De La Salle Football Mourning Death Of Longtime Assistant

BREAKING: De La Salle Football Will Host El Cerrito With Heavy Hearts Tonight Following Death Of Defensive Line Coach, Steve Jacoby

PICTURED ABOVE: Steve Jacoby, left, stands next to Justin Alumbaugh during the national anthem prior to the game at Folsom on Sept. 22. (BEN ENOS Photo)

The De La Salle-Concord football team will play Friday night’s game against El Cerrito with heavy hearts after learning of the sudden death of longtime defensive line coach Steve Jacoby on Thursday afternoon.

Head coach Justin Alumbaugh confirmed the news Friday, saying the team met Friday morning to decide on whether or not to play. The game against the Gauchos was recently added to the schedule after both De La Salle and El Cerrito had teams cancel their regularly scheduled games.

“We had a discussion as a team and I gave them my feelings on my friend but we’re obviously very understanding and sympathetic (about) the loss,” Alumbaugh said. “Everyone’s feeling a loss. We have a lot of sad and confused kids, and we want to be respectful of that. He would love to see our boys having fun tonight, so we had some discussion with the team, and they agreed.”

One of the most gregarious and friendly coaches to walk the De La Salle sideline, Jacoby, 61, coached at the Concord school for nearly 20 years. He played a big part in the development of some of the school’s most well-known players, including several who are professionals currently.

“He brought joy and laughter and he was always someone that made you feel better,” Alumbaugh said. “It’s sad to think I’m going out on the field for the first time in almost 20 years without him.”

When not on the sideline, he was one of the co-founders of the national online digital fundraising platform, eTeamSponsor. He also served for over two decades as an athletics administrator at his alma mater, Saint Mary’s College of California.

eTeamSponsor and the Jacoby family have established the Steve Jacoby Memorial Fund in his name. To donate, click here.