Sports

Santa Margarita Names Rick Curtis New Football Coach

Football program goes the subtle route, leaving name coaches like Jim Kunau and Raul Lara on the sidelines.

By Martin Henderson

The last time Santa Margarita Catholic needed a football coach, it went about as high profile as it could go. 

On Friday, the Eagles program went with a far more subtle approach. 

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Rick Curtis, who has been the head coach at Northwood High in Irvine the past 13 years, was named the fourth coach in the school's history. 

By choosing Curtis to replace Harry Welch, whose State Bowl Championship in 2011 was his third at three different schools in a six-year span, Santa Margarita left several high profile coaches on the sidelines, such as former Orange Lutheran coach Jim Kunau and Long Beach Poly coach Raul Lara. Both won State Bowl Championships and competed in the Southern Section Pac-5 Division. 

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Negotiating the Trinity League and the Pac-5 will be something new for Curtis, who will be entering his 37th year as a high school football coach—although he was an assistant for a couple of seasons decades ago at Servite when it was in the Angelus League. He feels like he's ready for it. 

"I know exactly what I'm getting into," Curtis said. "I'm a 24/7 kind o guy. It's a year-round deal now. I just talked to [St. John Bosco coach] Jason Negro and he said it's a beast and it's hard, but your'e going to love it. I love that kind of work. I have a passion for football." 

Curtis' most relevant recent experience has been at public schools. Prior to coaching Northwood and serving as its athletic director, he had been an A.D. at Irvine for 10 years and a defensive coordinator on the Vaqueros championship teams from 1991-93, a position he held while assisting head coach Terry Henigan for 14 seasons.

Prior to that he had been at Laguna Hills, University and Servite. Curtis also coached basketball, track, softball and golf.

Now 57, Curtis said the time was right and the fit was a good one—on both sides.

"I have eight to 10 years left, at least, and it's perfect timing for me and Santa Margarita," he said. "They were looking for someone who had the same mission they had, a passion for coaching football and a passion for Christ, and the mission they have within the school."

Curtis said he would like to get more kids involved in the program to build up the numbers, including those who play other sports. 

"I know a lot of football and I know that motivation is a big key, it's not all about Xs and Os," said Curtis, who has been part of the masters coaching program at Concordi. "It's about me coaching coaches more than just coaching players. In this situation, bringing in offensive and defensive coordinators and special teams and me overseeing all that—I'm excited for that part of it. I think I'm made for the job."

Athletic director Richard Schaaf was excited to get an older, more mature version of Mike Jacot, who bridged the Jim Hartigan era to the Welch era.

“Coach Curtis is one of the finest veteran coaches and he is a tremendous all-around person,” Schaaf said. “Our school and football program are fortunate to have a man of his caliber lead our student-athletes and continue to build upon the Eagle Tradition.”

Northwood finished 3-7 last season in the Pacific Coast League, in which its most notable opponent was league and section champ Corona del Mar; Northwood lost to the Sea Kings, 35-21. 

In the four years Welch was compiling a 35-14 record and winning the Pac-5 and State Bowl, Northwood went 19-25-1, including 8-4-1 in 2010 when it reached the Southern Division semifinals.

In Curtis' 13 seasons at Northwood, the Timberwolves reached the playoffs seven times; they reached the finals in 2005. 

SMCHS received more than 30 applications for the position.

Curtis has 29 years of experience as a business education and physical education teacher and is an adjunct professor at Concordia University in the Masters in Athletic Administration and Coaching Program.

After 14 years at Irvine, Curtis opened Northwood High as its athletic director and head football coach in 1999. He received the NFL's Coach of the Week award in October 2000 and was a recipient of the Southern Section's Pursuing Victory with Honor in 2001. Curtis and his football coaching staff were named to coach in the 2004 South Orange County All-Star game and he led his team to a 22-8 victory in the annual Orange County classic. In addition to his teaching and coaching, Curtis has also served as an advisor for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for the past 5 years.

Curtis grew up in South Orange County and graduated from Mission Viejo High before earning his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Cal State Fullerton, his teaching credential from the UC Irvine and his master's degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University.

“Coach Curtis brings a wealth of experience as an athletic administrator and varsity football coach to SMCHS," said principal Ray Dunne. "Beyond that he is a man of great integrity who is in coaching for all the right reasons. For him it is all about the students he teachers and the athletes he coaches. At his core he is a very spiritual man who lives his faith.

"I believe that his attention to the needs of his players—solid, ethical leadership of the overall program from freshman level through varsity—and a goal of helping each player use their God-given talents to their fullest will be of great benefit to the players and football program of SMCHS. “

Curtis and his wife Mary have seven children: John, Steven, Leslie, Ashleigh, Bryan, Sean, and Blake. 

Santa Margarita has won four league titles, three CIF championships, and one state championship. The Eagles boast four CIF Players of the Year, including 1998 graduate Carson Palmer who went on to win the Heisman Trophy.


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