BringJoy

Conch Pride with Legend Bobby Menendez

• Joy Nulisch • Season 6 • Episode 76

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This is a Conch Legend Episode. In this conversation, Joy Nulisch interviews Bobby Menendez, a revered figure in Key West known as Mr. Conch Pride. They discuss the meaning of Conch Pride, the legacy of the Menendez-Miler Scholarship, and Bobby's journey from a multi-sport athlete to a dedicated coach and educator. Bobby shares heartfelt memories of growing up in Key West, the influence of key figures in his life, and the importance of community connections. The conversation highlights the values of preparation, respect, integrity, dependability, and education that define Conch Pride, as well as the lasting impact of sports and mentorship in shaping lives.

#conchpride #KeyWest #highschoolsports #football #seminoles #community #legacy #coaching 

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Joy Nulisch:

Thanks for tuning in to the Conchs of Bring Joy Podcast. I'm your host, Joy Newlish. I'm a first generation Conch raised by a fourth. What does that add up to? A whole lot of Conch pride. And that's what this show is all about: celebrating the incredible people of Key West and their stories from every corner of our Conch community. So sit back and relax, cuz. Let's do this thing. This episode is sponsored by Ramonis, promoting Conch Pride since 1971.

Rebecca Palomino:

Hey Joy. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to say a few words about one of my most favorite people on this earth, Mr. Bobby Menendez. Words truly cannot describe how special of a person he is to me. And I know that feeling is shared by so many who have had the privilege of knowing him either as an educator, a leader, a coach, a family man. He has touched so many lives in this community in so many ways that I know he has most certainly earned his place as one of the greatest Key West Conchs of all time. And he deserves to be celebrated. And I'm so honored to be a part of that celebration. Personally, for me, he's had such a tremendous impact on me throughout my life, especially through high school, college. You know, he's always been there for me, guiding me and encouraging me to be successful, to be a leader and to do what's right by our community. And I do have to plug in a little go-gators there because I did choose the better college. Throughout my career, even before I knew I wanted to be in education, he was always there to support me. And throughout my career in education, he has been one of my biggest cheerleaders. And we've always thought how special it is that I've kind of followed a little bit in of his footsteps. You know, he was at Sugarloaf School as principal there for years. I spent seven years, same as him, seven years at Sugarloaf School, but in the role of counselor, working on my leadership skills there, and then came back to Key West High School in the admin role. And, you know, as everyone knows, he was principal of Key West High School as well. When I knew I was gonna get named principal of Key West High School, he was one of the first people I had to call. Him and I have such a special bond, and um making him proud and to be able to follow in his footsteps in this role. Um big shoes to Phil. And um, he is a person that I want to make proud in continuing the traditions and the cultures and the legacy of Kiwaz High School and Kong Pride. Um, knowing that uh I'm making him proud and continuing the road that he has paved for generations of Kiwaz High School graduates is so incredibly important to me. We've always affectionately referred to each other as Gator and Seminole, and uh now we've switched it up a little bit. He's number three, I'm number five. With regards to Kiwaz High principals that are not only graduates but native-born Conchs. And, you know, he's Mr. Conk Prides. He he's the epitome of service to our community. I tell all of our students all the time, service is our watchword. We say that in our alma mater. Um, and just like those words will avail for many of us that are in these roles that serve our community, so will the legacy of Bobby Menendez, especially his slogan, Conch pride, don't leave home without it. And I certainly never will. So thank you, Joy, for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your podcast. Mr. Bobby, I love you more than anything, and go gators, but more importantly, Conch pride, go Conchs.

Joy Nulisch:

How are we doing, Conch fans? I got a good one for you today. No, better than that, I got the real one for you today. We're talking with Bobby Menendez, a true Conch legend who earned the title Mr. Konk Pride for inspiring young Conchs on school campuses and football fields. Welcome to the show, coach.

Bobby Menendez:

Hi, Joy. Thank you so much for uh doing this special presentation today. I really, really appreciate it. And you you the bomb, girl.

Joy Nulisch:

Hey, I can't have a show called the Conchs and not have you on it. So thank you for joining me. I really, really appreciate it. It means a lot. Thank you so much. And you know, not only to me, every time I put something out there on social media and ask people who do they want the next guest to be, you were the most requested guest.

Bobby Menendez:

Wow, that sounds that's fantastic.

Joy Nulisch:

So, you know, I ask a question to all my guests. I usually save it for the end of the episode, and I ask, what does Conch pride mean to you? I'm gonna go ahead and start start with that question. What does Conch pride mean to you?

