Steve Zinn didn’t play much soccer as a child.

But Zinn was honored Saturday for his participation as a coach and board member in the Kaw Valley Soccer Assn. The Youth Sports Inc. Complex’s Field 12 was dedicated in his name.

“It’s wonderful because it’s a celebration of Steve’s life and the person he was and the values that he held,” said his wife, Jill Zinn. “I can’t think of a more appropriate way to honor his memory than to have his name always associated with fresh air and cheering and kids running around.”

Zinn, a public defender, died in September when his car was struck by another car that had run through a red light at the intersection of the South Lawrence Trafficway and 27th Street, which leads into the Youth Sports Inc. complex. Zinn was on his way to the complex to help out with the Kansas Cup Tournament.

His death devastated those involved in the soccer and legal community.

“He was a really good guy and super friend,” family friend Karen Johnson said. “He was just a stand-up individual.”

Jill Zinn said her husband didn’t play soccer much while growing up. But he became involved with coaching when his daughters Julia and Angela played the sport.

Kaw Valley Soccer Assn. board members sought Steve Zinn to serve on the board as the recreation chairman, friend Mark Begert said, and Zinn agreed after some persuasion.

“He was very methodical,” Begert said. “He would think things out. He had a lot of good ideas for recreation, and that came from the fact that he participated as a coach and saw a lot of strengths and weaknesses.”

Gerry de Boer of the Kaw Valley Soccer Assn. unveils the sign for the Steve Zinn memorial soccer field at the Youth Sports Inc. Complex. The association dedicated the field Saturday in the memory of Zinn, an association volunteer who was killed last year in a traffic accident on his way to help out at a tournament.

Being involved with the local soccer association was a way for Steve Zinn to spend time with his family, Jill Zinn said.

“But he also found something he really enjoyed,” she said. “It was a wonderful opportunity for him to see that he could help these young people grow as individuals and as a team.”

Gerry de Boer, president of Kaw Valley Soccer Assn., said the association hoped that soccer players, coaches, parents, referees and visitors would pay tribute to what Steve Zinn had done for the soccer community.

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“And that is to make Lawrence a better place to live,” de Boer said.

— 6News reporter Laura Berger contributed to this report.