Aaron De La Torre, a longtime coach and defense coordinator at Denton Ryan School in North Texas, died tragically. The Denton Independent School authorities announced his demise on Wednesday, October 9.
Although the cause of Aaron De La Torre's sudden death is still unknown to the public, the news has sent shockwaves through the Denton Ryan community. His son, Alex, a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Wylie East, posted the news of Aaron De La Torre's demise on his X account.
A look at Aaron De La Torre's life and career
De La Torre played as a defensive tackle at Stephen F. Austin and had a brief stint in the NFL before transitioning to coaching. He began coaching at his alma mater and spent two years at Denton Ryan from 2009 to 2011.
He served as the head coach at Irving for six seasons between 2012 and 2017 before returning to Denton Ryan to take on the defensive coordinator role. Aaron De La Torre's coaching career spanned for 17 years.
Apart from being a distinguished coach and defensive coordinator, Aaron De La Torre was a father of 4 and a grandfather of 2. When asked about Aaron, a longtime family friend of the De La Torre family, Chasity Torti said:
"He touched so many lives. Kids who didn't have fathers, he was a father figure to them... He loved those kids as his own and they loved him just as much. The impact spreads really spread beyond his family and his friends."
Torti also mentioned that:
“Any time you were around Aaron even as an adult, your own confidence just grew. He just had that impact to make you believe you could do anything. But he also had such a funny side and was goofy, always telling jokes"
Chasity Torti has set up a go-fund-me memorial account, the proceeds for which will go to the De La Torre family.
Aaron De La Torre died just eight days after police closed an investigation regarding an alleged assault involving him and a student. The Hickory Creek Police Department had looked into the matter following a report from a woman who provided a video of an altercation with De La Torre.
After speaking with the parents of the boy in the video, authorities informed them that they did not believe any criminal activity occurred. The Denton Independent School District also stated that their investigation was complete, as no charges were filed.
Following the shocking death of Aaron De La Torre, in a statement to Star-Telegram, Denton ISD said:
“We have reached out to Coach De La Torre’s family to let them know we will provide support during this unexpected loss, and they have asked us to respect their privacy.”
Aaron De La Torre's passion for the game inspired many young athletes. His legacy will be remembered not only for his contributions to sports but also for shaping the lives of the players he coached. His memory will live on in the hearts of those he touched.