Bobby Menendez:

Well, first of all, you know as a Conch you're born and raised on this special island. And so that that that's special to me, just being a Conch. And the word pride is I define it by each letter. B is for preparation, art, respect, I, integrity, d dependability, and e for education, doing everything you can to make yourself better in life and your and your career. That's what Kong Pride means to me.

Joy Nulisch:

That's why you earn the title Mr. Kong Pride.

Bobby Menendez:

Thank you.

Joy Nulisch:

And what does that feel like? You know, all the years since you've been gone off the island, retired from the school district, all the years and the time, what does it mean to you to still be referred to as Mr. Kong Pride?

Bobby Menendez:

Well, it it's special because the couple of things that we have going on, and we've been doing it for the last this will be our 21st year, is the Menendez Moller for one thing, and uh that happens every year, usually in March or early April. And uh it provides uh through Sunset Rotary, it provides money for a scholarship called the Bobby Menendez Kong Pride Scholarship that we present every year at class night at Keywess High School to a senior that has uh met the qualifications for the award. So those two things alone were uh were part of, I guess, where I got the name Mr. Kong Pride. And uh, you know, of course, the the term Kong Pride, don't leave home without it. That's that's what we're all about. If you have Kong Pride, you don't leave home without it. So that's kind of where I'm at with that that word, or that those two words.

Joy Nulisch:

I had that question on a long list of questions that I have for you. Um I talked to Manuel Castillo Scooby, who was one of your former football players, and I shared with him that I was having you on the show, and he shared some wonderful memories with me. And one of the things that he shared with me that he said was a full circle moment for him as a former football player, he used to stand by you when you gave those famous pregame speeches. But then years later, his daughter Jade was the recipient of the Bobby Menendez Conk Prize Scholarship. So he said, What a moment it was for him and his family.

Bobby Menendez:

Yeah, that that uh that is special. You know, Scooby, when uh when I did uh my pregame talks, because I took that over when Tommy passed away, he would always stand by me and we and our tradition was we'd all join hands. And Scooby was always there, right there, holding my hand. And I'm getting a little emotional about that, but it uh, you know, it always always special. And I see him in the city when I come down a lot, and and uh those memories always come back to me about uh about him being next to me, holding my hand, and we of course holding the team's hand, and we're joined together as one unit, and basically when I'm doing my uh pregame talks. So it uh it was special, and I appreciate the fact that he recognized that his daughter plus himself were both part of my Kong Pride legend.

Jade Castillo:

Uh my name is Jade Castillo. I'm a proud graduate of Kewis High School's class of 2019 and a grateful recipient of the Bobby Menendez Kong Pride Scholarship. Tonight I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to Bobby Menendez Scholarship Committee and to everyone who supports this incredible scholarship. Receiving this scholarship has meant so much to me and my family. It wasn't just the financial support, it was everything that scholarship represents. Belief in our dreams, investment in our potential, and most importantly, pride for our comfortability. Thanks to this chip, your generosity, the generosity of this community, I had the opportunity to attend college and earn my degree. After high school, I attended Talaxi Community College, where I played two years of college softball and earned my associate parts degree. After that, I decided to hang out with leads and transfer to the Florida State. Where I earned my bachelor's degree, my mister Bobby, and business manager. After 40 amazing years of Tallahassee, I kept my word and came on to Key West, bringing it back to the place of the people who gave me so much. Thank you. Thank you for believing me, thank you for investing in our future, and thank you for inspiring me to pay forward. I promise you get back to this community just as you are given to me. And don't forget what Mr. Bobby says, Congride. Don't be on the dialogue.

Joy Nulisch:

And that's what it's all about, right? Conch connections. To me, that's part of Kong Pride also, is recognizing and honoring the connections that we have with one another.

Bobby Menendez:

No doubt. No doubt about it.

Joy Nulisch:

Let's let's back up a little bit. Talk to me about growing up in Key West and the glory days. What was Key West like then? Where where'd you grow up, and who were some of the kids that you hung out with?

