By Dr. Ricardo Romo; with Dr. Mario Longoria
Osmar Alaniz arrives early every day at the San Antonio Lackland Air Force gym, a routine he has followed for the past forty-nine years. He may well be the only Latino coach in any sport who has participated in three Olympic games. A resident of San Antonio for the past half-century, Alaniz arrived in 1973 to assume the position of Assistant Boxing Coach for the Kelly Air Force Boxing Team. Considered one of America’s best young boxing coaches, Alaniz’s rise to international competition began in the mid-1960s when he served as an Olympian Boxing Trainer and Assistant in preparation for the 1968 Olympic Summer Games.
Osmar Alaniz at the U.S. Air Force boxing gym. Photo courtesy of Coach Alaniz.
His first Olympic experience in 1968 was both rewarding and educational. The Olympic Boxing team fared well in the competition capturing two Gold; one Silver; and four Bronze Medals. Among the medalists were Ronald Harris (Gold), George Foreman (Gold), and Albert Robinson (Silver).
After coaching in the Olympics in Mexico City, Alaniz served his country in Vietnam earning the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Good Conduct Medal With Five Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon, a Vietnam Service Medal with four Bronze Stars, a Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Army Good Conduct Medal. Shortly after serving in Vietnam, he was assigned to Hamilton AFB in California, “Home of Air Force Boxing.”
In 1973, the Air Force Command moved the boxing program to Kelly Air Force Base. Over the next three decades, Alaniz coached hundreds of boxers serving in the U.S. Air Force and accepted numerous international coaching assignments. In 1977 alone, Alaniz coached and prepared the USA National Boxing Team against the USSR [Russian] Boxing Team in Shreveport, Louisiana. He then coached and prepared the Armed Forces Boxing Team to compete in the “Conseil International du Sports Militaire (CISM)” Championship, in Cairo, Egypt.
Portrait of Osmar Alaniz as a young boxer. Courtesy of Coach Alaniz.
Coach Alaniz also hosted five Armed Forces Championship tournaments at Kelly AFB and coached numerous teams to participate in the San Antonio Annual Golden Gloves competition during the same period. From 1981 to 1983 Coach Alaniz traveled extensively with numerous boxing teams to clinics, festivals, and military championships stateside and worldwide. While serving as the Air Force Boxing coach at Kelly Air Force base, Coach Alaniz also planned and conducted numerous Boxing Camps/Clinics in the United States and abroad. He trained boxers in Germany, Cuba, Bolivia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
Alaniz was honored to serve as an Assistant Boxing Coach in the 1984 and 1992 Olympic Summer Games. Alaniz was also given the responsibility as the Administrative Assistant to the President of the International Boxing Federation during the Olympic Games. Coach Alaniz’s fighters captured a total of 20 Olympic Boxing medals, including eleven Gold, three Silver, and six Bronze. In 1998 Alaniz was selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee as their National Boxing Coach of the Year.
Coach Alaniz has been recognized for his achievement and dedication to Amateur Boxing by the following U.S. and International Boxing organizations: U.S Air Force Inter-Service Sports Council, The International Military Sports Council, the Olympic Solidarity Boxing Program, The Olympic Committee from Argentina, The Mayor of the City of Los Angeles, The Federacion Ecuatoriana De Boxeo, El Ministerio De Cultura Juventud Y Deporte – Costa Rica, The International Amateur Boxing Association, and the Mayor of the City of San Antonio for his participation in the 1992 Olympic Summer Games. Coach Alaniz estimates that has trained over 3,000 boxers from the years 1966 – 2004.
Coach Alaniz has been a teacher, mentor, and counselor. He trained America’s best amateurs boxers, sculpting their boxing skills and shaping their athletic lives and careers. Alaniz attributes his coaching success to his personal values of preaching a love of the sport, dedication, physical and mental conditioning, and an unshakable belief in oneself to both successfully compete in the sport, and, when out of the ring, exude respect and character in personal relationships.
Great to have such a dedicated mentor!
Great article! A wonderful example of the importance of sport to the Latino community.