John Saunders, a longtime coach and teacher at Central Junior High School, died Saturday after a long battle with kidney cancer. He was 56.

Last year, the school honored Saunders, who taught biology and coached wrestling and football during his 24 years at Central, by naming the athletic fields at the school in his honor.

“He was just thrilled about that,” said Kathy Carlsen, who taught science with Saunders for several years. “He was always a very positive person, but he was on a high for days afterwards.”

Roughly five years ago, Saunders sustained an injury while demonstrating a wrestling move. He visited the doctor, who diagnosed him with cancer. Saunders continued to teach and coach for a while after the diagnosis, but eventually became ill enough that he had to take a leave of absence.

Students and colleagues described Saunders as a great motivator whose determination and humor rubbed off on those he coached and taught.

“He taught me to love football,” said Greg Erb, a former Kansas University player whose first football experience came with Saunders at Central. “He showed you how to work hard to get what you want. And he did the same thing in the classroom that he did on the football field. He taught you how to be successful.”

Brian Anderson, who coached with Saunders for several years before moving on to Lawrence High School, said Saunders did a considerable amount of research on his illness after he was diagnosed.

“He was one of those guys who could take any situation and find a bright side to it,” Anderson said. “Even if his illness was going to get him eventually, he wanted to find out everything he could so that someone else down the road wouldn’t have to suffer as much.”

Carlsen said Saunders pushed students to do the best at everything they tried.

“John was just so used to giving his all at everything that he simply expected the same from everyone he was around,” she said.

A Lawrence native, Saunders attended Central as a teenager. He joined the school’s faculty in 1975.

Saunders is survived by his wife, Lynn, a retired Lawrence High School teacher, and his son, Loren.