Former science teacher, Bob Champion was such a life long titan that at one point he tiled his bathroom in Poway green and gray.
Champion, known by most on campus as “Champ,” passed on Sept. 22. He was a science teacher, a Vietnam War veteran, and a head coach for 34 years of the boys’ varsity soccer team, racking up 483 wins in his career.
He initiated many athletic programs, such as Boys’ Soccer, Girls’ soccer, and Lacrosse, along with helping coach the football, golf, and lacrosse teams.
Varsity athletes can look down at their letterman to see patches that came from the Varsity Club Champion created as a way for students to get their patches.
Boys’ Soccer head coach Gene Morris knew Champion and played for him when he attended Poway High.
“He is loyal, honorable, patriotic, and he would do anything for anybody. That’s why he was such a legend,” Morris said.
This year, the soccer team will honor Champion by wearing a black armband to represent their legacy as they play on the field.
Off the field and in the classroom, Champion taught oceanography, science, and physics. He was often found in the band room or attending band tournaments.
Champion started a club called Care Coastal Area Research and Environmental Development where he would take students on field trips to collect data from 15 beaches across San Diego every week.
The data from his research was used for the Hotel Del Coronado and the Navy. They examined the beach erosion, according to Sharla Van Pelt.
Van Pelt met Champion as a student here and described him as a “die-hard Titan who loved Poway High School students.”
Champion was also loved by his students and they enjoyed his labs, especially when he would get all of his students to engage and participate, according to Physics teacher Lisa Casey O’Brien.
Casey O’Brien met Champion in 1996 when she joined the science department.
“My first impression of him was that he was super positive and upbeat, loved teaching, enthusiastic, and helping new people,” Casey O’Brien said.
After Champion retired he would visit Poway High to support athletics and academics.