Legendary Rykovich returns to Manitou in support of Armour

Immediately after accepting the job as head football coach at Manitou Springs, Justin Armour reached out to the man who taught him the game.

He called George Rykovich, who coached Manitou’s Mustangs for 36 seasons. Rykovich, the coach, and Armour, the quarterback, led the Mustangs to a 13-0 record and the 1990 3A state title.

Armour wanted Rykovich, 73, to join his coaching staff. The men were sitting at Armour’s dining room table.

“George,” Armour said, “I need help. I can’t do this without you.”

“Ah,” Rykovich said, “of course I’ll help you.”

Rykovich works primarily with running backs, and he’s helping Armour as the team returns to its past.

Yes, the Mustangs will again run the single-wing as their primary offense. Rykovich employed the quirky attack on his way to 222 wins and two state titles.

Rykovich has noticed the Denver Broncos plan to use Tim Tebow in a “Wild Horse” offense.

“I kind of have to smile because of the things that are going on,” Rykovich said. “The Wild Cat or the Wild Horse – these guys can call it what they want. It’s nothing but a page or two from the single-wing playbook.”

Rykovich is confident Armour will be successful as coach.

“His past kind of speaks for itself,” Rykovich said. “He’s a role model for the young people, and that should be an extreme plus for him."

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