Life of Chandler football coach Delvin Schutes, who died at 81, to be celebrated Sunday

Delvin Schutes, who led Chandler’s football program from 1981-88, and later was part of the staff on two Chandler Hamilton state championship teams, died on Dec. 19. He was 81.

His life will be celebrated on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m., inside the board room at the Chandler Unified School District office, his son Deke Schutes said.

Delvin, who was from Oklahoma, was a coaching fixture in Clovis, New Mexico, leading that school to two state championships in football, before moving to Chandler. Chandler wasn’t nearly as big as it is now, and, with his son Deke at quarterback running the option in the mid-1980s, the Wolves transformed into one of the best teams in the state, reaching the quarterfinals during Deke’s time at quarterback.

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During that time, Delvin’s daughter Dhea was the captain of the Chandler High cheerleading team. Deke, Dhea and Delvin formed a close bond after Delvin’s wife died from cancer.

When Deke became an assistant coach at Hamilton, he had his dad help him with the running backs. Hamilton won a couple of state titles before Delvin stepped away from football coaching. But he was always around, and he even led Hamilton’s boys golf team to a state title as a coach.

Delvin was an established golfer himself.

“He thought about getting on the Senior tour when he was in his 50s but he just didn’t have a sponsor,” said Deke, who is in his last year teaching after 31 years, the last 25 years at Hamilton. “But he was beating guys. He was a phenomenal golfer.”

Deke was guided by his dad, following him to practices, growing up around football.

“I tried to do something for others, it’s not just about you,” Deke said he took from his dad as a teacher and a coach. “It’s not just about you. Get into some kind of service thing. He loved working with kids. When he was a teacher, he taught driver’s ed, and history. But he really liked working with the kids who needed an extra push.”

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Life of Chandler football coach Delvin Schutes, who died at 81, to be celebrated Sunday