Let’s see, where do I start with this one. On a more local scale, Riviera Independent School District Athletic Director Arturo de la Rosa’s decision to retire from coaching mirrors former Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Jimmy Johnson’s decision to resign right after his team won back to back Super Bowls during the 1993 and 1994 seasons.

Those of us old enough to remember this can probably recall that fateful day when sports newscasts aired Owner Jerry Jones and Johnson sitting next to each other as the resignation became official.

How could this happen right after the Cowboys went back to back, fans like me thought. Johnson had pulled a huge rabbit out of his hat by turning the Cowboys into world champions from the pathetic joke they were five years prior.

Now fast forward to 2004- 2005 and let’s take a look at the Riviera-Kaufer High School varsity football team. Back in ‘05 the winless Seahawks were nowhere near competitive and underwent a season where they were trounced by every opponent. RISD brass decided it was time to make a change and out went that year’s head football coach and in came De la Rosa as an interim AD.

In his nearly 30 years at RISD, De la Rosa said, eight athletic directors-head football coaches have come and gone before school trustees handed him the reins.

No sooner had De la Rosa taken the job - during the summer of 2007 if I am correct - and some people started complaining about smalltown political-favoritism as the reason he was given the position. I was at an RISD school board meeting where a lady made that very declaration during public comments. Given a chance to rebuttal by the Kingsville Record, De la Rosa instead took one for the team - or district in this case - and gave no comment.

Political bickering aside - and trust me when I say that the community of Riviera has plenty and will until eternity - you cannot deny that De la Rosa has gone above and beyond to serve his local public, especially its youth. Well I take it back, even after years of dedicated service CERTAIN powers that be will always deny and ignore the sacrifices and efforts HARD WORKING AND SINCERELY CONCERNED coaches and teachers make for their communities.

Hey, maybe I’m jumping the gun and coming up with behind-the-scenes scenarios that don’t actually exist. Maybe Jimmy Johnson really did want to quit right after the Cowboys went back to back and Coach De la Rosa does actually want to step down after the Seahawks had their best season in recent years. And maybe if I click my heels enough times, we’ll all learn to get along and prove it by holding hands and singing ‘It’s a small world after all’ while standing underneath a rainbow. But I won’t hold my breath.

(Rey Sifuentes Jr. can be reached at rataman2@yahoo. com)