Frank Des Enfants, Former BHS Baseball Coach

Published in the Burbank Leader, March 28-29, 1998
Jim Roggio, The Leader

Players, friends mourn coach
Former Burbank High baseball coach Frank Des Enfants dead at 52

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Former players and friends were among the mourners Thursday at the First Christian Church in North Hollywood to pay their final respects to former Burbank High baseball coach Frank Des Enfants. 

Des Enfants, who coached at Burbank High during the 1996 and 1997 seasons, died Monday at his home in Burbank of an apparent heart attack. The 52-year-old Des Enfants was well known and respected in the baseball community throughout the San Fernando Valley."He was a good person who really cared about kids," said Atlanta Braves scout Bill Marcot. "He will be missed."

Marcot said there was one incident with Des Enfants that sticks in his mind about how much the coach cared about his players. Last season, Bulldog standout shortstop Freddy Sanchez was having trouble attracting Major League Baseball scouts, despite a fine season. Marcot said Des Enfants relentlessly hounded him to take a closer look at Sanchez. The Braves ended up drafting Sanchez.

"He kept calling me on the phone," Marcot said. "If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have drafted Freddy." Marcot said it was apparent Des Enfants had a love for his player. Sanchez, who was among 100 who attended the service, said Des Enfants was a coach he looked up to. He also said he enjoyed the positive attitude Des Enfants brought to Burbank High. "He never got mad. If you made a mistake, it wasn't the end of the world. He just told you to correct it the next time," he said. 

Dan Jaramillo, who played catcher for Burbank last year, said Des Enfants always made sure his players had a chance to be successful after high school. "In our senior year, he made sure that we at least talked to someone at the next level," Jaramillo said.

Leonard Silva, who graduated from Burbank in 1997, said Des Enfants didn't stop caring for his players. "After I graduated, he called me and asked me how I was doing in school," Silva said. "He always wanted everyone to succeed in whatever they did."

Des Enfants is survived by his wife, Sandra, two sons, Jean-Paul and Justin, a daughter, Jaime, and a granddaughter, Elizabeth.