WINDSOR, Colo. — Northern Colorado Owlz manager Frank Gonzales and assistant coach Keith Aragon have been friends forever. “50 years,” Gonzales laughed.
The two went to La Junta High School together and were teammates on the Colorado State baseball team in the late 1980’s. Gonzales pitched while Aragon caught.
“I mean it’s pretty cool,” said Gonzales. “We lived together, we kinda shopped for apartments. I might have wanted to live in a higher end place some of the time but he was like ‘I don’t know if we can afford that.’ So I learned budgeting.”
They learned to support each other, like when Gonzales was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1989
“My career was coming to an end, but I was excited, it was like my brother getting drafted,” Aragon recounted. “I introduced him [Frank] to his wife and so forth but you know we’ve just kept in touch and if jobs came along and he was qualified or what have you, he got the job and we’re back.”
Keith went on to work at Fort Collins High School for 34 years as an assistant. When the head job opened, he called his friend. Frank was then the man in charge for four years. After leaving Fort Collins and coaching in the Rockies minor league system, Gonzales, with his best friend by his side, now runs the Noco Owlz.
“Hanging around Keith we’re definitely the odd couple,” Gonzalez smiled. “We’re a lot alike in a lot of ways and the most alike we are is that we love the game and want to teach the game.”
Aragon agrees, “I’m kind of the jokester but deep inside I think they [the players] know both of us have the passion to want to be here and teach them and be better men.”
And the Northern Colorado community knows that, “There isn’t anybody that doesn’t know him, Gonzalez laughed while looking over at his assistant coach. “I can tell you this much, there isn’t a night when there isn’t somebody looking over our dugout and looking for Coach Aragon.”
Aragon has been a staple in the Fort Collins baseball community, “For me it’s neat because they were one of my players, students, parents of players.”
These two know there’s nothing better than spending the day at the ballpark with your best friend.
“I don’t have an older brother, “said Gonzales. “I’m the oldest of three so I rely on him, the security of knowing I can make that phone call and if I ever needed anything I know he’s there. Super fortunate to have a buddy I get to do this with every day.”
“Same way,” Aragon said with a proud smile. “Exactly the same way.”
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