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Two of San Diego County’s most iconic high school football coaches — Monte Vista’s Ron Hamamoto and Madison’s Rick Jackson — are both retiring.
Hamamoto, 66, is the third-winningest coach in San Diego Section history with a 246-194-4 record. He ranks behind only Herb Meyer (339 wins) and John Carroll (248 wins).
Jackson, 50, is the San Diego Section’s 15th-winningest coach with a 172-71-1 record. He will remain at Madison as athletic director and a biology teacher.
Jackson’s Madison teams won 11 league titles, three CIF San Diego Section titles and a pair of state championships. During a 10-year stretch, Madison went 105-21-1.
So why is Jackson walking away?
“I missed tournaments, weddings, funerals, family events,” he said. “When I was younger, the motto was: ‘There’s another game next week for the boys, another tournament next week.’
“There aren’t many of those days left. I don’t want to miss anything. I want to be present for my family the way they’ve been present for me.”
Jackson’s sons, Jake and Ryan, played for their father at Madison. Starting next year, they’ll team up to play baseball for San Diego State. Jake Jackson is an Aztecs sophomore outfielder, while Ryan, a Madison senior, has committed to the program.
Rick and his wife, Kim, who rowed at San Diego State, plan to attend as many Aztecs games as possible.
“Certainly, I’m proud of my boys, but I’m most proud of the success the kids coming through our football program have had as men,” Jackson said. “I’m really proud that we have a lot of kids out there that have positively contributed to society.”
Jackson is well respected in the coaching community.
“Rick, without a doubt, had a successful career building up that program,” said Lincoln coach David Dunn. “His teams always brought a lot of fire, always played at a high level. He established Madison as a reputable program.”
Madison produced a number of talented running backs. One of them, Robbie Rouse, played at Fresno State, coached with Jackson at Madison and is now the running backs coach at Washington State.
“One of the things I loved about Coach Jackson is that he was always honest, transparent,” Rouse said. “He brought out the best in us. You knew Coach Jackson not only cared about you as a player, but as a person as well.”
Hamamoto has had a fascinating career. He was 26 years old when he took over as head coach at University of San Diego High School (now Cathedral Catholic) in 1985. He posted an 80-46 record over 12 seasons with the Dons. From there, he moved on to Rancho Bernardo, where he went 73-48-3 from 1996-2006. Hamamoto spent four years at Lincoln, going 25-22-1, before moving on to Monte Vista. He went 78-84 with the Monarchs over 13 seasons.
Hamamoto’s final team posted a season for the ages. The last team to qualify for the CIF San Diego Section playoffs, the Monarchs captured the CIF San Diego Section Division 5 championship and won their Southern California regional game before falling to Summerville Tuolumne in the state championship game.
Senior Alexander Villanueva set the CIF San Diego Section single-season rushing record with 2,930 yards as the Monarchs went 10-6. They won just four total games in their three previous seasons.
Monte Vista will return 10 defensive starters in 2025. Still, “it’s a good time” to retire, said Hamamoto, who isn’t sure if he’ll return as a PE teacher at MVHS. “We had a great run in the playoffs. The program’s in good shape for whoever will be the next head coach.”
Hamamoto praised his players and the assistant coaches who worked alongside him for decades. Thirteen of Hamamoto’s former assistants have become head coaches in San Diego, including Dunn, Cathedral Catholic’s Sean Doyle, Mt. Carmel’s Gary Jolk and others.
“Nobody can do this by themselves. I was very fortunate that I surrounded myself with very good people, both players and coaches,” Hamamoto said. “I’m very proud of what we’ve done. I had a lot of fun along the way, too. I’m glad I chose this profession.
“The first thing I’ll miss are the relationships. My best friends are coaches I coached with in San Diego. What I’m going to miss is the rapport you have with the players, the young people of the world, just talking with them, having fun.”
Dunn coached under Hamamoto at Lincoln before taking over the Hornets’ program.
“Ron taught me a lot in the years I coached with him: How to set up a practice schedule, that you have to maximize your time,” Dunn said. “He also taught me a lot about patience. He gets after it, but he’s definitely a person that you respect as a coach.”
Granite Hills coach Kellan Cobbs, whose teams have won three straight San Diego Section championships, said Hamamoto “set the standard for excellence” in San Diego.
“His ability to win wherever was very impressive, especially his last stop at Monte Vista,” Cobbs said. “That’s very tough. You’re surrounded by Helix, Mount Miguel and Steele Canyon. One other important thing to look at was his ability to develop other head coaches.”
Said Doyle: “There’s no head coach in San Diego who’s done what he has done. The diversity of the programs he coached …. Lincoln, Rancho Bernardo, us (at USDHS), Monte Vista. All different entities. To be successful at all of them, that says a lot.”
Originally Published:
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