Bobby Menendez:

Well, I hung out uh I grew up on Elizabeth Street, 320 Elizabeth, which is about two blocks from from uh the ocean. The uh the bite there on uh in in downtown Key West. There, of course, back then everything uh was military. Our town was strictly military, you know, not strictly, but mostly military. We had submarines, destroyers, uh submarine tenders. Uh, of course, we still have the air base there, Coast Guards. It was a lot of military. Most of the people that worked in Key West were civil service workers and worked for the for the military, for the Navy and and the military there that was based there. And uh growing up, um it was special there. I lived uh a couple blocks from Tommy, my best friend, Tommy Roberts. There was a gentleman, uh Bob Parks, right up the street from me that I grew up with. And uh we kind of all hung together. Uh a bunch of guys, uh, but the the two closest friends were Tommy and and Bob Parks. So we all kind of hung out together. And uh there was uh where the public library is there on Fleming Street, we used to call that the lot. And we would go down there and you know play basketball or play different sports and uh and you know meet up with some of our other friends in the area and uh and have uh competitions and it was it was a good time.

Joy Nulisch:

They called it the golden era of Kong baseball when Boog Powell and the great George Mira and Santana and those guys were winning championships. Do you have any memories of watching them play ball?

Bobby Menendez:

Oh yeah, I I remember uh of course I remember Boog and I remember George, both both uh ex you know, fantastic athletes. And uh, and of course, uh I got to play with their brother Charlie Powell, Carl Taylor. We all played ball together there uh after after George graduated, and of course Boog moved on to the Orioles. And but no, I remember those guys, and of course, uh Joe Mira, uh George's brother, and I were good friends. We played ball together at Keywest High School. So, you know, I've I was close to the family, I guess, because we all grew up on Packers Street, which is uh right down there uh next to uh right off of uh Truman Avenue.

Joy Nulisch:

And I I think being that you are so close with the Mira family, you won't mind if we just take a moment and remember George Mira, the Conch legend, and we gotta keep his stories alive. He'll always be remembered and appreciated for the great athlete and Conch that he was.

Bobby Menendez:

Yes, he uh and I did text uh Joe sending my condolences regarding uh George. And of course, he was suffering a little bit uh prior to his passing, and uh God bless him, and it was a it was a pleasure and an honor to to know George and be a part of his neighborhood.

Joy Nulisch:

As kids growing up here in Key West, we're so lucky to have great athletes, right? Yes, I mean a long list of great athletes. You were a multi-sport athlete at Key West High. Tell me about those days and what sports did you play?

Bobby Menendez:

I played all three in high school. Of course, football was my number one sport, and uh I played basketball and baseball. So I played all three sports in high school, and uh I excel uh, you know, my fa like I said, my favorite was football, but I used to look forward to the changes in the seasons, and uh then then we'd move to basketball and then of course baseball in uh February, January, and February. But um the I really enjoyed the the coaching and and the camaraderie uh that we had with all the guys that I played with.

Joy Nulisch:

No, I talked to a mutual friend of ours, Danny Jimenez, and uh he told me they used to call you Lightning Lou.

Bobby Menendez:

Yeah, yeah I don't know how lightning I am, but I got that nickname. I I don't I don't really know how how I got it, but I wasn't that fast, but uh that's what they that's what they used to call me, Lightning Lou.

Joy Nulisch:

That's awesome. Not too many kids play multiple sports nowadays, so but whenever I talk to the legends, that's one thing that they have in common.

Bobby Menendez:

Yeah, they most kids now specialize. They specialize in one, you know, and work on the skills of one sport instead of playing all three. I agree. Uh you don't see too many three three-year sportsmen.

Joy Nulisch:

And you talked about football. What was what were the fighting Conchs like during that time? And who were some of your teammates and who who was your who were your coaches?

Bobby Menendez:

My coaches back then were Coach Allen, who uh went off to the University of Miami uh and started coaching there, and we played all the big schools in Miami. We played Palmetto, we played Carl Gables, we played all these different schools. Of course, they were uh a lot a lot larger than than we were at Key West High School, but we were very competitive and uh we uh we played well against against uh those big schools, and we had great records during those years as well.

Joy Nulisch:

And you did so well that you earned a full ride to FSU. Tell me about those years at FSU and what was it like for a Key West boy to go to Tallahassee and play D1 football.

Bobby Menendez:

I tell you what, it was it was fantastic. Uh, the gentleman that recruited me, a guy named Don James, Coach Don James, uh he's past now, but he ended up recruiting me at Key West High School, and they uh signed a four-year scholarship to Florida State University, where I had uh a great, fantastic career. I I uh ended up my senior year as a a co-defensive player of the year, and uh so it was uh it was a great career. Played in three college bowls, two Gator Bowls and a Sun Bowl, and those were proud moments to come from an island and and have that kind of success on the football field.

Joy Nulisch:

Hey, I would say so. And Danny also told me to ask you about the game that you played against Larry Zonka.

