Rick Curtis said today he no longer is varsity football head coach at Santa Margarita.
“The new president is moving in a different direction,” Curtis said by text message today.
Perhaps that different direction would be a previous direction — former Santa Margarita coaches Jim Hartigan and Harry Welch are highly-regarded by Santa Margarita supporters, past and present.
Curtis coached the Eagles for two seasons. They were 11-10 overall and 3-7 in the Trinity League during his tenure.
Curtis said he would release a statement later today. He is to meet with the Diocese of Orange at 2 p.m. Santa Margarita is a diocesan school.
Santa Margarita this season finished last in the six-team Trinity League with a 1-4 league record. The Eagles lost their final three league games to, in order, Orange Lutheran, Servite and Mater Dei. They also lost to St. John Bosco; the league win was over JSerra.
In their final 2015 game, the Eagles lost to Mater Dei, 45-14. Stanford-bound quarterback KJ Costello was under severe pressure as Mater Dei recorded eight sacks.
Curtis was Northwood’s coach for 13 years, from the school’s opening through the 2013 season. He previously coached at Irvine, Laguna Hills, University and Servite.
The names that will be prominent on social media as possible successors are Jim Hartigan and Harry Welch.
Hartigan, the coach at JSerra, was the first coach at Santa Margarita, 1989-2002. Santa Margarita president Andy Sulick, who was an assistant coach at Santa Margarita in the 1990s and later was director of admissions at JSerra, is known to have a good relationship with Hartigan. Hartigan, though, has three children at JSerra, is the school’s athletic director and receives excellent administrative support there.
Welch was hired at Santa Margarita after the school fired his predecessor, Mike Jacot, following the 2009 season when the Eagles finished in last place. In 2010, Welch’s first year, Santa Margarita finished second in the Trinity League, defeated Mater Dei in the final week of the regular season, and defeated Edison in the first round of the Pac-5 playoffs before losing to Mission Viejo in the second round.
Welch coached at Santa Margarita from 2010-13. He compiled a 35-14 record as Eagles coach and led them to CIF section and state championships in 2011. Welch retired following the 2013 season.
Since his ’13 retirement, Welch has stated his retirement is permanent. He has enjoyed the opportunity to travel. Welch was in the stands, wearing a Santa Margarita jacket, seated among Santa Margarita football parents at Santa Margarita’s season-ending loss to Mater Dei last week.
Welch said he would not pursue the Santa Margarita job. But he would return if the school needs him.
“If asked,” Welch said, “I would serve.”
