As owner of the San Nicolas Soccer Club, Francisco “Don Pancho” Andrade had a huge impact in elevating the stature of Santa Barbara soccer.
Andrade brought in standout players from near and far to form a powerhouse team that won several major championships for men’s semi-professional teams and a slew of Premier Division titles in the local Central Coast Soccer League.
The soccer community is mourning the passing of the legendary Don Pancho Andrade. He died on Christmas Day at the age of 85.
Andrade ran the San Nicolas Soccer Club since the mid-1960s. The club is the winningest team in the history of the Central Coast Soccer League. The three-division league includes teams from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
“He was very passionate about the game, people need to know that,” Santa Barbara soccer playing and coaching legend Rudy Ybarra said of Andrade. “For Don Pancho, it was football. It was building the best football team he can field. He brought in the right players and the right leaders.”
One of those leaders is Alvaro Lopez. He captained San Nicolas for more than 20 years and led the team to several league and major tournament championships.
Lopez said Andrade brought him to Santa Barbara from Mexico.
“I feel like Francisco was my father in the United States,” he said. “He opened his house not just for me but for my wife and kids. We became part of his family.
“I really have a lot of love for him. He had feelings for a lot of people. He helped people all of the time.”
Andrade helped a young Brazilian named Thiago Martins get settled in Santa Barbara. He went on to star at Santa Barbara Community College and UC Santa Barbara before playing professionally in Major League Soccer and overseas in Norway. He is now coaching a professional team in the Scandinavian country.
“Don Pancho was a very kind person in many ways,” said Martins. “There were many things that happened during my football player career, and playing for San Nicolas during those times was unforgettable. But there was much more about him than football; he liked to help people.
“He helped me with his guidance and even financial help. I believe I would not have achieved everything I got through football without San Nicolas. Rest in peace, Don Pancho.”
Eldest son Jaime Andrade said his father was highly respected by everyone in the soccer community.
“Whether you were a supporter, player or fan of another team, you respected his wisdom and passion, and his desire to have a good team,” said Jaime Andrade.
Don Pancho was committed in making the San Nicolas Soccer Club successful.
“He invested a lot,” Ybarra said. “People don’t really talk about that, but it costs money. It’s not just about uniforms and referees; you’ve got players coming in. He had a company and there were jobs for some of these players.”
Don Pancho owned a labor contracting business that is now operated by his son.
“With him, it was bringing in players and taking care of them,” Ybarra said. “For a lot of players, he was like a second father to them. He stepped to the plate when they had issues. He was like a mentor. It wasn’t just: ‘You play for me.’ He took care of his players. For lot of the players who have stayed him for a long time, there’s a lot more than football with him.”
Lopez learned how much work Andrade did behind the scenes when he became part-owner of the club after ending his playing career.
“It was hard to maintain the team,” he recalled. “It took money and a lot of time. I realized how much effort he put in all those years. I gained a greater respect after that. I told him: ‘You have time for soccer, your kids, a job?’ I don’t know how he did it.”
Andrade also served as president of the Central Coast Soccer League.
Ybarra, whose family roots are with the rival Santa Barbara Soccer Club, felt the level of competition increased in the league under Andrade’s leadership.
“The league started to do very well, not just locally but in state and regional championships,” he said.
The San Nicolas-Santa Barbara Soccer Club rivalry games were intense, epic matches that drew big crowds to Dwight Murphy Field.
“They were great games,” said Ybarra, who actually played one season for San Nicolas. His father, Joaquin, who passed away on Dec. 1, coached San Nicolas when the team was first formed as Alianza San Nicolas. Joaquin Ybarra was one of the founders of the Santa Barbara Soccer Club.
While the action was intense on the field, Andrade kept a calm demeanor as he watched while sipping beer from the San Nicolas spot in the parking lot behind the north goal.
“His personality almost never changed,” said Lopez. “In all these years, I remember only twice he came into the locker room and was mad. We were probably playing lazy. But he always maintained that calm, win or lose.”
Jaime Andrade said his father was a hands-off owner when it came to playing the game. “He never coached, he never wanted to,” said Jaime.
But he cared deeply how his team performed and how the league was run.
Ybarra said when was voted in as league president, the first person he called was Andrade.
He said Don Pancho was always there to offer his help.
“Any time I had an issue and needed advice, I’d pick up the phone and call Don Pancho. He’d give professional advice because he’d been there.
“He was a mentor in many, many ways, not just for soccer but for life,” Ybarra added. “There’s a lot of good that came out of that man that had nothing to do with football.”
Don Pancho Andrade is survived by his wife, Eugenia, six children (sons Jaime, Rene, Eddie, Pepe and Paco, and daughter, Noemi), 12 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.