Rio Mesa Coach Resigns : Track: FitzGerald calls it quits to spend more time with his children.

OXNARD â€”  Brian FitzGerald of Rio Mesa High, one of the most successful track and field coaches in the Southern Section the past decade, has stepped down after 15 years.

FitzGerald, co-coach with Rick Torres the past 13 years, informed Rio Mesa principal Eric Ortega of his decision Monday. He said a desire to spend more time with his wife, Koreen, and sons Michael, 11, and Patrick, 8, was the main factor in his resignation.

“My number one concern is that I’m missing my kids growing up,� FitzGerald said. “When they were younger, Koreen brought them to all the dual meets and most of the invitationals so we saw a lot of each other. But now that they’re getting older, they’re involved in their own sports and Koreen has to take them from one place to another.

“I’ve seen too many guys who got so involved with coaching that they missed their kids growing up and really regretted it later. I don’t want to be one of those guys.�

FitzGerald, who will remain at Rio Mesa as a teacher and athletic director, leaves behind a superb legacy.

The Spartan girls tied Bakersfield for the 1988 State title, placed second in ’89 and ’91 and tied for third in ’90.

They also won Southern Section 3-A Division titles in 1990 and ’91 after runner-up finishes in the 4-A and 3-A meets in ’88 and ’89.

FitzGerald coached two of the most decorated sprinters in state meet history.

Angela Burnham won five State titles, including the 100 and 200 in 1988 and ‘89, and Marion Jones was a double victor in the 100 and 200 in ’90 and ’91 before transferring to Thousand Oaks, where she won five more championships before graduating in ’93.

“Everybody knows what he did with Burnham and Jones, but he also took some less-talented kids and turned them into high-quality competitors,� said Derek Turner, the boys’ track coach at Oxnard High from 1989 to ’94 and now the men’s and women’s cross-country coach at Cal Lutheran.

In addition to the Big Two, FitzGerald guided Mary Bittner to a fourth-place finish in the long jump at the 1988 State championships and Shannon Wiebelhausplaced seventh in the 300 hurdles in ’89.

Alycia Burnham, Angela’s sister, finished third in the 100 hurdles in the 1991 State meet and senior Andrea Wasden was a finalist in both hurdles this year, although an ankle injury she sustained in the prelims prevented her from competing in the finals.

The Spartan girls won Frontier League titles in 1983 and ‘84, eight consecutive Channel League titles from 1986 to ’93 and posted a 120-14 dual-meet record during FitzGerald’s tenure.

The Rio Mesa boys were not quite as successful, but did win Frontier League titles in 1983 and ‘84, Channel League titles from 1986 to ’89 and in ’91. They were also 3-A Division runners-up in the 1989 section finals.

“It’s not like it’s one of those things where I’ve got to get out,� FitzGerald said. “It’s just one of those things where I don’t have enough time to do everything.