Coach Ken Vargas and Cotton Fitzsimmons have a lot in common. Namely, their kindness and love for others.
Named in memory of former Suns’ head coach, Cotton Fitzsimmons, who passed away in July 2004, the Spirit of Cotton Award honors a high school coach in Arizona who consistently demonstrates the best qualities of a coach, educator, mentor and community leader.
Much like Cotton, Vargas doesn’t consciously try to be the humble, noble man that he is; it’s instinctual – innate in his being. It’s often been said that a kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal. Vargas is the quintessential personification of that adage.
Ken Vargas coaches at Miami High School in Miami, Arizona, a small mining town about 80 miles East of Phoenix. Home to the “Mighty Vandals,” Miami has a proud, heartfelt history. The truth is, however, that most families aren’t blessed with an abundance of financial freedom or tangible role models. Because of that, many of his students and players are in dire need of kindness and encouragement – two qualities that he selflessly embodies.
“It is an absolute honor to receive the Spirit of Cotton Award,” Vargas modestly said. “This, by far, is one of the greatest recognitions a coach can receive. Coaching provides such a unique perspective of your players and the impact they have on the school and its community, especially in a small town like ours. This award is the embodiment of what we as coaches get to do on a daily basis, purely from the heart.”
Indeed, Vargas goes above and beyond the typical definition of a “coach.” If a player or student needs clothes, shoes, food, or a bed to sleep in because he cannot afford them, Vargas will go out of his way to find the proper resources for them. It’s this type of altruism that has inspired hundreds of kids during his decades of coaching.
If a player or student needs encouragement, Vargas provides it in a manner that goes deeper than words. Rather, he inspires confidence and a genuine belief in one’s self that no matter their circumstances, with hard work they can do anything they set their mind to.
“My family, team, school and community have battled through many ups and downs,” Vargas added. “What’s amazing is how every time the chips are down, someone, somewhere comes to answer the need. I could never repay the Globe-Miami area for the things they have done for my family and I. So, instead, I pass on the assistance and love that someone else may need.
“It’s something Cotton would say. ‘Don’t ever give up. You get up, you shake it off and we go again.’”
Vargas has over 29 years of coaching experience on both the junior high and high school levels. He began his varsity coaching career at Miami High School in 2002, and has received 2A South Coach of the Year honors in addition to taking his team to the 2A state quarterfinals in 2003. Prior to his time with Miami High School, Vargas coached at Lee Kornegay Junior High School for 17 seasons, receiving four championships with the boys’ basketball team and the Teacher of the Year Award during the 1990-91 school year.
“In his heart, Cotton was always a small school, small town coach, so I’m sure he would be thrilled to know that we are honoring Coach Vargas,” said JoAnn Fitzsimmons, wife of the late Cotton Fitzsimmons. “His dedication to his school, his community and his extended family of players epitomizes all of the qualities that Cotton exemplified during his career. Like Cotton, Coach Vargas has never met a stranger, and has touched so many lives.”
Indeed, when one thinks of Ken Vargas, love is perhaps the only appropriate descriptor. It’s the type of love he shows his family, the love he has for his players and students, and the example of love he sets for his community – strikingly parallel to the way Cotton Fitzsimmons lived.