little more than 5 feet tall — playing community softball and tackle football.
All five of the Townsend kids — Raymond Jr., Kurtis, Michelle, Patrice and Wendy — were high school basketball standouts. Four went on to play college sports. Only six years separate the oldest sibling from the youngest, creating a unique hardwood event during the 1974-75 basketball season. That season there were six Townsends playing competitive basketball because Raymond Sr., at the age of 39, made the San Jose City College squad (but more on that later). Raymond Jr. went on to star at UCLA and was a first-round pick by the Warriors in 1978, where he became the first Filipino-American to play in the NBA. Kurtis played in the NCAA Tournament with Western Kentucky and then followed his dad into coaching. He started at Cal and has been on Bill Self’s staff at Kansas since 2004.
The Townsend intensity and passion for sports hasn’t skipped subsequent generations. Raymond Sr. had 14 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren, many who have left or are leaving their athletic marks around the region.
Add in the thousands of athletes Townsend helped mentor over the years as a coach or as the assistant director with Raymond Jr., San Jose-based RTBASKETBALL program, and that’s an enormous footprint on the community.
“He pushed a lot of kids and teams that didn’t think they had it in them,” Patrice said. “He wanted to get the best and the most out of you. Dad definitely had a voice, and he used it.”
Raymond Jr. said, “It was a long and good run. It’s always been a family thing, what we did with this game. He found his niche.”
The Townsends estimate at least 50 of their dad’s students went on to play college ball. That includes Phoenix Suns guard Tyler Johnson, who met Raymond Jr. as a fourth grader and worked with him through St. Francis High.
“I just have a lot of love and respect for him,” Johnson said. “He’s part of my journey, for sure.”
Baseball, basketball and softball were Townsend’s primary focus, but his coaching stops included virtually every level and sport, boys and girls. He was the head boys basketball coach at Del Mar, and had stints as an assistant at Archbishop Mitty, Bellarmine College Prep and Motil’s Lancers. He was an assistant for two seasons with the San Jose State women’s team on SJSU Hall of Famer Sharon Chatman’s staff. Junior colleges? Check. Youth leagues? Townsend drew up plays for pretty much everything but soccer over the years, though he was beginning to grow an appreciation — and likely strategies — for the sport after watching his grandkids take to the game.
Those who knew him say he was a strategic mastermind. His intensity and attention to detail was legendary. And there was no such thing as a participation trophy in their West San Jose home.
“You were a Townsend, you played sports and don’t come home until you make varsity,” Patrice said. “He wasn’t kidding.”
She added with a laugh, “And none of us ever played JV.”
The no-nonsense coach stressed fundamentals and demanded accountability from his players and wasn’t afraid to use tough love to make his point. It was the same at home.
“He was definitely old school; like a drill sergeant,” said Kurtis. “It’s just who he was. He could be tough, but he was fair.”
Despite his gruff exterior, Raymond Sr. had a soft side. He and Virginia often opened their home for players in need of a place to stay. Guests were welcome for meals where they would be expected to participate in wide-ranging conversations about sports and the inevitable pickup game.
Michelle said, “He was a tough guy, but at the heart of it he had a very big heart.”
After his coaching career was underway, he became, at the time, the oldest person ever to play junior college basketball. Raymond Sr. in 1975 returned to San Jose City College, where he was attending in the mid-1950s when he left for pro baseball, to complete credits to be able to coach at the college level. Raymond Sr. was spotted by then-coach Pat Dougherty during a PE class and it was discovered he had a year of eligibility remaining. Out of a group of 35 hopefuls, Raymond Sr. emerged with a roster spot.
“It was something he was really proud of,” Raymond Jr. said.
The accomplishment, since eclipsed by a 73-year-old, earned him a mention in Sports Illustrated’s Faces In The Crowd section.
Raymond Sr. told the Mercury News at the time, “I don’t want to be just an old guy who falls all over himself.” But he also noted, “Ten years ago, I dominated people. But now, I’d have to say I’m more of a passer and a shooter.”
“Pops” did just fine, emerging as the seventh man for the Jaguars. But it took some work.
“The first three or four days he was so sore, our whole house smelled like Bengay,” said Kurtis, who was a senior in high school at the time. “My mom joked he’d do anything for a free pair of tennis shoes.”
The family will celebrate Raymond Sr.’s life with a memorial on Saturday at a location he knew well: the Bascom Community Center basketball courts. It starts at 4 p.m. and is open to the public. The family is encouraging attendees to wear their favorite basketball or workout gear and their best pair of sneakers.
“My dad was not a formal guy, he was always in sweats,” Michelle said. “He will definitely be smiling. Dad would approve.”
SEASON PASS DIGITAL OFFER
If you have not already, we strongly encourage you to sign up for a digital subscription, which gives you access to all content on the Mercury News and East Bay Times websites. With your support, we can continue bringing these stories — and much more — to your screens. Here’s where to sign up for the season pass: Mercury News, East Bay Times.