Life Story: Emmett Yanez
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Photos capture the many moments over many years that Emmett Yanez guided young boxers in the right direction.
Bob Zamora was just 11 years old when Yanez started coaching him in the 1960s.
"He teaches you how to shadow box, how to jump rope, how to hold your hands, how to move your feet," Zamora said.
He remembers a father figure who offered guidance, in and out of the ring.
"He's teaching you not just boxing, he's teaching you life. He's teaching you how to be a man, how to be respectful, and that's what I loved about Emmett," Zamora said.
Yanez started the Mexican-American Boxing Club in St. Paul and also trained teenagers and young men at other boxing clubs.
He helped many of them win state and national championships. Some even moved on to professional boxing careers.
Zamora has a collection of memorabilia in his basement. He says it is the impression that Yanez made on his way of thinking he values the most.
"He always told me, 'You treat people the way you want to be treated,'" Zamora said. "You be mean to them, they're going to be mean to you. You want respect, you got to earn it."
Yanez learned how to box when he was in the United States Army. He served in the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II.
He returned to St. Paul to raise a family and to work in the city's Department of Public Works. When he was 90 years old, his devotion to the community was recognized by the mayor, who declared March 3, 2010 as "Emmett J. Yanez Day."
"He was a role model, he made me want to be a successful man," Zamora said. "If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be here today."
Emmett Yanez was 96 years old when he died on Dec. 3. Donations in his honor can be made to the White Bear Lake Boxing Club.
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