Juan Diego football field named in honor of John Colosimo

Courtesy photo/ Bob McClellan

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John Colosimo, Juan Diego Catholic High School's head football coach for 21 years, stands beside a newly installed marker showing that the school's football field was recently renamed after him.

DRAPER — Juan Diego Catholic High School has renamed its Soaring Eagle football field after longtime football coach and vice principal John Colosimo. On Sept. 22 the school held a celebratory Mass and a ceremony dedicating a marker honoring Colosimo outside the football stadium.

“Coach John Colosimo is a loved, cherished and esteemed member of our Skaggs Catholic Center community, and his contributions to the athletics program in particular are outstanding and long lasting,” Student Body President Jackson Shemwell said at the dedication.

The marker was unveiled by Dr. Galey Colosimo, Juan Diego CHS principal and John Colosimo’s brother. It was blessed by Monsignor Joseph M. Mayo, a retired priest of the diocese who from 2013 to 2017 was pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish, which serves the school.

During the blessing of the field, members of the Colosimo family offered the Prayers of the Faithful. Msgr. Terence M. Moore, a retired priest of the diocese who served as the pastor from 1999 to 2013, also attended the ceremony.

The celebration continued the next evening during a football game against the Morgan Trojans, when Galey Colosimo presented John Colosimo with a plaque while the announcer shared many of the coach’s accomplishments. Both 30-yard lines have been painted with “John Colosimo Field.”

Coach Colosimo began his 45-year coaching career in 1974 as an assistant coach at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City. In 1984 he became the head coach and athletic director at Judge Memorial, where he also taught math. In 1999, he launched the football program at Juan Diego when the school opened.

During his 21 years as the Soaring Eagle football coach, Colosimo led his teams to eight state titles including two 3-peats. His teams also appeared in 10 state championships, tying him for the most football championships won in the 120 years of Utah high school football. His teams won 235 games, making him the state’s fourth-winning football coach of all time.

Colosimo won multiple Coach of the Year awards, was a 2004 National Coach of the Year honoree, and in 2007, a Utah High School Association Distinguished Service Award winner. In 2014 he was inducted into the Utah chapter of the National Football Foundation and in 2019 he was named the Best Utah High School Coach by the Best of State association. He retired from coaching in 2020 but still serves as the vice principal of the high school. In March he was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame.

In a printed program prepared for the event, several former players, coaches, JDCHS staff and his family paid tribute to Colosimo.

“What you did as a coach extends far beyond the football field,” Gianna, Julia and Gabe Colosimo wrote. “You built a program that shaped hundreds of young men and fostered a community that changed thousands of lives.”

In his comments in the program, Colosimo showed the humility for which he is known and praised his coaching staff, the teams he coached, their families and his members of own family.

“This field was a huge part of our lives at Juan Diego Catholic High School,” he wrote. “We celebrate this honor of John Colosimo Field at Soaring Eagle Stadium as a family, with tears in our eyes and joy in our hearts. We loved every moment.”