Bobby Menendez:

Oh Lord have mercy. Uh he played he played at Syracuse, and uh he was uh unbelievable dude. And myself and and Mike Blatt both were on the defensive side of the ball. Mike was a linebacker, I was a defensive end, and I think when when he got the ball, it took about three or four of us to try to get him down. I tackled him three or four times in one in one now in one run. He he was a he was the biggest guy I had seen in uh Larry's Uncle or something else at Syracuse.

Joy Nulisch:

Oh man, what what cool memories. And I've seen some pictures of those bowl rings that you mentioned. What's it like to play in a bowl game, especially now this time of year we have the bowl games coming up? Do you still have memories and dreams about those days?

Bobby Menendez:

Oh yeah, we you know it's what what's special about them is of course it's uh you you know, you get watches, you get a ring. Obviously, there's a lot of uh fanfare and and uh pride in being able to play postseason. And uh so that's that's the main thing. You know, at my senior year in 67, 1967, we played uh in the Gator Bowl against Penn State, and Penn State had a uh rival team, and uh we uh we ended up tying them. They tied us actually, 17-17. And back then they they didn't have tiebreakers, but it was it was a wonderful way to finish my career at Florida State in the Gator Bowl in 1967.

Joy Nulisch:

And I think it's no coincidence that so many people uh Florida State fans here in Key West, you know. Yeah, I think you probably had a lot to do with that. And you mentioned Mike Black, so we had two Key West boys up there playing at Florida State at the same time.

Bobby Menendez:

Right, right. And then we were Mike and I were very proud of that, being able to come from that island, you know, Key West and and both end up starting on defense and and doing a great job for Florida State.

Joy Nulisch:

Yeah, and like I said, there's still the uh a lot of FSU no fans down here. Uh you either root for the no's or or you root for the hurricanes. And in Florida's in there too, somewhere. You can tell I'm not know much on the gators, but yeah.

Bobby Menendez:

Yeah, but I'm not I'm not a big Gator fan either, but uh but but they're there, they're in Key West, believe me.

Joy Nulisch:

No, absolutely, absolutely. I'm sure I'm gonna be getting a lot of text messages for that comment. Maybe we'll edit that part out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You got control. Nobody will ever know we said that. So you come back to Key West. Do you start coaching and get into education right after college? Tell me about how that journey started.

Bobby Menendez:

Well, that that journey started in 1968. I get a call. I'm finishing up. I I was I had uh another semester left before I could get my degree, which was from January to March in 1968. So I'm in my apartment and I get a call from Glenn Archer. And uh Mr. Archer says, said Bobby, I want you to come to K US High and teach and coach. And I said, Mr. Hey, Mr. Archer, I said, I I don't have a teaching degree. He says, Don't worry about it. He says, I'll take care of that. And uh because I had a degree in business administration, so in June. Of that year, I head back to Key West and I started working at the high school. And during that time, I had to take different courses. Some of them I even had to commute to Miami, to Florida International, taking certain courses in order to meet the uh requirements for a Florida teaching certificate. So that took me, I don't know, maybe about a year or so. And at that time he hired me as a permanent sub. So I I worked as a permanent sub in a place, and he asked me to, this is funny. He said, We needed like a little detention center because some of our kids, you know, behaviors weren't uh weren't the best. So he says, I want you to control the, you know, have this room where these teachers, if the kids are disruptive, can send them to you. So and and and the sad part about it, it was called a funny farm. That's that's what they call the room. The kids made that up, not me. And I would sit in there and and you know make them do their work and and that kind of stuff. And so it was it was pretty interesting. And then I finally got my uh uh teaching certificate, and that's when I started teaching business economics there at in the commercial track, and Tommy was like the assistant principal there at the time. So, you know, we both started our careers right about the same time.

Joy Nulisch:

I I paused for a moment because you're talking about Mr. Glenn Archer and Tommy Roberts in the same sentence, and it just kind of made me catch my breath. Talk about Conch Pride and people who have influenced all of us. It just took me a moment to feel that. You you mentioned Tommy Roberts a couple times now. You you grew up with him.

Bobby Menendez:

Was he a principal at the school then? Or you were both at that at that time he was uh like working, uh he was an assistant principal. And and then I and then I uh I got the opportunity to go to Glen Archer uh uh elementary, uh it was Glenn Archer uh junior high at the time, and I went there as an assistant principal to get and I went through and got my credential for that. Then I had to get my master's degree in order to become an educational leadership in order to become a principal. So I worked a number of years on that, got my master's, and that's that's when Glenn and Dr. Henriquez offered me Sugarloaf Elementary, and that was in 1981, and I went up there as the principal, and I was there until Tommy passed in 1988, April 1st, 1988, and that's when I took over Keywest High School and did his graduating class, the class of 88. And uh my first class was a class of 89 at Keywess High School.

