ATHLETICS
About the Athletics Department
RMHS Athletics Mission Statement
The Athletic Department serves as an integral part of Rio Mesa High School, and its mission is to provide an opportunity, through athletic competition, for students to develop physically, socially, intellectually, and emotionally. At Rio Mesa, athletics is viewed as an extension of the classroom in which student-athletes learn to strive for excellence in an atmosphere of teamwork, sportsmanship, and respect.
Athletics Policies
Student-athletes at Rio Mesa High School must be academically eligible with a GPA of at least 2.0 and passing at least 20 semester credits. They must be well-behaved at all times and realize that athletic participation is a privilege, not a right. They are to be always respectful to teachers, coaches, officals, opponents, and classmates. In addition, Rio Mesa High School's student-athletes are expected to be drug and alcohol free.
Brian Fitzgerald, Athletic Director
Following in the footsteps of Mike Michael and John Reardon, Brian FitzGerald became Rio Mesa’s third Athletic Director in 1987, and he has held that position ever since. His 22 years at the helm of the Spartan Athletic Department makes him the longest continuously serving AD in Ventura County. Brian is a proud graduate of Rio Mesa, where he was an all-league Football player and Track athlete in the 1970’s. After graduating from UCLA in 1980, he returned to his alma mater to teach English and coach.
In his 29 years as the school’s track coach, Brian’s boys’ and girls’ teams have won 44 league titles, 5 CIF Southern Section divisional runner-up awards, 3 CIF-SS Championships, and the girls’ State Championship in 1988. Brian was honored as the CIF Southern Section ‘s Coach of the Year in 1994, and is currently a member of the CIF-SS and California State Advisory Committees for Track & Field. For the past 16 years, Brian has developed curriculum and been a Lead Instructor in the area of sprints and relays for the innovative coaching education program offered by the LA84 Foundation. In 2005, he was honored with the “Outstanding Service to High School Track & Field” award at the Arcadia Invitational, and in 2008 he was inducted into the Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame.
In 2009, Brian was presented with the CIF Champions for Character award for his work as an Athletic Director. In recent years under Brian’s direction, the Spartan athletic program has won the OUHSD Inter-School Athletic Competition five of the last six years, and Rio Mesa was awarded the Ventura County Star Cup for the 2008-09 school year as the “top athletic high school in Ventura County. “ Brian’s wife, Koreen, serves as the school’s ASB Bookkeeper, and his sons, Michael and Patrick are both Rio Mesa graduates
545 Central Ave. Oxnard, CA 93036 |