‘I wish he was my dad.’ Longtime Merced community member had passion for youth sports
Dave Nannini, a longtime Merced resident who had a passion for youth sports, died last week due to liver failure, according to his family and friends.
Nannini worked with the Merced Youth Baseball organization for over 40 years. He coached, served on the board and also served as president during his four decades with youth baseball.
He also spent decades working with Merced Youth Soccer and played a crucial role in the construction of the Youth Sports Complex in Merced, which opened in 1997 on Wardrobe Ave.
Nannini died on April 20 at Sutter Medical Center in San Francisco. He was 71 years old.
“It’s hard to put into words everything Dave did — from what he did for the City of Merced, to what he did with youth sports and Merced High School,” said former longtime Merced High baseball coach Lou Souza.
“When I started coaching at Merced High he was part of the dugout club and he was a good guy to have in your corner. The ripple effect that he had for the community of Merced went beyond sports.”
Nannini was born in Dos Palos and moved to Merced when he was 8 years old. He married his high school sweetheart Suzy and they were married for 46 years. They had four sons in Brian, Kevin, Justin and Darren.
Suzy Nannini says her husband got involved with youth baseball because of his sons.
“Little League was going down at the time so him and a group of fathers wanted to bring it up,” Suzy Nannini says. “At its high point I think there was 600 to 800 kids playing. He just wanted to see kids playing and staying active.”
Despite working full days at their family business, Dave’s Tire World, Nannini would still find time to serve as president of the organization, attend board meetings and coach teams. Oftentimes he’d coach two or three teams at a time.
“He was in it to give back to the community,” said Erik Ekizian, who served on the Merced Youth Baseball board with Nannini for many years. “There was no personal gain for him. He’d come to our meeting in his dirty work clothes after working under cars all day. He’d come straight from work and stay until 9 or 10 at night.”
No matter how late Nannini would get home after a board meeting or baseball game, Suzy would have a hot meal ready for him, with his favorite helping of applesauce.
“I don’t know where he got the energy,” Suzy Nannini said. “That’s just the way he was. He was really energetic and dedicated.”
Ekizian said if a kid wanted to play baseball, Nannini would find a way to get him on a team by finding sponsors if the kids needed gloves, cleats or other equipment.
“He laid the framework for me on how to serve the community,” Ekizian said. “He was dedicated to all kids. It didn’t matter if they lived in north Merced or south Merced, all kids deserved to play. It wasn’t about the competition, he just wanted kids to be part of a team.”
When Nannini’s sons wanted to play soccer, he would take soccer classes to learn the game and would coach the teams.
With Merced needing more fields for kids to play, Nannini worked with the City of Merced to build the Youth Sports Complex.
“It’s essential to have really good people drive those things because they make it happen,” said Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto. “Nothing happens on its own. It takes good people working and sacrificing to make those things happen.”
Tragically sons Brian and Kevin drowned in a boating accident in February 2004. A few months later Dave and Suzy set up a scholarship foundation in their name.
They began handing out $300 scholarships to every senior high school baseball player that applied for the scholarship at Merced and Golden Valley high schools. Seniors from the El Capitan High School team were also eligible to apply for scholarships in recent years.
The Nannini Game between Merced and Golden Valley became an annual event, drawing the largest crowd of the year for both teams.
Since 2005, the scholarship foundation has handed out close to $85,000 in scholarships.
“He just kept going around and found ways to raise money to reward the kids,” Souza said.
After the death of Brian and Kevin, Dave Nannini did everything he could to make sure his grandchildren were able to play any sport they wanted. He often coached their teams.
“His commitment to his grandchildren and his family is second to none,” said family friend Harley Hermosillo. “I wish he was my dad for God’s sake. With all the sports he coached he didn’t miss a game. He did everything he could to make sure those boys had a normal life even though their fathers passed.”
Dave Nannini is survived by his wife Suzy, his sons Justin and Darren, daughter in-laws Dani, Rebecca Turner and Joanne Rosa and grandchildren Andrew, Brevin, Ty, Chelsea, Zack, Justin, Kylie, Austin, Emmerson and Berkeley. He was preceded in death by his sons Brian and Kevin.
There will be a public memorial service scheduled for Wednesday, May 18 at St. Patrick’s Church in Merced at 10 a.m. with a reception to follow.
There will be a private burial ceremony.
