Emilano “Emil” Magallanes (Boise ’92)
Posted: July 27, 2026
Emil was born in Watsonville, CA, on October 18, 1955, to his mom, Patricia, and his dad, Emil Sr. He died in his beloved home in Boise on December 8, 2025.
He grew up with three brothers—Danny, Mark, and Jeff—in Seaside, CA, on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula, where he enjoyed surfing, fishing, golfing, and running. Running was his passion.
Emil’s love for running took him to Monterey Peninsula Junior College and then to Boise State University (BSU). He set school records in the 3000-meter steeplechase at both institutions.
He had many beloved friends who shared his love of training and racing. He was a member of the Aggie Running Club out of Northern California, the Rig Track Club, and, later, the Boise River Running Club, which he helped form. Emil’s competitive years were epic, and he enjoyed many victories in track and field, road racing, and marathon racing. He was particularly proud of his marathon performances at the Boston Marathon in his younger years but also of his races as a masters runner in his 50s.
Emil was also a very good coach at the high school and college levels. He was able to pass on his knowledge to young people at Seaside HS and BSU. After he was no longer able to run like he wanted to, he volunteered his time as an official for high school and college track and field.
Another love of Emil’s was wildland firefighting. He had a long, successful career that took him from a seasonal hotshot crew to the ranks of the elite smokejumpers. He progressed to being a rookie trainer, taking his coaching skills to a new level. Emil jumped 11 seasons out of NIFC, from 1992 to 2002. Later, he worked dispatch and wildland fire management at NIFC to finish out his career with the BLM.
He had many “brothers” from the firefighting community whom he dearly loved and who gave him much support throughout his life. But his greatest love was, by far, his only son, Kai. Emil enjoyed being a father to Kai and spent the last several years of his life doting on Kai and feeling very proud of all of Kai’s achievements.
