ANSONIA Emmett OBrien Tech soccer coach Arthur Solis favorite quote from Nelson Mandela is I never lose, I either win or learn.

What Solis learned Tuesday afternoon is that he is loved and no matter what his win-loss record says, he has already won.

Solis, who has been the OBrien boys soccer coach for 47 years, was honored for his legendary career in a pregame ceremony Tuesday afternoon ahead of the Condors game against Abbott Tech.

Solis was presented with a plaque from his players as family, friends and former players looked on and was then given the key to the city of Ansonia by Mayor David Cassetti who read a proclamation in honor of Solis.

Solis said he cannot imagine a life away from the sideline.

People say that some day I will not want the job, thats not going to happen, Solis said. When I leave, they will be taking me on a stretcher off the field. Im not thinking about retiring. When you have fun, you cannot say I dont want to have fun anymore. And this is fun to me. The best reward you get is from (your heart) when you see guys coming back who you coached many years ago who just want their kids to meet you. Money cannot buy that, thats what life brings you. The happiness of helping somebody else.

OBrien is a co-ed team, something Solis said he has done for years because OBrien does not have enough players to field an independent girls team.

Making the ceremony even more special was the fact Solis son, Adrian, coaches Abbott Tech and was on the opposite sideline for his fathers special day.

I call this the Solis Bowl, said Adrian Solis, whose Abbott Tech team won 2-1. This ceremony today was a surprise for him. One of his coaches reached out a month ago and he had this great idea to honor him. I always look at all these records being broken for wins and this and that. Hes been here 47 years and he never talks about giving it up. Which is amazing to me.

Solis coached Adrian at OBrien. His son joined him on the Condors coaching staff before making the move to Abbott.

During the ceremony, Mayor Cassetti said he was first a student at OBrien Tech in 1975 and Solis has been there the whole time.

I graduated, went through my business career and Im ready for retirement and hes still here. Its truly amazing, Cassetti said. Coach Solis has been a mentor and friend as well as a coach to hundreds of players over the years, teaching them the importance of good sportsmanship and fair play.

Solis moved to the United States from Guatemala in 1966 when he was 16 years old and enrolled at Ansonia.

Ansonia did not have a soccer program in 1966 and Solis tried to play for OBrien Tech across town, but was denied because he was not a student at the school.

Instead, Solis joined the Condors coaching staff, volunteering as an assistant coach.

He went on to play soccer at Sacred Heart University, where he graduated in 1974.

In 1975, he got the job as OBriens varsity soccer coach, going 0-12-1 in his first season.

He led the team to its first state tournament appearance in 1988 and coached his son on the team from 1995-97.

In addition to his work at the varsity level, Solis helped start youth soccer programs in both Ansonia and Derby where he has coached and refereed for decades.

Hes a cornerstone of the soccer program, not only in Ansonia but the entire Valley and even Connecticut when you start looking at where his players and his family end up, Adrian Solis said. Im coaching in Danbury, his other son is coaching in Boston, his other son is in D.C. so hes nationwide. The influence hes had on his players stays with them through their lives. They are in the military, they go into the trades and all these different jobs. Then their kids come back and play for him, too. Its remarkable the influence he has had.

Before stepping away from teaching, Solis worked in the New Haven school system, teaching elementary school for 35 years.

Solis mission is to give back everything soccer has given to him since he moved to the United States.

It can only be done because of the passion for the sport and because there is a little bug in the back of my head that tells me to pay back what I got, Solis said. Its a passion I have. I live in Portugal during the summer for three months, but I come back for this because these are my kids.

Solis said everything he does is for the kids.

Since 1976, when I got those first guys, they were respectful and they gave their hearts and thats what I was looking for, Solis said. These people give me their hearts. We always say we dont lose, we either win or learn. Mandela. Dont worry about losing, you gain more experience.

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O'Brien Tech coach Arthur Solis presented with key to Ansonia - CT Insider