Victor “Vic” Castillo passed away peacefully on September 5, 2024, at his San Antonio home with his family and loved ones surrounding him. He was 79 years old.
Vic Castillo was born “en el barrio del Riverside” in San Antonio, Texas to Rosa Cervera and Vidal Castillo Sr. on April 23, 1945. He was the second youngest of 6 children and the youngest of his four brothers. He spent much of his youth chasing his big brothers around Delgado Street and San Pedro Park and was always eager to be a part of their crew. Young Vic was an entrepreneur and continuously seemed to be “hustling”. He shined shoes, had his own newspaper route and delivered glass, milk bottles to front porches for Metzger’s Dairy all before the age of 12. For those who knew little Vic back in those days, his love for Fritos earned him the nickname “The Frito Kid”.
Vic started playing football in 8th grade at Irving Middle School and was a scrawny teen with big dreams. He often relayed the story about their football team photo and that the majority of the front row was pictured barefoot. “Too poor to buy football cleats but rich in tenacity!”, he would say.
Vic’s goal was always to graduate from college but financially he knew it would most likely never be possible. Thankfully, his coaches saw the potential in Vic and encouraged him to keep dreaming his big dreams. He played on the “B” football teams his 10th and 11th grade seasons but that belief in himself kept him going and Vic always stayed prepared to “step-in”. One of his mottos throughout his life was, “I stay ready so I don’t have to get ready!” Now, it’s clear to see why and how his integrity first began to shine.
By his senior year, Vic was the starting quarterback on the varsity squad and helped lead the 1962 Brackenridge Eagles to the 4A State football championship. Vic threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns against a previously unbeaten Borger high. Vic set himself apart by becoming the first quarterback in the state of Texas to throw for over 2,000 yards in a single season while setting the single season passing record for San Antonio, completing 112 of 225 passes for 2,145 and 25 touchdowns.
After Vic’s iconic State Championship season and high school graduation that little boy from the “barrio” was soon on his way to realizing his dream of a college education. He was recruited by, and offered both football and academic scholarships, from a plethora of colleges, but finally landed on committing to Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.
While at KSU Vic set five passing records for the Wildcats. Although he still had a year of eligibility left (freshmen were ineligible for the varsity back then), Castillo decided to leave K-State when his then coach, Doug Weaver, was fired after the 1966 season. The “story” goes that Vic was never intending to continue his football career after leaving KSU but instead was on his way back to San Antonio. When he stopped in Emporia, KS to visit some of his football buddies, word got around that “The” Vic Castillo was on campus. The coach told a few of his players to find Vic and summons him back to his office. They did and the coach offered Vic the starting quarterback position on his team right then and there – and that’s how Vic ended up transferring to Kansas State Teachers College, now Emporia State, and completed his football career with the Hornets in 1967.
Vic received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1968 from Kansas State Teachers College. He spent the next 3 years working for Head Start – where he came full circle teaching pre-school children living in poverty through comprehensive early learning along with health, nutrition and family support services. No doubt, instilling in those children to continue to dream big just as he did! Vic then went on to coach at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS before returning to San Antonio in 1975.
Vic’s return to his beloved home state led to a long stint as a high school coach. He held a coaching position at Sam Houston, he was the offensive coordinator at Fox Tech and the head football coach at Lanier. Vic made it a point to always motivate and inspire his students and players just as he was motivated and inspired by his coaches back in his day.
Vic earned his Master of Science in Education from Texas A&M University at Kingsville which led to his administrative career in both, San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) and Northside Independent School District. After serving as an assistant principal at Brack for 10 years, Vic retired but still worked as a substitute administrator. He became a full-time assistant principal at John Jay in 2007 and remained at the Northside ISD school until retiring in 2012. In all, Vic served the education profession for 28-years while welcoming the opportunity to lead, collaborate, and inspire coaches entering the profession.
Vic cherished the opportunity to serve as a role model to students of the inner-city, and these attributes both on and off the field, led to his 2017 SAISD Athletic Hall of Fame induction. An honor that he pridefully held dear to his heart clear to the end.
The remaining 1962 Eagles State Champs have kept as a close-knit group, meeting for brunch on the last Wednesday of each month at Taco Haven near Brack. Ever the leader, Vic started the monthly reunions 14 years ago
In 1998, Vic married the love of his life, Judy (or “JuJu Butterbean” as he often and lovingly called her), and they lived a beautiful and fantastic 26 years together. JuJu re-introduced Christ into Vic’s life and they both were proud members of MyChurch (now known as Grace Point Church Northeast). He was a man of God and full of great spirituality and faith. Vic and JuJu enjoyed traveling together with some of their best memories including a trip to Spain and multiple trips to Mexico, Vegas and Kansas – to name a few. You would often find Vic and JuJu enjoying live music and dancing on the weekends. Vic never turned down an opportunity to take a spin on a dance floor and show off his stellar moves – and, boy, did he have many!
Vic, always up for fun, was “famous” for perfecting and making the world’s best Italian margaritas. He even used a little “cheat” container he designed that precisely indicated with a sharpie how much of each liquor and mixer to add – don’t forget the amaretto! The recipe was so good that Vic gave it to their bartender at Las Carretas and most every Friday night you would find Vic and JuJu sipping their margs and visiting with the other regulars there who had become their fast friends.
Vic was known for his sense of style and could always be seen wearing outfits that were fresh and hip. Calling him “dapper” would be an understatement! He took color coordination to a whole new level! He had, what seemed to be, hundreds of sneakers and each one matched perfectly to a specific cap in his closet. Vic would not only “wow” with his fashion but also with his “wit”. He was always making people laugh with his jokes or by telling some crazy story full of antics and hilariousness. Vic was also an avid golfer and at one point even played fast pitch men’s softball for his favorite “watering hole” – the Glowworm. There was really nothing this man couldn’t do! Vic never met a stranger and he was loved by so many.
