BIOGRAPHY & EXPERIENCE
Coach Rico Curtis was born in California. At the age of one, his parents moved the family to Texas. He was raised in an environment where football is life. Coach Curtis has over 25 years of football knowledge and over 10 years of professional football experience.
A natural people person, he uses his ability to communicate with a wide variety of athletes, and is a loyal family man. Coach loves a challenge and there is no one better to work with your inner athlete or the athletes in your life.
SERRA HIGH SCHOOL CONQUISTADORS CAREER
A first team All-CIF, All-Eastern League and All-San Diego County selection...Established a Serra High School record when he returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown against St. Augustine.
SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY AZTEC CAREER
1995: Redshirted in 1995 as a true freshman.
1996: Became an integral part of the Aztec secondary. Played in all 11 games for the Aztecs in '96, starting eight as the fifth defensive back. Ranked third on the squad in tackles with 70 and fourth in tackles per game (6.4). Had a recorded 11 tackles twice versus New Mexico & UNLV. Recorded his first career interception versus Fresno State. Ranked fourth on the squad in tackles-for-loss with six, totaling minus-17 yards. Notched his first career quarterback sack against San Jose State.
1997: Played in all 12 games, starting in 11. First among defensive backs with 112 total tackles (62 unassisted). Second on the team with seven tackles for loss (20 yards). Had double-digit tackle performances in six games. Turned in a spectacular performance at Wisconsin amassing 13 tackles, including 6 unassisted. Tallied a career-high 13 tackles (eight unassisted) against Air Force.
1998: Received Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division second team honors as a defensive back. Started first two games of the season at strong safety before moving to free safety due to an injury to Pete Balistreri. Recorded 11 tackles (6 solo) against Wisconsin and nine versus USC (8 solo). Also had a pass break-up and an interception against the Trojans. Made his first appearance at free safety in the Arizona game and recorded six tackles. Started the last 10 games of the season at free safety. Had a team-high 12 tackles (7 solo) and one pass break-up in the WAC opener versus Tulsa. Led the team in tackles and ranked 16th in WAC with 90 (54 unassisted). Currently ninth all-time on the SDSU career tackles list with 272. Notched four double-digit tackle games (12 vs. Wisconsin, 10 at USC, 12 at Tulsa & 12 at BYU). Recorded five unassisted tackles in the Las Vegas Bowl.
1999: A Pre-Season Jim Thorpe Award "watch list" candidate. Played in all 11 games of the 1999 season. Had 42 unassisted tackles and 41 assisted tackles, totaling 83 tackles for the season. Five of those tackles were for a loss of yardage with 2 sacks. Rico also had 2 interceptions for 35 yards. Was selected Most Outstanding Defensive Back, Team Captain, and Team MVP for his Senior season.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
2000 to Present: over 10 years in various pro leagues (NFL, AFL, XFL, AFL2, NIFL, UIF). One of the only San Diego athletes in history to have his career in high school, college, and professional all played in the same city.
COACHING CAREER
Over 10 years of coaching.
- High School (Serra High School, San Diego Jewish Academy)
- College (Grossmont College, Mesa College)
- Camps (Camp Curtis, Camp Leon, Camp Russell)
- Clinics
- Personal Training
- Professional (San Diego Riptide)