Honor, dedication and pride live on in Tutino’s memory

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A couple of weeks ago, I was more than a little surprised Simi Valley had beaten Moorpark, 14-6. I know the Pioneers are no pushovers thanks to having talented players like RB Langston Jackson on their roster, but things may have gone their way that night thanks to some inspiration from an old coach and friend.

Before the game, a flag donated to the team by the family of Jim Tutino (pictured left), an assistant coach at Simi Valley and a Los Angeles County Sheriff‘s deputy of 23 years who tragically died in a Metrolink crash in January 2005, was dedicated in his honor and installed above the team’s locker room door.

Tutino’s siblings, Tony and Jill Tutino, presided over a pregame dedication of the flag, which had flown over the U.S. Capitol Building, before offering some words of encouragement to the team that their brother helped coach as a defensive coordinator for five seasons.

‘I told them to go out and work hard because that was Jim’s philosophy,’ said Tony Tutino, who has worked for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department for 13 years. ‘It was a tremendous feeling for me to go on my brother’s behalf and talk to the kids.’

And with a loving tap of the flag, the Pioneers left the locker room and beat Moorpark for the first time in 11 years.

‘I know Jim was looking down that night and he liked what he saw,’ said Tony Tutino, who was hugged by some of the Simi Valley players after the upset. ‘I would like to think Jim had something to do with that win.’

But the Tutino family hasn’t kept Jim’s legacy alive just through the football team. In the months after his death they established a scholarship fund in his honor for Simi Valley students.

So far, 12 scholarships have been awarded and the family is hosting its third fund raiser on Saturday night. For more information about the fund raiser and on ways you can help, go to www.jimtutino.com or email them.

Simi Valley is on the road Friday at Calabasas, but returns home the following week to play a big game against Westlake. The Pioneers will enter that game, just like they did against Moorpark, as underdogs, but they’ll once again tap inspiration from the man who was a beloved figure in the school and the local community.

- Austin Knoblauch

--Images courtesy www.jimtutino.com)