Sam Dimas

September 27, 1922 - May 23, 2012

The city of Long Beach has lost one of its shining stars with the passing of Sam Dimas. The halls, classrooms and football field of Long Beach Poly High School will sense a temporary absence of spirited energy with the passing of Sam Dimas. The many community organizations and service clubs in Long Beach must now fill a unique void with the passing of Sam Dimas. The extended Dimas family will happily celebrate the good fortune in knowing that the legacy of their beloved Patriarch will always remain a wonderful memory with the passing of Sam Dimas. There is an old saying out there that goes something like this...'If one lives too long, none of his friends will be around to attend his funeral'...This will not be the case for Sam Dimas, because his lifetime of seemingly unending energy, quick sense of humor, hearty baritone laugh, and a love for life that transcended all the generations he touched. Sam had the very good fortune over his many years to be personally acknowledged for his numerous accomplishments, which include athletic awards, dedicated community service, an exceptional teaching career, and his sacrifice for our country during WWII. Sam and his lovely wife Pat are both survived by their sons, Michael and wife, Maria, Nick, John and wife, Karen, Sam and his wife, Patty, to include his special grandchildren, Gregory, Tanner, Robert, Jimmy, Kelsey, Branden, Shannon and Blake. The Dimas family would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those friends, associates and neighbors who would help to make Sam Dimas' life a very special place in time. There will be a viewing on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Luyben Family Dilday-Mottell Mortuary, 5161 Arbor Road, Long Beach, CA 90808 | (562) 425-6401. The funeral service is Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 5761 East Colorado Street Long Beach, California 90814-1954.

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Long Beach Poly coaching legend Sam Dimas dies at 89

Sam Dimas never left Long Beach Poly High School. The football star graduated in 1941 and came back to teach and coach at the school for 37 years until he retired in 1987 - and even in retirement he was never far away from the Green and Gold.

He was a booster, a fundraiser, a fan, an unofficial historian and a touchstone for generations of Jackrabbits. Even with his passing Wednesday at the age of 89, Dimas' spirit will surely endure in Long Beach and around the Poly campus. Despite failing health, Dimas was vibrant enough early in 2011 to help organize the 70th anniversary reunion of Poly's class of '41. In April of last year, he received a pacemaker that the family hoped would turn his health around. His son Michael said the pacemaker didn't help much, and his father was moved into assisted living in November. His health started to deteriorate this month and he was admitted to Los Alamitos Hospital. An examination while there found an aneurysm in the lining of his stomach that was likely the source of some of his pain and fatigue. Dimas played football for coach Red Montgomery, the 1940 Poly team going 8-1. After graduation, he went to Long Beach City College, where he was captain of the football team for two years (1941-42) and student body president. He went into the military and was part of the invasion in Normandy. He was a sergeant in the 109th regiment of the 28th U.S. Army Infantry when he took part in the three-month-long battle of the Hurtgen Forest - named "The Death Factory" - which claimed the lives of 24,000 U.S. soldiers. He won a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, an Infantry Combat Badge and a number of other combat medals. He suffered several injuries during the war, including the loss of his left eye in the Hurtgen Forest. "I was luckier than a lot of men," Dimas said when a film came out about the battle. "I got out alive." He returned to college at UC Santa Barbara, and after graduation returned to Long Beach to teach and coach at Poly. He was the golf coach for his entire career and also coached baseball, football and basketball. Many people knew of his history at Poly and during the war, but he rarely was the first to mention it. "We knew his history, and he'd talk about it from time to time, but usually only after someone else brought it up," Michael Dimas said. "He was subdued talking about the war and only told us bits and pieces." His youngest son, Sam, agreed. "Our dad was very humble," the younger Sam Dimas said. Michael Dimas said he was forever meeting people who were students of his father at Poly. "We'd meet people and they couldn't stop talking about things our dad did or how they were his former students," he said. Dimas was in the inaugural Poly Football Hall of Fame, and is in the LBCC Hall of Champions and the Century Club Hall of Fame. He was an active member of the Long Beach Elks and Downtown Lions Club. "He was a quiet giant," said Dan Gooch, a longtime Century Club official. "He was an individual whom you remembered for his deeds. "(Dimas) was a leader on and off the playing fields who left a lasting imprint. His dedication to amateur athletes in Long Beach was legend." Longtime Long Beach sportsman and former Press-Telegram sportswriter Al Larson described Dimas as a "war hero and a respected citizen." "The man lost an eye fighting the Germans and came back to teach driver's education at Poly," Larson said. "He never talked about himself and he always deferred to other people when asked about his coaching career." Former Press-Telegram sports editor Jim McCormack said when he thinks of Dimas, he remembers the dignity he brought to Long Beach sports. "He was a quiet, kind, happy man who made everyone around him better," McCormack said. "We've lost another of our very special Long Beach sports legends." Dimas said a few years ago that during his 40 years at Poly - three as a student and 37 as a teacher - that "the pride is still here." He joined the Century Club in 1976 while he was teaching and coaching at Poly, and served as its president for a term. "I had heard so much about the good businessmen of Long Beach who had been giving their time to the city and its youth," Dimas said in a story on the club's history. "I didn't really have the time for it, but that changed after my first meeting." Dimas is survived by his four sons, Michael, Nick, John and Sam, and eight grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers the family is accepting donations in Sam’s honor to:

Scholars and Champions

1600 Atlantic Avenue

Long Beach, CA 90813

Attn: Starr Scott LB Poly Football

Please sign the guest book at www.luybenfamilyd-m.com

Luyben Family Dilday-Mottell Mortuary (562) 425-6401