Three years ago, Don “Doc” Adams died, leaving a hole not only in the Sedona Red Rock High School athletics program but in the broader community.

“Doc Adams spent 20 years of his life dedicated to SRRHS, supporting all sports programs for both boys and girls,” Sedona-Oak Creek School District Superintendent David Lykins said. “He wasn’t only the trainer on the sidelines and on the court, he was fan of young people participating in team sports, competing and learning team-building skills. He often treated students in his practice who were injured, many times free of charge if the student’s family couldn’t afford to pay.

“He was a Scorpion all the way. But most importantly, he had a genuine love for the students and athletes at SRRHS. He helped shape our youth’s future in such a powerful and positive way for two decades.”

Now, Adams’ singular contribution — widely acknowledged in the community — will be officially recognized. At the boys varsity basketball game versus Camp Verde on Thursday, Dec. 17, the high school’s main gymnasium will be dedicated and renamed in Adams’ honor.

It’s a move that both Lykins and John Cunningham, Adams’ good friend and a former coach at SRRHS, acknowledged was a bit too long in the making. According to Lykins, the SRRHS site council met several times over the last few years to plan and approve the dedication. Cunningham himself urged the dedication soon after Adams’ death, as did SRRHS Principal Darrin Karuzas. Finding the right time, however, became a top priority for all involved.

“Upon his passing, it was a very sad time for our community and SRRHS,” Karuzas said. “I immediately wanted to do something in his honor and name. We threw around some different ideas and felt naming the main gym after him was a perfect fit …. It took some time, but all the pieces finally fell into place for the right time to dedicate. That time is Thursday night at the gym.  His parents and immediate family will be able to make it. We would also like to name the annual holiday basketball tournament after Doc as well.”

“He was not only a coach, but a mentor,” Cunningham said, adding that Adams’ single greatest contribution was the time the man spent caring for students at games and in his own chiropractic office — a service that often amounted to more than medical services, bordering on acting as a father figure.

“He didn’t sit in judgment,” Cunningham added.

Cunningham’s wife, Robin Cunningham, praised the move to dedicate the gymnasium, emphasizing that Adams had never been paid a cent by the district. Everything, she said, was done out of the goodness of the man’s heart. Adams’ charity likely cost him a fair amount: Sports injuries require medical supplies, which Adams provided free of charge.

The intangible contributions, however, far outweighed the material.

“Doc was extremely influential in our son’s life,” Robin Cunningham said. “He was instrumental in all our students’ lives.”
Lauren Adams, Adams’ daughter and a former athlete at SRRHS, recalled being a young child and waiting for her father to come home from coaching commitments. Home and away games, fundraisers and all other manner of events — he made himself a fixture of SRRHS sports. This commitment only grew when his daughters entered high school.

“He was a part of the high school longer than anybody,” Lauren Adams said. “My dad would work full days and then make himself available at all sporting events.

“Any kid that showed up in his office was treated, appointment or no appointment — either for free or for next to nothing.”

“Doc was an exemplary stakeholder in our community for many years,” Karuzas added. “He committed his time, energy, expertise, knowledge, money and passion to our school and our community …. Doc and the many volunteers that commit to us every day are essential to our schools  and to our educational community.”