The Manitou Springs School District renamed their stadium after former high school football coach and P.E. teacher, George Rykovich on Oct. 11. Rykovich was the head football coach at MSHS for 36 years with 222 wins and two state championships in 1987 and 1990.
The process of getting the field renamed after Rykovich has been a long term project according to Athletic and Activities Director, Cameron Jones. “The conversation over the years about the stadium was that it should be his stadium,” Jones said. “I mean, he put so much time in here and years and years of impacting kids in a positive way. He’s well known as being a really good person, not just a good coach.”
The decision was a long process due to a Manitou Springs School District school board policy that had to be petitioned against in order to dedicate a part of the school after someone. “Board policy said you had to be dead before something could be named after you,” Jones said. “So we had to get past that policy. Every superintendent that we had wanted to do it; but they didn’t want to put the effort into it, or really make it a proposal to the board.”
Progress was finally made to rename the field after Rykovich because of journalist Dan Mohrmann’s articles over the years. “He’s kept that bug going with the district,” Jones said.
However current MSSD Superintendent Sean Dorsey was the first person to take the issue to the board. “Sean Dorsey, he really took the bull by the horns and created a survey that went out to the community and had overwhelming support for naming it. He presented it to the board and they were totally in favor of this one time exception to override the policy.”
To commemorate the field being renamed there was a tailgate held before the game on Oct. 11 for members of the community to come to and be able to talk with coach Rykovich. There was also a ceremony held during halftime. “We were just looking forward to a good night, and we had a good turnout,” Jones said. “I think it’s long overdue.”
Current assistant football coach and MSHS P.E. teacher Brandon DeMatto has known Rykovich since 2012 and is grateful that he is being recognized for his commitment. “I think he’s a man that has given so much to this community and had so much success here and just in helping build the culture around here and the success that we’ve had, he’s a wonderful man,” DeMatto said. “It’s the right thing to do for a man that’s pretty much given his life to this district.”
Renaming the field after Rykovich has brought perspective to the impact that many people have in the district according to DeMatto. ”From a personal perspective, it just gives more meaning to every time that you step on that field, because he’s just an unbelievable person, and he’s done so much for so many different people.” DeMatto said. “It just shows he’s a guy that did it the right way.”
The Manitou Springs football team has continued to try and uphold Rykovich’s legacy both on and off the field. “This week that we’re honoring him, is a week that we’re actually looking to install the single wing offense that he brought to Manitou and had a ton of success with,” DeMatto said. “So it’s kind of interesting and pretty cool that we are in need of making some adjustments and what he brought to Manitou over 40 years ago still is applicable and is going to be what we run a little bit this week and moving forward.”
Rykovich is not only well known for his football career in Manitou, but all over the state of Colorado. “The one thing that I’ve always clung on to is anytime a coach asks about Manitou football when we’re talking on the sidelines before games, coaches are always like, ‘How’s coach Ryko doing?’ So he’s a member that extends well beyond just Manitou,” DeMatto said. “It’s in the state of Colorado, he’s well known and well regarded by a lot of people that have had a lot of success, and it’s just pretty cool to hear his name keep continuing to come up even years after he’s been done coaching.”
DeMatto is excited for the field to finally be named after Rykovich. “I’m just thankful to the district for getting this right and honoring him. He’s getting older and I think it’s really important for him to be able to be there when we name the field,” DeMatto said. “He loves this place and loves Manitou in particular so it means a great deal.”
Former NFL and MSHS football player Justin Armour played for Rykovich in his time at MSHS and learned valuable lessons that have stayed with him. “I think I can speak for the whole community when I say how thrilled I am to see George honored in front of so many people that he impacted. Ryko made you believe in something bigger than yourself, the team, and he had a special way of inspiring us before games,” Armour said. “He shared so many personal stories with us about his family members, and when it came to pre game speeches, nobody did it better. He would muster up this intensity and passion to play for each other, in this moment, together, and to leave it all on the field.”
