(Contributed by Armando Negrete)
Friday March 2, 2025 – Mention the name Gene “Red” Estes to any Track and Field enthusiast in the area and many people will know the name and more often than not, will have known “Red” personally.
On this beautiful spring day, at Veterans Memorial Stadium, in Clovis, the Buchanan high school Track and Field team held the inaugural Red Estes Track and Field Invitational in honor of this great man. Red Estes was a long time Clovis resident, and Director of sport for the Fresno State Track and Field team for many decades.
Estes was a man who was large not only in his physical presence but in his love for his beloved wife Myrna and family. He was also a huge proponent of the sport of Track and Field.
During his coaching tenure, Red was known throughout the nation for creating great teams with limited means. Oftentimes and in many years being ranked in the top 25 teams in all of the United States.
Coach Estes would often figure out creative ways to fundraise for his athletes, including participating in snack bar sales at Fresno State football games and single handedly starting a recycling program on the campus of Fresno State to literally scavenge extra funds for his athletes.
Several quality traits were instilled in hundreds of student athletes throughout his tenure at Fresno State. Concepts like perseverance, determination, and integrity are words Coach Estes not only said but lived by daily. In the Fresno/Clovis area, many of his former athletes/Track and Field coaches, continue his legacy by instilling in their student athletes these same qualities and characteristics.
Estes was also known for his larger than life humor. He had many colorful sayings, one in particular that many of his former athletes recall is “and fer gosh sakes, have fun!” Red would often joke that one certainty in life that none of us can escape is death, so it would be best to not take things too seriously. He was also quite creative at drawing caricatures and other art pieces. In his retirement, he would find another passion in creating welding art that is prominently displayed throughout Fresno county.
Although Gene “Red” Estes’ humble demeanor would disagree or say he does not deserve a track meet to be named after him. Anyone who knew Coach Estes would agree this is exactly what he deserves, the event is only a small gesture for all he contributed to the sport and the lives of his athletes.
On this spring weekend in March, the Buchanan high school Track and Field program hosted a track meet that provided an opportunity for student athletes to perform at a very high level. The legacy that is Coach Estes will be continued annually as the Red Estes Track and Field Invitational.