Joy Nulisch:

Lots of memories come back. I graduated '86, class of '86. But um, but yeah, I re I remember that time you're talking, and um I'm remembering the loss of Tommy Roberts and the impact that it had on the community. I was I was young during that time, but it was like the first time that I felt like a community mourn, and you know, the the impact of of that loss. Danny Jimenez, I mentioned him three times already, but he also mentioned that time to me and how important it was. And there was really no one else, nobody better to take over Key West High. It needed to be you.

Bobby Menendez:

Talking about community. That that's kind of how I I looked at it because I I mean I love Sugarloaf, Sugarloaf Elementary, and we built a middle school there as well. So it was Sugarloaf Elementary Middle when I left. And uh just I just felt like uh it was time for me to carry on the traditions that Tommy had set in place at Keywess High. And that's when I went to Dr. Henrique's and and said that uh, you know, I I would like to go to Keywess High. And he granted that that uh opportunity to me. And I um I've been always grateful because of that that opportunity. And we just carried on the traditions that that were part of uh Tommy's uh uh led, you know, Tommy's uh traditions, and I just picked them up and carried them forward.

Joy Nulisch:

And uh you mentioned Bucky Henriquez, another one, again, talking about Conch Pride and the successful career that he had and the opportunities that he granted many of us. I think of uh you mentioned Glenn Archer school, that was the junior high that I was supposed to go to from Pointiana, and then at the time that uh they end up merging H.O.B. and Glenn Archer. So I end up going to H.O.B.

Bobby Menendez:

You know, Glenn Glenn Archer, uh there's three people that impacted my life. Of course, my wife Kathy, my uh Glenn Archer Jr. and Dr. Henry. And uh those those three folks have had a tremendous impact on my on my career and and uh my life. And and I am so grateful to all three of them for what they've done for me. You know, when you when I think about Glenn, I think about him as a coach. When I think about Dr. Henriquez, I think of him as my teacher and my coach, because he did teach biology and I was in his biology class. You know, these to these two guys were uh were instrumental in my career. It was it was it was unbelievable. Glenn calls me up, and then Dr. H gave me the opportunity to be a principal at both Sugarloaf and Key West High School.

Joy Nulisch:

And what a legendary career. I know that you made them very proud.

Bobby Menendez:

I tell you what, it's um I wanted to make them proud because I guess they knew something about me that I didn't, because they gave me those opportunities, and uh they don't they don't come along just because uh because of your name. They they because they had they saw something in me as as a as a leader and and uh I wanted to make them proud.

Joy Nulisch:

So one of the things that a lot of your students have reached out to me and told me to ask you about were the morning announcements. As a principal, you were famous for those morning announcements. How did that come about?

Bobby Menendez:

You know, I I just I just felt like I wanted to start the day on a positive note. And I would always come on first thing in the morning, and if I had a quote, I would, you know, I would uh indicate a quote, or if somebody was having a birthday, a couple of people in the in the building, I would recognize their birthdays. I don't know, it was just just a lot of different things. That's part of preparation too, because you just don't get them on the mic and and say something. You know, you I would prepare something each morning to uh to share with the with the students. And um, I don't know if they even do that anymore, but uh that that was special to me to be able to to to come on and and get people fired up uh about the day and you know just anything if there was some special recognition of a student did something really well, you know, that's that's just the way it was. It and and I enjoyed it very much.

Joy Nulisch:

Yeah, you when you when you're saying that and you know keeping the positive and keeping things light. One of the other conversations I had was with Randy Acevedo, and I let him know that I was going to be interviewing you, talk about being prepared. See, I prepared, I did my homework, coach. Got prepared, right? And uh, and I knew that you and him, baby. That's it. That's what I'm talking about. So I knew that you and he had a a long relationship, you know, from the time he was a football player to his professional career. So I reached out to him and he shared a few stories. Um, like I said, you were his football coach. Then when he came back from college, he he coached with you. And then finally he he also worked for the school district and had a successful career. And the common theme that he shared with me was that you always kept things like you always built people up, had a positive attitude. No matter what kind of tense situation was, you know, on the table, you always brought the positivity and levity to the moment.

