January 23, 1940 - January 2, 2023

Roger, fondly known as Rod, was born to Roger and Priscilla Sears in Oakland California in 1940. He was a talented athlete who loved playing a variety of sports. After graduating from Piedmont High School, Rod attended Stanford University from 1957-1961 and was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Rod played basketball, football, and rugby in college and also loved golf and volleyball. He was on the Stanford Rugby team that played Dartmouth College in the first nationally televised Rugby match in the United States. After graduation, Rod was hired as assistant football coach at Stanford. He eventually was hired at UCSB as head football coach and started the rugby program there. In November 2022, he was inducted into the UCSB Rugby Hall of Fame. Eventually, coaching brought him to Idaho where he established the Snakes Rugby Team at the College of Idaho and he also was hired as head football coach. Rod is survived by his sister Sherry Bull and his stepdaughter Chelsey Newton and families. Rod will be remembered for his great stories, outgoing personality, adventurous spirit, and passion for sports. He truly was a team player, loved by many.