In 1977, Coach Botkin’s older brother, Rick Botkin, was killed in a tragic accident; 46 years later, Sahauro celebrated the 45th Annual Rick Botkin Memorial. Rick was just a 17-year-old senior at Sahuaro High School, celebrating a victorious football game with his friends – both frequent occurrences for him – when his truck flipped over during a ride in the desert. Rick was an amazing athlete and friend to many. He ran track and field, set several records, and played football as quarterback and safety. Due to his incredible impact on Sahuaro, this game has become the longest-running high school memorial in the United States.

Every year, Rick’s parents – Bud and Clara, brothers Mike, Bud, and Steve (our athletic director), and various other members of the Botkin family join the team in the locker room pre-game before heading out onto the field for a tribute. Then, the game starts. For this game, Sahuaro won against Cholla, 29-10. The boys played with heart and passion – even more than most nights.

Rick’s dad described Rick as a, “…fantastic person…he always helped me around the house, and stuff like that.” They also enjoyed fishing together. His dad said, “He was my number one fishing buddy, we fished constantly. All I had to mention was fishing and whatever he was doing he would just stop, ‘let’s go.'” His dad also coached all four of his sons in Little League baseball, Rick for five years. Despite having three other sons and busy lives, Rick and his dad spent a lot of time together. His mom said he was, “Loving, very loving.”

Steve Botkin, Sahuaro’s athletic director and class of ’86 graduate, was only 8 years old when his brother passed, however, he still remembers what an amazing person Rick was. “He was a great brother to me, he was like a hero to me. He took me places and did things with me. I remember playing with him and my oldest brother; I have three older brothers, one is Bud and one is Mike, and they played football at the same time as Rick, so some of my fondest memories were going to activities like baseball games and football games and watching them all play together. I do remember those things which is really cool,” he shared. Mr. Botkin also reminisced on all the activities they used to do together, “…miniature golfing, going to the movies, and even just going with him to wash his truck and hang out with him are all really good memories. He used to grab me and take me with him everywhere he went so it was really cool.”

After high school, Rick was going to continue his football career at ASU. Mr. Botkin shared another memory from his childhood – the number of coaches that came to his house, sat in his living room, and talked to his parents and brother. “U of A wanted him to go there. Utah, a couple of schools in the Utah area, so there were a lot of schools that were interested in him, but he had chosen ASU because he had gone to a couple of camps that the coach was running and really liked the coach a lot.” At the time, Frank Kush was coaching the Arizona State University football team; he was a College Football Hall of Fame inductee and had the most wins in ASU football history.

Mr. Botkin was quite young when Rick passed away, so he doesn’t remember what his brother planned to do in his future. Mr. Botkin still has some ideas as to what he would’ve become, “He was just a gentle, really really nice guy. I could see him as potentially a teacher, a coach because he just really loved sports and he loved being around people. I hear from folks from his class of ’78 and every single one of them I talk to has told me things like ‘he got along well with everyone.’ They used to have a smokers wall, where all the smokers hung out and a, they called it a ‘cowboy wall’, where all the cowboys hung out, they said…’didn’t matter what you were, he hung out with everyone,’ which I thought was a really cool thing.” One of his teammates, Jay Dobyns, a Cougar football alumnus who now coaches for Sahuaro, wrote in a tribute, “Rick was more than a ‘jock’. Everyone loved him. The Smokers on Vicksburg, the Cowboys, the Motorheads, the Nerds, the Brainiacs, – his smile and kindness charmed everyone. He was like royalty. It’s hard to imagine, at 17, being a legend. Rick was.”

Rick was a captain for the Sahuaro football team. Teammate, Paul Browne, a senior and wide receiver for Sahuaro in 1977, said, “…Rick was like the backbone of the whole team, from 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade…until the accident.” Paul was supposed to go with Rick on the night of the accident but didn’t end up going. Paul also said that Rick was the, “…nicest guy ever; just down-to-earth, nice guy. I don’t think he had an enemy, and it still brings up memories.” The loss of Rick hit the team and community hard. “I think at the time it was the largest funeral parade in Tucson’s history because there were hundreds of cars that lined up for the trip to the funeral,” Paul recalled. In Jay Dobyns’s tribute, he wrote, “No logic or reason could be applied. As young people, most of us were not yet equipped to handle a life event of this magnitude. Many had never lost anyone close. Our team was made up of boys between 15 and 18; now mentally, emotionally, and spiritually broken. The guy we all turned to when something went wrong wasn’t here anymore. We were lost. When you’re young you think it will never happen to you. Then, if death could touch someone invincible like Rick, wow, it could get any of us. I was scared.”

Despite the many years the memorial has been running, it still continues as a huge part of the Sahuaro community and is only getting bigger. Through the use of social media, the memorial has reached people that it might not have reached before. Mr. Botkin said, “…we have people coming from all over the country now to celebrate my brother’s memory and to be with my mom and dad and my brothers; my family. So it’s really great.” This memorial has captured the hearts of many in the Sahuaro community. Larry Titus, Sahuaro’s lead custodian made a quilt for Rick’s family after hearing about the memorial.

Mr. Botkin shared how hard, yet important, this memorial game is to him and his family. He said, “It’s still tough, you know…it’s I think, probably easier, but it’s still tough to stand there with my mom and dad pre-game, and the emotions and stuff like that. I think as much as it is a wonderful event, it’s also still a hard thing for everyone. So, I love the fact that Sahuaro does this and it means the world to me.”

Each year, a Sahuaro football player is chosen to wear Rick’s jersey number, 25. This year, senior Jailen Clark, running back and safety was selected. Following the victory, Clark said, “I’m blown away honestly that they would choose me. I mean there are people here that have been here for all four years that are just as deserving as I am. It’s just crazy to me; 45 years, longest traditional game in the nation. I’m at a loss for words.” He felt that he was chosen to wear Rick’s number because of his leadership skills and, as he voiced, “…I make sure everyone is on top of their game even if I’m not on mine.”

Although not every year results in a win, having the Rick Botkin Memorial Game for 45 years running is a victory for the Sahuaro community. This year, the final score (29-10) was just an extra bonus.