The longtime inspiration that a father and son have provided the Santa Ynez Valley Pirates football program will be memorialized with the field forever carrying their name. 

A proposal to designate Rio Memorial Field won the approval of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District board on Tuesday night.

Coach Josh McClurg raised the idea last month of recognizing Jeff Rio, a former coach killed in a car crash at Gaviota in 1996, and his dad, Carl, who helped players and coaches serving various roles after his son’s death. Carl Rio died in 2016.

McClurg expressed appreciation for the board’s approval, saying that Jeff and Carl Rio were deserving of having something named in their honor to continue influencing future generations of football players and other students.

“Both men were so important to the football program for over four decades,” McClurg said, crediting his coaching career to Jeff Rio and recalling Carl Rio’s mantra about mentoring youths and giving back to the community.

The 2023 Pirates football team will officially play the first game at Rio Memorial Field on Sept. 8, he added. At that time, the football boosters will unveil a new sign and press box. 

That game, against Santa Maria High School, will be the third of the 2023 season, according to the CIF schedule.

During the board meeting, Ken Gruendyke, a retired teacher, former football coach and current track coach, urged the board to support the Rio Memorial Field.

Jeff Rio, a former player and then assistant coach under Gruendyke, continues to be remembered for his inspirational and motivational coaching style. 

“I describe Jeff as a young man that was years ahead of so many kids at that time in the way he worked with and dealt with young people, very positive and reinforcing to them,” Gruendyke said.

News of the fatal crash “rocked the whole school,” Gruendyke recalled.

A celebration of life for Jeff Rio took place in the football stadium, Gruendyke said. 

“The whole place was packed, and it was unbelievable. … It’s something I’ll never forget,” Gruendyke added.

After his son’s death, Carl Rio joined the program serving in various roles, Gruendyke said, adding that he appreciated the board’s consideration of creating Rio Memorial Field.

Chris Johnson, board president, said he knew Jeff Rio and coached with him. 

“He has — actually, for generations now — been a symbol of Pirate pride,” Johnson said. “His father as well.”

Carl Rio was the epitome of family and pride in the school, Johnson said.

“I think it would be a great memorial for that,” Johnson said, adding that the topic is close to his heart. 

Saying it was important to recognize positive role models, board member Jose Juan Ibarra voted against the proposal after pushing for the development of procedures for handling similar requests and asking about past practices. 

The district’s policy states, “Upon request, the Board shall consider planting commemorative trees, erecting monuments, or dedicating buildings, parts of buildings, athletic fields, gardens, or other district facilities, in memory of deceased students, staff members, community members, and benefactors of the district.”

He suggested forming a committee to develop criteria for handling similar memorial requests.

“We are bound to get requests, and if we don’t have a process for it, it’s going to be really easy to perceive favoritism, popularity and that sort of thing,” Ibarra said. 

While the board voted 4-1 to create Rio Memorial Field, they also agreed to develop criteria for future naming requests. 

The Pirates boosters will host a Rio Memorial Golf Tournament on June 17. The event has sold out, but auction items are needed with information available here.