Ciarelli brothers to be enshrined in CIF Hall of Fame

Tony Ciarelli often shared with his pupils that there was no shortcut to success.

Anything worth doing was worth doing right. Do the work, and the rewards would follow.

After a lifetime of work in high school athletics, Tony and his late brother, Rocky, will be enshrined in the CIF Southern Section Hall of Fame.

Ciarelli shared the news on his social media on Tuesday, posting images of two letters — addressed to him and to the Ciarelli family — informing them of their selection by the section’s Distinguished Service and Hall of Fame Awards committee.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in the form of a luncheon on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 11:30 a.m. at the Grand in Long Beach.

“It’s a great honor,” Ciarelli said. “CIF has been around for over 100 years, so there’s been a lot of great coaches. … A lot of heroes that I look up to, so to be able to put myself in that company is a great honor.”

In a decorated career as a throws coach in track and field, Ciarelli helped his athletes accrue a combined 32 section divisional and Masters Meet titles. He produced 52 state qualifiers in the shot put and discus throw. Those athletes brought home a total of 33 state medals.

Cole Smith won a Division 2 title in shot put under Ciarelli in 2016, and he said news of his coach’s honor brought a smile to his face.

“Tony loves CIF so much,” Smith said. “He loves the competition so much. He lived and breathed CIF, both for football and track [and field]. To see him be recognized [with] such a prestigious award, it just feels right. I think anyone probably could have seen it coming, just on the impact that he’s had, the culture he created.”

A 1972 graduate of Huntington Beach High, Ciarelli coached for his alma mater from 1997-2004. He also coached at Honolulu (Hawaii) Damien (1979-81), Edison (1982-89) and Newport Harbor (1990-96, 2005-20).

Ciarelli said he enjoyed the competition and development aspects of athletics equally.

“I think every good coach enjoys the process and enjoys being part of the process, in that sense of getting your athlete prepared for competition,” he said. “I love the competitions. A great rivalry with Bill Pendleton would be the first to come to mind, but other coaches throughout the state that year in and year out produced throwers, just like I did, and it was always a challenge to go against those guys and to put the work that you put in against others and see how the preparation came about.”

Newport Harbor coach Rocky Ciarelli yells out directions to his team against Huntington Beach on March 23, 2018.

(File photo)

Rocky Ciarelli, who died unexpectedly at the age of 66 in February, went out on top. He guided the Newport Harbor boys’ volleyball program to the CIF Division 1 and the CIF State Southern California Regional Division I titles in his final season in 2019.

After graduating from Huntington Beach in 1974, he would go on to coach the Oilers from 1985 to 2008. He coached a total of 32 years in prep volleyball, including his time at Edison (1982-84) and Newport Harbor (2015-19).

The mid-1990s were fruitful for Huntington Beach volleyball, which won consecutive CIF Division I titles in 1993 and 1994 on the boys’ side. In 1996, the Huntington Beach girls claimed the CIF Division IIAA and the CIF State Division II titles. Rocky Ciarelli was in charge of both programs.

“He would have been the same, very honored,” Tony Ciarelli said of his brother’s recognition. “Both of us going in in the same year would have been great if he could have been here, but it’s very special for the Ciarelli family that we were able to accomplish these things that we did. It all comes down to the work that both Rocky and I put into doing it. That’s kind of a family philosophy: What’s the purpose of doing something unless you’re going to put your whole being into doing it.”