Family & Football: A Santa Barbara Family Bonds Through Sports

The Dons’ Young Quarterback and Senior Captain Build on a Family Legacy

By Ryan P. Cruz | October 28, 2021

FAMILY CONNECTION: Cousins Abel Renteria (right) and Miguel Unzueta have helped lead Santa Barbara to a 7-2
record and a playoff berth. | Credit: Erick Madrid

In the tradition of American high school football, families have always held a sacred place. On Friday nights across the country, stadiums are packed with cheering relatives, proud mothers and excited siblings, fathers reliving their glory days, and little boys watching the big boys battle it out under the bright lights.

One of those places is here at Santa Barbara High School, where a close-knit community of families have grown up together, playing in parks and backyards, and finally gathering together at Peabody Stadium for a few weeks every fall to see the latest generation run onto the field, wearing the olive and gold. Once a Don, always a Don.

Football has always been a big deal at Santa Barbara High School, ever since they won their first CIF title in 1929. In recent times, there have been remarkable family legacies; maybe the most famous were the Cunningham brothers — Sam, Anthony, Bruce, and Randall — who shattered football records and racial barriers throughout their careers from the 1960s through the ’80s. Most recently, former head coach Will Gonzales has seen his two sons play for the Dons: Jackson was part of Santa Barbara’s run to the CIF final two years ago, and today, his youngest boy, Grant, is a defensive standout on this year’s team.