Arizona

Clyde Volz’s impact on Arizona track and field community runs deep

Published

1 year ago

November 12, 2024

Clyde Volz’s impact on Arizona track and field community runs deep

Clyde Volz, a high school track and field coach at Sunnyslope and Greenway high schools in Phoenix for more than 30 years, had the kind of impact on athletes that still is being felt today.

Volz, who won two Arizona Interscholastic Association state titles and created the Great Southwest Classic, passed away last month at the age of 85.

He coached many athletes during his time.

Tim O’Neil is one of the athletes who felt the most impact from his head coach. Volz took in O’Neil, a talented all-around sophomore track and field athlete at Sunnyslope who was living from couch to couch while in high school after a rough home life.

“He took me under his wing and made me realize there’s some bigger and better things out there for me,” said O’Neil.

O’Neil, who never had a family member graduate high school and planned to hang drywall for a career, had his life significantly changed by meeting Volz. Eventually, O’Neil morphed into one of the top-ranked athletes in the country for the high jump and went on to Mesa Community College before competing at the University of Nevada. O’Neil then competed professionally for Adidas after college.

But, like his mentor, O’Neil made his biggest impact as a coach.

It was O’Neil who convinced a young Devon Allen to first try out the hurdles while at Phoenix Brophy Prep. Allen, under the tutelage of O’Neil, became one of the greatest high school hurdlers Arizona has ever seen before taking the NCAA by storm at Oregon and making two Olympic teams in 2016 and 2020.

After a stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, Allen recently returned to the track as one of the athletes signed by Michael Johnson’s new professional track and field league, Grand Slam Track.

Allen isn’t the only Olympian that O’Neil has coached. This past summer, Freddie Crittenden III – who moved to Arizona specifically to be coached by O’Neil – made the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 110-meter hurdles. And it all started with O’Neil, which started with Volz.

“Clyde Volz saved my life,” O’Neil said. “I wouldn’t have been in college. I definitely wouldn’t be coaching track. I would have never met my wife. My life would be so drastically different without that guy, and that’s not an exaggeration. That’s the impact he made – he left the world in a better place for me.”

‘Pushing me out there’

It was in 1993 when Ron Smith was convinced by Volz to pick up a microphone while at the Glendale Invitational. Smith had announced some sporting events before, but it was just in his neighborhood near Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix.

Volz helped the upstart announcer’s name and phone number get out into the community and hired him to call meets.

Now, 31 years later, Smith has become the preeminent voice of the sport in the state.

“He was the one that started pushing me out there,” Smith said. “He’s the one who put me in bigger venues in front of much larger crowds, which then led other people asking me to come to their place. He’s the one who put me in those significant situations. I felt like all of a sudden, I was on the ‘inside.’”

Smith, who was a coach before he started announcing, was heavily influenced by Volz and his determination to track and field. So too was Ron Mann, whose own coaching career was started by Volz back in 1972.

Mann’s first coaching job came with Volz at Sunnyslope.

After leaving Sunnyslope, Mann eventually became the director of cross-country and track and field at Northern Arizona University, following stops at Thunderbird High and Mesa and Glendale community colleges. Mann’s teams made history in 1998, as NAU became the first school in conference history to win all four cross-country titles (team and individual) in the same year. He produced at least one Olympian in every summer Games from 1984 to 2004.

“I wouldn’t be where I was without Clyde Volz giving me that opportunity,” Mann said. “The modeling I got, he was representative of somebody who had ethics and morals, did everything the right way and had a vicious love for track and field. That formed my career from that point.”

Volz will best be remembered for his loyalty to his athletes. He used to film Super 8mm footage of his team working out, develop the film, cut it up and show it back to them – in the 1970s. Volz also used to take a school bus and drive it around the cinder track to compress the surface, making it firmer for his athletes.

On the track, Volz coached legendary in-state athletes, like Brian Muir (shot put), Doug Reynolds (discus) and Jeff Cannada (distance), to name a few. Volz was the founder of the Arizona State High School Decathlon and Heptathlon Championships. The Great Southwest Classic, his creation, became a premiere showcase for track and field talent.

“There’s no question that Clyde is paramount in his legacy the sport in Arizona,” Mann said. “There are very few that could even come close to equaling him in terms of what he did. He’s right at the very top in the way that he approached the sport and his complete dedication.”

Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, ASU and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@gannett.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.

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Arizona

Arizona State men’s basketball cruises past NAU for 8th win

Published

60 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Press Room

Arizona State men’s basketball cruises past NAU for 8th win

The Arizona State Sun Devils were looking to improve on the win they chalked up three days ago against Oklahoma. They did, sort of.

ASU added a 73-48 win over visiting Northern Arizona on Dec. 9 at Desert Financial Arena for its fifth win in the last six outings.