Bobby Menendez:

I think uh I'm thinking when you were talking about that in Randy, I was thinking about this positive situation that transpired in 1996. Alma Olsen was the principal of K Wis High at the time, and she asked me, I was downtown, and she asked me if if I would take over their football program. They were 0-5, and I mean they were not a good year. That was they weren't doing well at all. And she asked me, so I asked uh the superintendent at the time, I think it was uh either Rugger Walker Mike Lown, I can't remember, and he said, Go ahead. So I took a we we met in J-Wing Auditorium. You remember J-Wing? Absolutely. Uh we met and I told all the players because they were quitting and and just everybody was just done, you know. And we got it, we met in the auditorium, and uh we we I talked about, hey, if you you quit, don't worry about it, come back out. So we had kids, we call ourselves the dirty 30. I think about 30 kids showed up at 0 and 5, and we won the last four out of the five games that we played that year, and it was attributed to our coaches, which Randy uh uh Acevedo was one of them, Robert James. I'm trying to think of some of the other guys, Danny Mariscal, probably Dan, I think Danny Jimenez might have been there. But anyway, uh we just had in fact, let me take a minute just to recognize some of these coaches that I worked with. Um, of course, Tommy Roberts. Tommy was my best friend, and he and I started coaching together. Then you had Dave Evans, and you'll remember some of these names. Pat Freeman, Pat Labrata, Danny Jimenez, a guy named Terry Dilner, he's in Pennsylvania now, Robert James, who I just mentioned, Randy Acevedo, as I mentioned, Danny Mariscal, Jerry Hughes, Mike Rodriguez, Hutt Hudson, Mike Wynn, Bill, Mike Wing, Bill Trout, Wayne Miller, Judge Wayne Miller. You know, you know the judge. Here comes the judge.

Joy Nulisch:

Yeah, I want to get him on my on the show.

Bobby Menendez:

Yeah. Chuck Freeman. You know, because we do our comp reunion at his place. We we're coming up on year 10 uh next year. And Joe Russo and then Gene Roberts, these are Jerry Hughes, I think I mentioned, and Mike Rodriguez. Uh, these are just some of the guys that I coach with, and these are the guys that made a difference for Key West High School in uh in the in the football program there. And uh it was it was it was an honor to be a part of the that great bunch of folks.

Joy Nulisch:

Yeah, yeah, I'm glad you brought that up, and I I did have that on my list also to ask you about that coaching fraternity, that brotherhood of football legends, those names that you mentioned, that raised a hair on your neck. Because that's serious football minds right there. What's it like to be part of that group? Because that doesn't end when the season ends or when your career ends. Like you said, you guys still get together. Tell me about that camaraderie between you.

Bobby Menendez:

Well, it the whole thing started at uh in Chieflin, Chieflin, Florida, with these Conch reunions that we started putting together. And it was it was about coaches and play, you know, former players and friends. And that's that's when we all come together. And it's usually in the spring of every year. And like I say, this is year 10 coming up. This will be our tenth year, and it's at the what we call the Freeman compound, that's Chuck Freeman's place, there in Chiefland, Florida. And uh all of us get there, and most of our coaches, believe it or not, come to this event. And you know, we share all kinds of war stories, obviously. Uh uh, and it's just uh it's just a great time to be together and and share the the like you say, the camaraderie that we've had through the many years that we work together.

Joy Nulisch:

I talked to Heather Freeman the other day and one of Key WestI's homecoming queens, Mr. Chin's daughter, and uh she said that that has that reunion has grown from being a coach's reunion to adding players, and now pretty much if you love the Conchs, you're welcome to come to the reunion.

Bobby Menendez:

Oh, yeah, it's op it's open to you know anybody, and I and what I do is I I send out an email every year uh with as many emails that I have, you know, 60 or so emails to let everybody know the date and the time and and all of those things. And that's that's uh it's open to uh everyone. It doesn't have to be a coach, you don't have to be a player, you can be a friend, a relative, whatever. Um and we'd love to have you.

Joy Nulisch:

Hey, what can you imagine if we did a podcast on location? We set up a couple cameras and a couple of mics, and it I mean, what do you think?

Bobby Menendez:

Think about it this year, Joy. Think about it this year. That that would be a treat. And I tell you what, that would be one heck of a podcast. It would be wonderful.

Joy Nulisch:

Yeah, I I think we might be on to something, so let's let's definitely stay in touch.

