Legendary Tucson High Baseball Coach Oscar Romero dies | News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – Longtime Tucson High Coach Oscar Romero died Friday at age 65 after a multi-year battle with liver cancer.

Romero, or Coach O as he was known by many, spent more than three decades as a coach and teacher at Tucson High School, his alma mater.

He served as the Badgers’ Head Baseball Coach from 1990-2018. In that time, he led the Badgers to 488 wins and three state title game appearances (2002, 2015, 2016). Romero was also the Tucson Head Golf Coach for decades. 

In addition, he coached American Legion Baseball for 34 years, leading teams to 16 state championships and an appearance in the 2007 American Legion World Series.

Romero retired from coaching and teaching at Tucson High in 2018, but he stayed involved with baseball. He spent time as an assistant coach at Adams State in Colorado. He most recently served as an assistant coach under Ken Jacome at Pima College.

The Aztecs shared their condolences on social media:

Pima Community College @BaseballPima and all of Pima Athletics would like to send our deepest condolences to Oscar Romero’s (Coach O) Family, Friends and the Tucson Baseball Community.A great person, family man, friend and mentor. We’ll always cherish the memories.#AztecTOUGH pic.twitter.com/9H27bqa6MW

— PimaAthletics (@PimaAthletics) September 6, 2025

Romero was inducted into the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.