As coach, Portillo's got a hold of success

On a bright Sunday morning at a taco joint near the UA campus, a giddy Portillo sat at a dimly lit table in the back corner - his table - and scrolled through hundreds of pictures.

Most of the images depicted Portillo alongside different people: One showed him with mixed-martial arts star Tito Ortiz and his famous wife, Jenna Jameson. Another image frames Portillo next to former NCAA wrestling champion Mike van Arsdale, who has drawn recent acclaim for his training work with Rashad Evans. There are pictures with Don Klostreich, who coached Portillo at Sunnyside in the early '80s. The Blue Devils won three state titles during Portillo's four years there.

There are photos with wrestlers Portillo has coached over the years, such as from his six years at Silver High School in Silver City, N.M. Portillo's staff there included current coaches Brad Beach of Rio Rico and Herman Andrews of Safford.

Above all, everyone in the photos has a common thread: Portillo calls them his friends.

The eccentric 42-year-old USA Wrestling coach (and Amphitheater High School wrestling coach) is entering his 21st year of coaching, and perhaps just recently, his years of giving to others are finally starting to catch up with him.

Portillo had a fabulous month of May that included impressive international success and some honors on a personal level.

Here's is a glimpse into his exciting summer:

A masterpiece in Monterrey: Last month Portillo, who has been a volunteer coach for U.S. Olympic wrestling since 1998, received an assignment to coach the men's youth team at the Pan American Youth Olympic Games qualifier in Monterrey, Mexico.

Expectations were not high. "I don't know how well they thought USA was going to do," Portillo said. "I was like, 'Hey, just go out there and do the best you can.' But we went out there, and we did great."

The team qualified for the Youth Olympic Games at all five weight classes and earned two gold medals, two silvers and a bronze. The games will be held in Singapore in August, and Portillo is still awaiting word on whether he will continue to coach that team.

In all, 15 countries were represented in Monterrey on May 5, but the Portillo-coached U.S. squad won easily, beating Canada and Mexico by double digits in points.

Raising eyebrows: The success of Portillo's team was noticed by the U.S. Olympic Committee. Upon his return home, Portillo received an e-mail with a special invitation.

"There was a coaches' summit at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs," Portillo said. "It was supposed to be for our nation's top coaches, and they get together - all the best wrestling minds that we have. I think that because of the success that I had in that tournament, I got invited, and they wanted to hear my input."

For a day, Portillo got to bump heads with the likes of wrestling legends Zeke Jones and Bobby Douglas, an experience he says he won't soon forget. "I was the only high school coach in the nation in that room, out of about 25," Portillo said. "I'm truly honored, and I'm still in awe."

A fitting award: Also in May, Portillo was honored as the Tucson Hispanic Coach of the Year through the Hispanic Sports and Academic Enrichment program.

The award is also known at the Richard Sanchez award, which is fitting since Sanchez - athletic director and football coach at Sunnyside - introduced Portillo to wrestling more than 30 years ago.

As a third-grader at St. John the Evangelist School on Ajo Way and 16th Avenue, Portillo would often wander over to Pueblo High School, and one day he came upon the wrestling room.

"I poked my eyes in there, and I didn't know Sanchez at the time; he was graduate assistant or something like that," Portillo recalled. "He opened the door and said 'You want to come in?' I was a little scared and he grabbed me by my hand and walked me in."