Long Beach City College women’s soccer assistant coach Sal Marroquin suffered a heart attack on Monday morning and passed away in his sleep.
Marroquin was 43. He’s survived by his wife Erin, his daughters Sophia and Olivia, and his infant son, Luka.
“Sal was a very dedicated and passionate,” LBCC women’s soccer coach Eduardo Nunes said. “He never showed up to a training session without thinking and planning it out. It showed when he trained the team. He never took anything lightly and the girls respected that.”
Marroquin attended St. John Bosco High and UCLA before getting into coaching high school and club soccer. He was also a teacher at Mayfair High where he won over 300 games as the girls’ soccer coach.
Nunes and Marroquin went to Bosco together, and then became coaching partners after graduation. They started at St. Joseph High in 1998, and Nunes said they coached at least two teams together every year since.
“He was a mentor on so many levels,” Nunes said. “I’d call him to talk about everything. He was the guy I’d confide in for advice.”
Marroquin also left a mark with his happy-go-lucky personality.
“He was a character,” Nunes said. “He had a big sense of humor and a big heart.”
Multiple local soccer Twitter pages have expressed their condolences and shared their memories online.
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The Beach FC Family mourns the loss of Sal Marroquin, who died in his sleep early Monday morning. He touched countless lives both on and off the field. He is survived by his wife Erin, daughters Sophia and Olivia, and son Luka. We will miss you Coach Sal?? pic.twitter.com/Q8pnDEJ3wr
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It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of one of our coaches, Sal Marroquin. Sal passed away early Monday morning in his sleep.He is survived by his wife Erin his two daughters, Olivia and Sophia, and his son Luka. May he Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/hAnNlKtFun
CLICK HERE to visit the GoFundMe page set up to help pay for the funeral expenses. According to LBCC, anything left over will go towards the college funds of his three children.
Funeral arrangements haven’t been announced.
This story will be updated.
Sal Marroquin Memorial Fund, organized by Kelly Young
It is with extreme sadness that we announce the passing of our dear friend, Sal Marroquin. Sal’s love of life and sense of humor will be deeply missed. The Mayfair community will always miss his presence, whether it’s in the classroom or on the soccer field winning a championship.
