LARGO, Fla. — A local legend for the game of soccer is getting some recognition.

Luis Rey brought the sport to St. Patrick Catholic School, serving as its first head coach. To honor that achievement, a special dedication will be made to Rey.

“This brings a lot of good memories. Very good memories, yeah," he said. 

Rey walks around St. Patrick Catholic School, he’s reminded of some special memories.

“All of the kids- they were so great," he said. "They’d say, ‘Hey! A new sport is coming!’ Because, at those times, the only things you heard about were baseball and basketball.”

In 1973, Rey was hired as the school’s first soccer coach, not only starting the program from scratch, but also introducing the sport to Largo as well.

“I had to go to the Tampa Port to get nets from the people there fishing," Rey said. "So I got a fishing net, an orange color, and put it in the net of our original soccer field.”

As Rey looks inside the school’s trophy cabinet, it isn’t just accolades he sees. It's also the faces of the students he helped coach.

“I’m very pleased to be able to remember those times with the children and seeing their faces there,” he said.

Seeing their actual faces in photographs is also a sight for the former coach, realizing just how big of an impact he had on their lives.

“To see what these kids have become- becoming men, it’s just... wow,” he said.

Of course, the game has evolved and changed since rey was coaching all of those years ago, becoming more popular as well with more kids playing the game today.

“That is very rewarding to see that the parents and friends are involved and supporting the children in that type of activity,” Rey said.

St. Patrick Catholic School will be holding a special dedication ceremony for Rey next month. The school will be dedicating a bench and garden to their former coach at the school.