Richard Gutierrez has been named the new Varsity Football Coach for Canyon High School. Along with being the Athletic Director at the school for the last three years, Gutierrez has 10 years of high school football coaching experience under his belt, from freshman to varsity level and knows the field as well, from his days of playing on the Saugus High football team.

Gutierrez currently teaches special education at Canyon High School and previously taught at Sierra Vista Junior High School and Bowman High School, where he was selected Teacher of the Year in 2006.

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He starts his new position immediately.  Gutierrez replaces Chris Varner, who stepped down following the 2010 season to spend more time with his family.

Andy Keyne, Assistant Principal at Canyon, indicated that there was a great deal of interest in the position and Gutierrez was selected from a very strong pool of candidates. Inquires on the position were made from as far away as Massachusetts and Georgia.

“Rich impressed the panel with his enthusiasm, experience and love for football.” Keyne said. “As a teacher and coach, Rich makes strong connections with his students and players.”

Keyne went on to explain that Gutierrez was the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys last year and was a big part of their 10-2 season.

“Our current team is very strong with a fantastic mix of solid experience and fresh excitement,” Gutierrez said. “These young men are tremendous individuals not only on the field, but also in the classroom, and I look forward to working with them as their Head Coach.”

Cowboy Football is a brand in itself that has tremendous history and contending for CIF is an expectation. Gutierrez is proud to continue the tradition that he has already been entrenched in for the past several years.

Gutierrez and his wife have lived in the Santa Clarita Valley their entire lives, and are now raising two children in the community they love. Gutierrez played football at Saugus High School and Los Angeles Valley College, before earning his Bachelors degree in Communications from California State University, Northridge and his Master’s degree in Special Education from National University.

When sharing his coaching philosophy, Gutierrez said, “You must love the kids first. If not, they will never play for you.”