Gil Chavez Sr. dedicated his life to helping people. That includes hundreds of young men who came through his wrestling room at West High School, where he coached for a quarter of a century. However, Chavez's influence reached far beyond the mat. A community leader in every sense of the word, his impact is still being felt years after he lost his life in 2011 in a tragic accident. "His impact in the West Denver community was big, and it has carried on to this day," said his son, Gil Jr. "People remember all that he did "” not just with wrestling, but with the leadership qualities that went with that. To this day, he's still referenced in West Denver in so many community things as well as the wrestling community." Chavez coached his share of league champions and state placers. His influence and impact, however, stretched to every corner of the community. "The population he served at West came from every walk of life," his son Gil Jr. said, "A true inner-city school where many of these kids learned to be successful because of his leadership and belief in them. He believed that everybody was important "” from the special needs kid all the way up to the great athletes." Chavez was an assistant head coach at West from 1977 to 1983, then served as the head coach from 1984 to 2002. He was also a guidance counselor at West. Gil Sr. served in numerous other capacities within the community. "He loved wrestling because it has consequences built in," Gil Jr. said. "If you put effort into it, you can succeed. Wrestling has that one-on-one aspect and a team mentality. It really builds character. Working hard and working toward a goal and putting your best effort in every day will produce results. He taught that and stressed that." Chavez, his son said, used the sport as a way to teach life lessons that would follow youngsters into their adult lives. "He lived in the community and believed in his community," Chavez Jr. said. "The determination and drive that he had in impacting people's lives was amazing. If you joined, you upheld your obligation to yourself and to your team. He held young people accountable and helped them learn responsibility, and they carried it with them through their lives. Everyone was important to him." At Chavez's funeral, Chavez Jr. was approached by a man, "He showed me a letter of recommendation my dad had written for him," said Gil Jr. "He still had that letter. He informed me of the following, 'Your dad believed in me. He gave me the time and atten­ tion I needed to become a successful person. He's a big reason I became successful. That was 20 years ago, but his impact on me was huge and is still happening.'" That is a reflection of Chavez's influence! "That legacy is being passed on to the next generation and the next generation," said Gil Jr. "There are people out there who were connected with him 20 years ago who still feel connected to him and are passing on his lessons. That's the kind of impact he had."