Neto's Tucson by Ernesto Portillo Jr. : Cholla High runner, coach relish longevity of mentor-mentee link

He wanted to play football, but Freire, whose nickname was "Bones," weighed about 100 pounds — maybe a little more after eating his mother's freshly made tortillas. But instead of running up and down the football field, Freire ran through creosote and cholla as a member of the Chargers' cross-country team coached by Richard "Dick" Browning.

Neither Browning nor Freire knew at the beginning how their relationship would grow. But they intuitively sensed something in each other.

Freire had goals and ganas — or desire. Browning had tenacity and tenderness.

Browning saw promise in the young Freire, who recently completed his first year as University of Arizona assistant athletic director for development. Freire sensed a guiding hand in Browning, who retired after 39 years of teaching in Tucson-area high schools, including Sabino and Canyon del Oro.

Coach and athlete, teacher and student, mentor and mentee began a lifelong bond that continues today.

Last week in the afternoon, I met Freire in a near-empty McKale Center. He's a bigwig on campus as part of the team responsible for raising millions of dollars to expand and enhance the UA football stadium and athletic facilities.

We didn't talk about money and athletics. Though they are central to Freire's work, there is more to his life's core — his family and Browning.

"My lifetime philosophy is, I serve students," said the 41-year-old Freire, whose wife, Cherie, is a teacher. They are the parents of two children.

Freire credits his parents and coach for his development from teacher to coach to public school principal and now big-time college athletics administrator. Freire was born in Tijuana to his Texas-born father and Mexican-born mother. When he was a tot, the family moved to Chula Vista, Calif., where his father worked in the aircraft industry.

He couldn't speak English when he entered kindergarten, but, within a few years, Freire was accompanying his mother to her citizenship classes as her translator. "When I watched her go through that, how couldn't I follow her in education?" asked Freire, who gained legal residency when he was 14 years old. Propelled by his parents' work ethic — "second to none" — Freire began knocking down his goals.

He earned a full academic scholarship to Arizona State University, becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. He became a teacher and principal. He earned two master's degrees. And he entered collegiate sports administration in Ohio and later went to Tennessee before returning home last year.

It was Freire's inner drive that Browning saw when the "little guy with big feet" joined the cross-country team as a freshman.

Browning said, "Julio is the kind of guy who asks, 'What do I need to do?' "

And Freire said, "Dick is the kind of person who asks, 'How can I help?' "

When Freire was a student- teacher, he taught in Browning's class. When Freire sought coaching advice, he called Browning. When Freire considered jumping over to administration, he sought out Browning. In return, Freire has given Browning the deepest kind of satisfaction for a teacher: public thanks.

"I credited him for the life I have today," said Freire, recalling the keynote speech he gave at Cholla High School's graduation in May. "It was on my life's checklist of things to do," Freire said.

Browning was in the audience, unaware that Freire would publicly praise the man whom he still calls "coach."

Did you Know

Cholla Magnet High School opened in 1969 as Cholla High School, named for the cholla cactus. It is at 2001 W. Starr Pass Blvd., behind Sentinel Peak. The 2008 Cholla High School Alumni Foundation Golf Tournament will take place Saturday at the Tubac Golf & Resort. Proceeds from this annual event fund college scholarships for Cholla seniors. Since 2002, the foundation has awarded $44,000 in scholarships. For more information or to sign up for the tournament, contact Jesse Lugo at 322-0714.