Students and faculty at Ahwanhee Middle School honor their beloved coach as a retirement surprise

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- He spent the last 30 years enriching the lives of students at Ahwanhee Middle School in Northeast Fresno.

He also spent those 30 years teaching in the same exact classroom on campus and when Joe Padilla was not in class he became the first basketball coach to coach a game in the school's new gym.

Last year, Padilla decided to retire. Students and teachers came up with a special way to honor him and to make sure his name will live on at Ahwahnee.

"So what we decided is that there was no one more important to our school as far as basketball and coaching than Joe Padilla. So we thought it would be appropriate to name our court after him," said Guzman.

Despite his retirement, Padilla was still busy on campus today. He was on the sidelines, keeping score for the game.