Bobby Menendez:

Well, I'm gonna remind you uh when it gets when I get that date. I'll remind you. And uh, of course, I got your phone number now. That's it. Of course, it's under it's under Tech Newell, it's not Joy.

Joy Nulisch:

I love that. I got I earned a nickname from you. That that matters that's right.

Bobby Menendez:

That's right.

Joy Nulisch:

Hey, so let's talk a little bit about more about football, right? Because you you coach so many players. My classmate, um, I mentioned class 86, Todd Weston. He reached out when he heard that I was doing this interview with you. He's he wanted to thank you for all the time and patience that you took with him and the teammates. He said it was interesting how fiery you were as a football coach teaching those lessons. But when it came to the life lessons, it was a whole different demeanor, much more patient and calm. But um, he wanted to know what were some of your most memorable games as a coach?

Bobby Menendez:

Oh boy, oh that's that's a tough call, but uh, because we had so many rivalries. I guess some of my memorable games was when when we took when I took over uh in 96 uh uh after you know after I retired from the coach, because I coached 22 years at Kiwasai. And and some of the victories, I mean, here we got these schools like Killy and and Ely, Pompano Ely coming down, and they got like 90, 100, you know, 100 players that they take up the whole field, and here we got the dirty 30 that that take up the end zone, you know what I'm saying? And these kids, and you know, of course we get we get them fired up and and obviously very competitive, and we beat four out of the five five of those schools that those shoot the you know, the Achilleans, the the Pompano Ely's, you know, these these teams that were beyond our competition, but our we reached down and and those kids came up with the plays and we walked away with the victory.

Joy Nulisch:

Do you think that those fiery pregame speeches had something to do with that fire?

Bobby Menendez:

You know, the the pregame speeches were was my pride and joy. What I would do each week is is to try to pick a theme sacrifice, leadership, sportsmanship, respect, uh, teamwork, you know, all of these different themes that uh that uh that I would come up with, and then I would try to and then I'd use the words, you know, I'd spell out the word senior, and each each letter had a had a special meaning, you know, like sacrifice, enthusiasm, that those kind of things, you know, and and uh but it it took a lot of plan preparation, you know, like uh like we always talk about. Preparation's part of the pride. And but but to get those kids in that emotional state prior to a game, because that's how you play the game of football. It's played with emotion. You just don't walk out on that field. You you you're emotionally ready to take on that battle. And uh and that's what that's what I would try to do, get them emotionally ready to play that game. It's something else.

Joy Nulisch:

Hey, I wish I wish I could have been a fly on the wall, or maybe not, because I heard that a few times there might have been punctuation points where where things got broke. You know, there might have been something that flew across the room. Was that part of the plan?

Bobby Menendez:

I remember one time, I I mean, and I don't know what prompted me to do this, but we uh we were playing a team that was beyond beyond our talent. And I don't know, for some reason I had something in my hand, I don't know what it was, but I got so fired up myself with the talk that I threw this thing against the wall and it hit the mirror, and a glass went everywhere. You talk about fired up. The kids couldn't get out of there quick enough to get on the field. It was it was amazing, it was amazing, and uh of course I never did that again. I was I was careful not to have anything in my hand when I made those talks. But that was crazy. That was a crazy time.

Joy Nulisch:

Well, those um those stories are continuing to be told. I had Chaz Jimenez on the show, you know, he's uh uh wrestling coach, doing been uh, I think coaching like over 15 years, has a very successful program. You know, cool story, right? Because his daddy Danny, you know, second generation coach, but he remembers those speeches from being a little kid, even before he was a player. Michael Henriquez Jr. mentioned the speeches, Billy Wardlow, um, already mentioned Scooby, Jonathan Jolly, also Jonathan, yes. Yeah, he said you even did a pregame speech for the baseball team one year.

Bobby Menendez:

I did. That's right. I'm glad he he remembered that. And and I forgot who asked me. Maybe it was um, I don't know who I forgot who the head coach was at the time, but I remember taking him out into left field, and uh it was it was a big game. It was uh a champion, I think it might have been a championship, like a district championship or something, something to that effect. And and I went out there and uh I got him, I got him psyched. I got him, got him ready to play.

Joy Nulisch:

That's good stuff. Like I said, that's how the legends live, is that we keep telling the stories. When's the last time you've been to Key West and when will you be back again?

Bobby Menendez:

The last time I think my wife and I were down, uh I want to say, I'm not I I can't remember now. I'm trying to think. When when was it? I think it was the summer, Joy. Uh we went down this summer, and uh we'll probably come back, come down there after Christmas in January sometime, and to to visit and you know catch up on some of the friends. And of course, we I have one son that lives there, Chris. Chris yeah, he lives there and uh lives and works at the tag office, and uh so that's who we visit. And of course, uh we stay with him when we come down.