Defense has been the team’s focus in the last two weeks, and that showed as the Sun Devils (8-2) held their opponent to a season-low point total. Coach Bobby Hurley said the team’s goal was to hold the Lumberjacks (4-5) to under 49 points. Mission accomplished there.

ASU shot 50% 26-for-52) for the game, with an even split, 15-for-30 in the first and 11-for-22 in the second half. NAU shot 33.3% (17-for-51), which included a 5-for-26 from long distance.

What went right

Got scoring punch from the bench: ASU is 8-0 when getting more points from its bench than the opponent, and 0-2 when it does not. In this one, it wasn’t even close as the Sun Devils had a significant advantage here, 33-3. Allen Mukeba had 10, Anthony “Pig” Johnson nine, and Marcus Adams 8.

Rebounded better: This is an area where the Sun Devils have made noticeable strides in the last two games, and this was an opponent ASU should have bested on the board because it was one of the few where they have had a size advantage. The Sun Devils won the battle 41-15, with a 10-4 edge on the offensive glass and a 31-21 advantage on the defensive boards. Santiago Trout had eight, with Mukeba, Andrija Grbovic, and Massamba Diop each collecting six.

Used inside presence: The 7-0 freshman Diop had a career-high 19 points on an 8-for-10 showing from the field. Hurley said his team didn’t go to him enough

What went wrong

A few too many turnovers: ASU had 13, which is too many against a .500 foe. NAU had 10 steals, and it wasn’t exactly pressuring the ball. It was the area in which Hurley was most disappointed. Diop had four. The Sun Devils were fortunate NAU only manufactured 12 points off those turnovers. NAU also had 13 turnovers, and ASU scored 23 points off those.

A bit sluggish in the first half: ASU ended the first half up 35-26. It was up 11-2, then faltered a bit, and the Lumberjacks actually went ahead 14-13 with 10:40 left in the half.

Personnel notes

ASU has used the same starting lineup for all 10 games this season. A total of 10 athletes entered the game and all of them scored. The last person to score was Moe Odum, who came in averaging 18.9 points per game. His only two points came at the line with 30 seconds left.

Up next

The Sun Devils are back on the road for another neutral site game, the fifth of the season. ASU will square off with Santa Clara (8-2) in the Jack Jones Hoop Hall Classic at 5 p.m. on Dec. 13 at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. ASU is 3-1 in neutral-site games while the Broncos are 1-1.

The teams played last season with ASU prevailing 81-74.

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Arizona Diamondbacks hire rival exec to help revamp pitching pipeline

Published

13 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

Arizona Diamondbacks hire rival exec to help revamp pitching pipeline

The Arizona Diamondbacks have hired Jeremy Bleich from the Pittsburgh Pirates as their new assistant general manager.
Bleich will be responsible for overseeing the organization’s pitching development.

The Diamondbacks have hired executive Jeremy Bleich away from the Pittsburgh Pirates in an assistant general manager role, sources said this week. Bleich will oversee the organization’s pitching development.

It is the latest change the Diamondbacks have made in hopes of revamping their pitching infrastructure, which has lagged behind the industry for years.

General manager Mike Hazen said last month the club was likely to push its pitchers harder from a strength and conditioning standpoint in hopes of generating more big-league-caliber arms.

Bleich had been the Pirates’ director of pitching development. That organization has done well developing pitching — both starters and relievers — in recent years. This past season, the Pirates posted the third-best ERA (3.76) in the National League with a staff that included several homegrown arms.

Bleich, 38, pitched parts of 11 seasons in professional baseball. He was drafted 44th overall out of Stanford by the New York Yankees in 2008. He made two appearances in the majors with the Oakland Athletics in 2018.

Bleich is the first high-ranking external addition the Diamondbacks have made to their front office in years.

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Thin Blue Warning: How Arizona law enforcement can use warning shots despite Shannon’s Law

Published

1 day ago

December 9, 2025

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Thin Blue Warning: How Arizona law enforcement can use warning shots despite Shannon’s Law

PHOENIX – Arizona law enforcement agencies have the option to fire warning shots, but it’s a rare and controversial tactic.

Until November, the Sedona Police Department allowed the practice under specific circumstances. But policing experts argue that firing a gun into the air to deter a threat conflicts with state law.

What they’re saying:

In the responses from more than 40 law enforcement agencies, a majority gave a resounding “no” on a questionable tactic. We discovered some departments allow warning shots — raising serious concerns about legality, accountability and public safety.

We can confirm that the Sedona Police Department’s policy no longer allows officers to use warning shots. Ex-Deputy Chief Ryan Kwitkin says it’s about time.

“It’s unsafe to fire warning shots. This isn’t the Wild West,” Kwitkin said.

Kwitkin is the plaintiff in an ongoing lawsuit against the city. Kwitkin is suing the city of Sedona and some of its top officials, including the police chief. The city has denied the allegations and cannot comment on pending litigation.

Former Sedona Deputy Police Chief Ryan Kwitkin

Kwitkin was fired in August 2024, months after being placed on paid administrative leave.

