Stamford Teacher, Former Football Coach Remembered For Helping Youth

STAMFORD, CT — Raul Font, a Stamford resident, ESL teacher in the Stamford Public Schools District and a former football coach in town, died unexpectedly at his home on June 23. He was 58.

Font attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Stamford Catholic High School in 1982, according to his obituary.

He was a talented defensive end at both Wagner College and the University of New Haven, and received a bachelor's degree at the University of Bridgeport. He worked as a network engineer in the early part of his career, his obituary said.

Font then pursued his true passion of helping young people. He received his master's in education from Fairfield University, and a master's in education guidance counseling from UMass Boston. He was a teacher in Stamford for 16 years, and coached football at Trinity Catholic High School, Stamford High School, Westhill High School and most recently at Bunnell High School in Stratford.

SHS Athletic Director Chris Passamano called Font "a Stamford guy."

"Everything he did surrounded kids that needed help, kids that needed someone else in their lives," Passamano said, noting that Font even worked at the Bridgeport Juvenile Detention Center. "He was a guy that had a great connection with kids. He understood the various things various kids in this town go through. It didn't matter if you were a rich kid or a poor kid, it didn't matter where you were coming from, he knew how to relate to anybody."

Westhill Athletics posted about Font's passing on Facebook this week.

"Through his time as a Stamford teacher and coach he was a great role model and mentor for hundreds of Stamford students," the post said in part. "He was a good man and he will be missed by all who knew him."

After seven years of being a defensive line coach at SHS, Font returned to Westhill in 2019. At the same time, Ty Jenkins, the defensive coordinator for the Black Knights, took a head coaching job at Bunnell. He begged Font to join him on his staff.

"My first year I felt was terrible without him, and we weren't very good. The second year I begged him again and he came. Our season totally flipped," Jenkins said. "I believe he was the spark we needed to get back to a winning season and really change the culture here at Bunnell."

What Jenkins will remember most about Font was his willingness to always offer an ear.

"That was something he was amazing at, and no matter what you came to him with, good advice always followed, whether you were in the wrong, whether you were in the right, he always came with advice that was true and genuine," Jenkins said.

The two would talk on the phone every day, from Jenkins' first day as an SHS assistant in 2016, right up until the day before Font died.

"The last thing I said to him, I said, 'Font, what would I do without you?' He said, 'You'll have to watch 'The Godfather' because it has all the lessons I want to teach you,'" Jenkins recalled with a laugh.

"We ended the conversation with 'I love you's.'"

According to his obituary, Font is survived by his devoted and loving mother Balbina Font, and his children Haley, Sophia, Isaiah and Ava. He was predeceased by his father, Raul Font. He will be missed by Duque, his beloved canine companion who was by his side until his very last day, his obituary said.

Funeral services were scheduled for Thursday.

Read Font's full obituary here.