Joy Nulisch:

And uh you go ahead and let's talk about your family. I hear Miss Kathy back there, but what it where where you where are you now? You're not in Key West anymore. You moved to the mainland. What are you what are you doing with your time and and tell me about your family up there?

Bobby Menendez:

Yeah, we're uh we're in Jacksonville. We've been here uh about five years now. Spend a lot of time with uh our daughter and my grandson Thomas, who who uh introduced himself. We uh just hang out down here. We we hang out in the gym, we do do different things together. Thomas uh plays basketball, so I take him to games and and uh take him to practice and that kind of stuff. So I'm a busy, a busy retired guy, believe me.

Joy Nulisch:

I love that. Does he know that the K West High School basketball gym is named for you, the Bobby Menendez gym?

Bobby Menendez:

Yeah, he uh yes, he knows. We uh in fact, uh I took a picture with him in front of that trophy case that uh that you sent me those pictures of. That's uh that that's an honor to appreciate um having that having my name on that, and of course, my best friend's names on the football field, and then my two mentors, Dr. Uh Henry. Enriquez is at the administration building and then Glenn Archer's at the performing arts at Key West High School. So all my people. All my peeps. We got our name. We got our name on something.

Joy Nulisch:

Hey that that that's good company and the legacy will always be there for sure. We'll always be able to say, who's that guy? You know, who's that guy? Well, um, tell me more about the Key West connections. You m you're multi-generation Conch. You mentioned Chris, you come down here um to see your son, but who are some of the other Conchs that you're connected to here on the island?

Bobby Menendez:

Well, I got uh Didi, you know, Dee Dee's the mayor, Didi Henriquez. Uh she's the mayor, and of course Ralph Enriquez, her husband and I were good friends. When he was uh uh playing ball, I used to pitch patent practice to him, and then of course he he played professionally for a couple of years. And then you got my best, you know, good friend Pat Labrata. Of course, Danny Jimenez, these are the guys that I've that I hang with, Leon Fowler. Yeah, I see I see Danny Mariscal every once in a while because he's a fireman. Alex Vega, who's who's a fireman, I think he's retired now. Randy Tynes, good friend of mine, um that I always uh you know try to try to see when I come down. Uh you're gonna tell him to watch the show. Uh yeah, yeah. I'm gonna uh definitely when you get it edited and give me the green light, I'll send it to some folks. Uh folks have been asking me, uh, what's how you gonna get how you I said she'll edit it and I'll and I'll send it to you on YouTube. So they'll they'll they'll be looking forward to it, believe me.

Joy Nulisch:

I imagine we might go viral with this one. I might hit that algorithm and take off. This will be the most viewed show ever, and it's just getting started.

Bobby Menendez:

Yeah, I appreciate it.

Joy Nulisch:

Hey, I really appreciate you taking time to be on the show and sharing the great stories. I'm sure you'll be back closer to the time when we need to raise money again for the next scholarship. I do want to add, I don't know if we mentioned it or not, but this is like 20 years of that scholarship, over $100,000 has been granted to high school seniors. That's a really big deal. I know you'll be back again for the Menendez Mila. I hope to see you. But thank you for being on this show. Thank you for all the years of support. You know, I love receiving an email randomly from you telling me that you're proud of me, that I'm doing good things. You reached out about this show also to say that you liked it, which means a lot to me. I really appreciate everything that you do for Key West, for me, for all the Conchs. And you know, it's all about that Conch pride. We don't leave home without it.

Bobby Menendez:

That's right.

Joy Nulisch:

And I think we'll end it right there.

Bobby Menendez:

Thank you so much, Joy. You have a great Christmas, and uh, we love you and uh we look forward to uh to the printed version, uh edited version, I should say, of the show so much. Thank you so much.

Joy Nulisch:

Yes, sir. We'll get it out to the people soon. Go Conchs. This episode is sponsored by Ramonas, promoting Conk Prize since 1971. I'm Joy Newlish, and I appreciate you tuning into my podcast. My purpose is to bring joy into my life and the lives of others. If you enjoyed this episode, drop a review, share, and subscribe because there's a lot of good stuff on tap. You can also follow Bring Joy on YouTube and Instagram or check my website at joynoodish.com. Now go bring joy to the people in your world. Until next time, much up.

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Joy Nulisch

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