His attorney claims his termination was unlawful and that Kwitkin faced retaliation from Chief Stephanie Foley for raising policy concerns — like the ability to fire warning shots.

“I went to Chief Foley and explained that under no circumstance should we allow warning shots,” Kwitkin said.

When asked what the chief’s response was, Kwitkin said: “That we’re not changing the policy. That it’s only under certain circumstances.”

When the Sedona Police Department was asked if there have been any documented incidents involving warning shots since 2020, records show none were fired in the last five years.

Joe Clure, executive director for the Arizona Police Officers Association

“Why would they leave it in their policy for so long until just recently?” we asked Joe Clure, executive director for the Arizona Police Officers Association. “Frankly it’s clear they have some leadership challenges at the Sedona Police Department.”

Clure has publicly questioned the Sedona PD’s leadership and the previous warning shot policy.

Here’s what Sedona’s policy used to say: “Warning shots or shots fired for the purpose of summoning aid are discouraged and may not be discharged unless the member reasonably believes that they appear necessary, effective, and reasonably safe.”

FOX 10 obtained the modified policy, which says, “Firing a firearm in a manner commonly referred to as a ‘warning shot’ is expressly prohibited in all circumstances.”

“But a lot of the concerns that I brought up were for the best interests of the citizens of Sedona, the police department, and just moving the department into the 21st century of best police practices,” Kwitkin said.

Clure said, “I think by anybody’s standard risk management should be screaming about that because it is a huge liability, I believe, and very dangerous for the community to have that even as a possibility.”

Dig deeper:

FOX 10 Investigates reached out to dozens of law enforcement agencies across Arizona to ask if their policies allow warning shots.

We received more than 40 responses from major agencies like Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, along with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Nearly all of them said warning shots are prohibited.

Here are some of the reasons:

Mesa PD’s policy says: “… they may prompt a suspect to return fire and may endanger innocent bystanders.”

Pinal County Sheriff’s Office replied by saying: “Like firing a deadly weapon as a warning? That is not allowed.”

Flagstaff PD’s policy says: “Warning shots are rarely effective and pose a danger to the officer and the community if used in lieu of deadly force on a suspect.”

Forty out of 44 agencies that responded say no to warning shots. That’s 90%.

The four agencies on the opposite end:

Tolleson Police say warning shots are “generally” discouraged unless the officer believes it’s necessary, effective and safe.
Lake Havasu City PD and the Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office have the same language in their policies.
Paradise Valley PD says, “Officers will not generally, fire warning shots” — but use-of-force decisions are discretionary and must be “objectively reasonable” based on the circumstances.

Big picture view:

“We created a law for just that reason, to prevent those types of rounds being fired so that they don’t to prevent them from inadvertently striking another innocent person,” Clure said.

The law is called Shannon’s Law. It is named after 14-year-old Shannon Smith, who was in the backyard of her Phoenix home when she was killed by a stray bullet in June 1999.

“When we met with the police, they told us that this is something that goes on all the time. That this is something we have to live with. We said ‘oh no, this is something that the community does not have to live with.’ Something that can be stopped,” said Lory Smith, Shannon’s mother, in a 2007 news report.

In 2000, Shannon’s parents worked hard to pass Shannon’s Law, making it a Class 6 felony to negligently fire a gun into the air within the limits of any Arizona municipality.

But the statute lists some exceptions, like a special permit of the chief of police of the municipality.

Benjamin Taylor, attorney at Taylor & Gomez Law

“What they have is what you call governmental immunity. So, a lot of times a law enforcement officer can be immune or exempt from Shannon’s Law if they’re using it in a reasonable manner. That’s where they can fire in the air. And Shannon’s Law wouldn’t apply to law,” said Benjamin Taylor, attorney at Taylor & Gomez Law.

But the risk, he says, is obvious. For law enforcement agencies, the approach to policy is “to each their own.”

“A simple fix and solution would be to change your policy. Don’t train your officers in the academy that they’re allowed to shoot a warning shot,” Taylor said.

AZPOST is the state’s Peace Officers Standards and Training Board. Its executive director tells FOX 10 that AZPOST doesn’t have the authority to direct internal policies of law enforcement agencies on warning shots.

Clure says it’s common sense for chiefs and sheriffs to ban it for good.

“Just because it’s the police officer firing that round doesn’t mean that that bullet’s any less dangerous or any more apt to go strike an unintended victim,” Clure said.

Policies are changing

The Round Valley Police Department is changing its policy after being asked if officers could fire warning shots. This department was recently investigated by the Department of Public Safety for misconduct issues.

Interim Chief Jeff Sharp said Round Valley’s original policy says it’s generally discouraged to fire warning shots unless deemed necessary and reasonably safe. But immediately following our questions about the policy, he amended it to say, “Warning shots are not authorized,” which shows it’s up to the respective agency’s chief or sheriff to decide.