Former Sac-Joaquin Section Commissioner Pete Saco dies at age 70
Pete Saco, one of California’s most admired high school commissioners during his 21-year...
Former Sac-Joaquin Section Commissioner Pete Saco dies at age 70
Mitch Stephens
Jan. 30, 2023
Updated: Jan. 30, 2023 7:57 p.m.
His voice was unmistakable, loud and clear. His ideas were innovative, creative and smart. But Pete Saco, a native of San Francisco, didn’t speak thunderously or offer a big proposal without a plan, purpose or research.
That made the former 21-year commissioner of the Sac-Joaquin Section one of the California Interscholastic Federation’s most respected and recognizable administrators.
Saco, who graduated from El Camino-South San Francisco and Cal State Hayward, died Sunday after dealing with stomach cancer for a long time. He was 70.
“He put in the work,” former San Francisco Section Commissioner Don Collins said Monday. “He did his research. He studied all issues, all over the country. He put forward a lot of ideas but they weren’t fly-by-night. He put so much time into the structure of things and because he was the son of a coach and educator, he lived with character and purpose. When you dealt with Pete, it was going to be done the right way.
“He wouldn’t back down from things and issues that were difficult.”
