Arcadia's Connection to Super Bowl Victory

  Anyone who watched the Seattle Seahawks dominate the Denver Broncos in Sunday's Super Bowl saw a defense that performed like a well-oiled machine, particularly the "Legion of Boom" defensive backfield.

   They're talented players no doubt, but it is more than that. It is also the coaching.

    And we're not just talking about Coach Pete Carroll. Any head coach will tell you he is only as good as his assistants. And one of Carroll's key assistants on the defensive side is Rocky Seto, who has the unusual title of defensive passing game coordinator.

   And this is where Arcadia enters the picture. Seto is a 1994 graduate of Arcadia High.

    Seto, who joined Carroll at Seattle in 2010 after being on his staff at USC during his entire tenure there, was promoted to his current position with the Seahawks prior to this past season. Seto previously coached the secondary. Now his name is the fourth one listed among the Seahawks' staff, right under Carroll and the offensive and defensive coordinators. The staff consists of 21 coaches.

    Seto answers to defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.      

    “Mainly I’m just assisting Coach Quinn on the defensive end, and whatever Coach Carroll has,” is the way Seto has described his job. “I think it’s a unique role because Coach (Carroll) and I have been together for 13 years. So I kind of fit into niches, and really whatever the team and the defense needs.

    “It may be centered on the pass game. It may be about turnovers. It may be about tackling, or teaching principles. Ultimately, Dan (Quinn) makes all the decisions, but we all collectively as a staff come up with the suggestions.”

     I was tipped to Seto's position with the Seahawks by Steve Avnaim, who was a teammate of Seto's at Arcadia and remains close to the Apaches' football program. I've known Steve since I coached him as a seventh-grader in Arcadia Youth Basketball.

      I did a little research on Rocky Seto and learned he played two seasons at Mt. SAC community college and was a walk-on linebacker at USC but earned a scholarship his senior year. He was first a graduate assistant at USC under Paul Hackett and was made a full assistant in 2003 by Carroll. In January 2009 Carroll promoted Seto to defensive coordinator, but then was not retained when Lane Kiffin was named to replace Carroll at USC later that year. Kiffin instead named his father, Monte, defensive coordinator.

     Seto is a devout Christian and has been married to his wife Sharla for 10 years. They have four children, two girls and two boys, ages 2 to 8.

    "He's an inspiration to all," Avnaim said in an email after the Super Bowl.