Mr. Egbert was a man hugely important to Sahuaro High School and Tucson at large. He played high school football at Tucson High and then received a scholarship to play fullback for the University of Arizona, earning a degree in education in the process.
A World War II veteran, he served under Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and George Patton as the commander of an assault gun unit and earned two Bronze Stars. He became assistant principal at Catalina High in 1956 and eventually became the first principal of Sahuaro High School in 1966.
His job of picking the staff at Sahuaro has long been hailed as the jump-start of decades of academic and athletic excellence.
Mr. Egbert died in 2003 at the age of 83.