Mel Fontes, a well-loved football coach from Sacramento, passed away at 90 due to heart failure.
He spent nearly 40 years coaching high school football and made a lasting impact in the classroom, on the field, or at the grocery store.
His joyful personality, trademark white hair, and big smile made him easy to recognize and hard to forget.
Mel began his career after playing running back at Sacramento State in the early 1960s.
He chose to stay close to home, turning down opportunities to coach at higher levels because he valued family, teaching, and community more than fame.
He started coaching at Christian Brothers High School in 1963 and later helped launch Valley High’s football program in 1977.
There, alongside his longtime friend and coaching partner Dave Hoskins, he helped build some of the best teams in the region.
They also coached at local colleges and remained a powerful coaching duo for decades.
Family And Friends Mourn The Loss Of Mel Fontes
He leaves behind his wife of 65 years, Connie, and their children Kris, Kevin, Keith, and Kelly.
Karen Hughes shared that she had known Mel Fontes since middle school and was close with his immediate family.
She expressed how deeply saddened she is by his passing and sent her heartfelt condolences to all of his loved ones.
I knew this wonderful man, Mel Fontes, since I was in middle school. I knew his entire immediate family personally, and this is very sad news to me!! My heart-felt sympathies to all of his family!! Mel Fontes was a GREAT MAN!! RIP. Xoxo
Karen Hughes
Even during health scares, Mel’s love for football never faded. In 1994, he collapsed at a practice but still managed to sneak out of the hospital to attend a football event before going back for surgery.
He retired from coaching and teaching in 1999 but remained a cherished figure in the community.
His brother Wayne was an NFL coach, but Mel was proud of staying local and changing lives through high school sports.
Similarly, Joe Davidson of The Sacramento Bee described Mel Fontes as someone who could cry and laugh at the exact moment—a warm-hearted hugger, a natural comedian, and a devoted family man.
He could cry and laugh in the same breath, a hugger, a comedian, a family man.
Joe Davidson
Wrote this about Mel Fontes, who didn’t pursue NFL coaching gigs like his brothers because he felt more at home locally
Estella Oh Melvin Fontes Kelly FontesHyde
His life will be celebrated on May 6 at Saint Peter and Paul Church in Rocklin, followed by a reception.
Mel Fontes will be remembered as a coach and a kind-hearted man who made everyone around him feel seen, valued, and loved.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- At Valley High of the Elk Grove Unified School District, Fontes taught history, social studies, and driver’s education.
- Fontes and Hoskins worked together as assistant coaches at American River College and Sacramento City College in the 1980s, then returned to Valley to head the program from 1989 to 95.
- He was the oldest of five brothers. Three of them, including his brother Wayne who was the head coach of the Detroit Lions in the 1990s, went on to coach in the NFL.
