Samuel Lee Germany Jr.

Samuel Lee Germany, Jr. was born September 6, 1945 in Berkeley, California to Samuel Lee Germany, Sr. and Hazel L. Germany. He was the third of seven children. His early education in the Berkeley Unified School System equipped him to succeed in life. His star began to shine as a member of the Berkeley High School Yellow Jacket championship football team and as a track and field athlete. He graduated in 1964.

Sam attended Merritt Junior College where he continued to thrive both academically and athletically. He competed in track and field and received Junior College All-American Honorable Mention and All-Conference Honors as a defensive back for the Merritt football team. After earning an Associate Arts degree in 1967, his journey continued at Fresno State where he played Bulldog football and appeared in the NCAA Camellia Bowl. It was there he became a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Epsilon Beta Chapter, serving as a student senator under Bill Jones, former California State Attorney General, and delegate to the 1972 Democratic Convention for presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm.

During his time at Fresno State, Sam coached tennis at Edison High School from 1969-70, becoming the first Afro-American coach. After receiving his bachelor of arts in 1972, he relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada where he pursued a career as an educator. He became a football coach at Western High School where under head coach Horace Smith, the team won a state championship in 1975.

Sam’s true passion, however, was track and field. He founded the Pegasus Track Club and in 1979, became an active member of USA Track and Field (USATF), establishing a 39-year relationship with the organization including his role as co-founder of the Nevada Association of USATF. In 1995, he was the USA assistant of the USATF Olympic Festival for the West in 1995. He served as an official at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia where he oversaw the warm-up/practice area. He loved the opportunity to work with athletes of all nations during the Olympics, and afterwards, was selected as head of the World University Games held in Sicily, Italy in 1997. Other roles with USATF included Youth executive committee member; Region 15 youth coordinator for ages over 18; head coach of the 2001 Junior National team held in Buenos Aires, Argentina; men’s head coach to the 2008 Bank of Scotland Cup in Edinburg, Scotland; and was currently serving on USATF’s board of directors. Sam Germany, Jr.’s legacy to the track and field community spans the nation, nowhere more notably than in Las Vegas.

In 1977, Coach “Germ” (as he was lovingly called by many athletes) stretched his coaching arms to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas as assistant football coach and defensive coordinator under Roy Shivers and the legendary coach, Tony Knapp. During this time, he continued to coach football and track and field at several high schools in Las Vegas, including Rancho, Bonanza, and Western High Schools. From 1985-1992, Sam served as an assistant track and field coach and recruiting coordinator at UNLV. During this time, he and Coach Al McDaniels won four conference championships and one of their teams placed 5th in the NCAA National track and field championships in Austin, Texas.

Sam Germany, Jr. received too many honors to mention but he was proud to be inducted into the Southern Nevada Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2003, and to be named Coach of the Year in 1981 by the Nevada Women’s Coaches Association. He taught in the Clark County School District for 35 years developing countless athletic champions. He opened Mojave High School in 1996 where he was the head track and field coach for both the mens’ and womens’ teams, bringing the school their first state team championship of any kind for both programs. More than a coach, he was a mentor, role model, father figure and friend to countless athletes, coaches and peers. Coach Germany coached champions at Mojave, Centennial, and Canyon Springs High School. After retiring from teaching in 2007, he continued his coaching prowess with several track clubs, including the Nevada Track Club Gazelles along side former NFL player, Pastor Randall Cunningham.

Sam Germany’s proudest accomplishment was his family. He married his college sweetheart, Charlie, and together, raised three children, Andre Vinson, Hazel Germany, and Latisha Germany-Tucker. He also has one grandchild, Bailee Tucker. Sam passed away on December 14, 2018. He is preceded in death by his parents Samuel L. Germany, Sr., Hazel L. Germany, siblings Cora Lee Elder, Shirley Ann Germany-Frazier, and Stanley Thomas Germany. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, son, granddaughter, siblings John Henry Everett, Tonnie Ann Germany, and Burlin Germany, Sr. along with a host of nephews, nieces, cousins, and many extended family members.