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Q
& A with Tony Caviglia
What is Tony Caviglia's philosophy of coaching?
Football, in a way, teaches some of the skills needed to succeed in life. Our Program teaches young men how to work hard and achieve success. Also, how to accept responsibility and be accountable through perseverance. Football is a very tough game; and to be good you must work very hard. That's how we succeed in life.
Who is the role model that inspired you to become a football coach?
I think my father was a role model. He has given me the guidance through my life to reach my goals and be the best I can be. In regards to football, my high school coach Al Vermeil (brother of former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil), was very instrumental in turning my direction to the game. I think he is one of the persons in my life that kept me on the straight and narrow by guiding me towards football.
What are your team goals?
Goal number one is to be a class team with unity and character. Our second goal is for student-athletes to get enough units to transfer to a four-year college whether or not they need an associate degree. Our third goal is to win the Valley Conference championship, the state championship and then, the national championship. Our first two goals have noting to do with winning or losing. It's about attitudes and the team as a whole as well as the importance of academics.
What is the common goal of your coaching staff?
Number one, we're committed to helping our football players as student-athletes go on to four-year colleges. Each coach is committed to doing that through the academic and athletic progress of each player.
What work ethic do you expect from your team on and off the
playing field?
We have two rules for players to live by and these rules can be applied to the classroom, their job and definitely to the football program. One: be on time, every time. Two: do your best and a little bit more. We expect our players to work hard and give everything they've got even when they don't feel like it. If they can learn to do those two things, they're going to be successful in life.
As a parent, if you had a son who was a potential candidate
to play at FCC, what would be the key selling point(s) over
other community colleges?
I've been to a lot of community colleges and I've recruited community colleges when I was at the four-year level. Fresno City College has the best mix of academics and athletics of any college in the state. I think the support from Dr. Ned Doffoney, Susan Yates and other administrators is phenomenal. This is a great place for student-athletes to come into a situation where they're going to be given the opportunity to excel academically and athletically. Our tutoring and academic support system at the Learning Resource Center are second to none in the state.
What is your opinion of the local high school talent?
I think the Central Valley is one of the best regions of football in the nation. The talent we have available in the district, and we have a great district, is tremendous. The players have been well coached, and that is a testament to the level of coaching in the high schools. Because of that, this gets us players that are ready to take on college football.
The Northern Calif. Conference winner will play the Valley
Conference winner for the right to be in the state championship.
What does that say about the strength of the VC?
The Valley Conference is one of the toughest, if not the toughest, in the state. We have five great head football coaches that I totally respect. Gary Barlow at San Joaquin Delta is the newest member and his team played well last season. Tony Lewis (Merced) and Mark Gritton (West Hills) do tremendous jobs with their programs as do all the coaches. I predict that Valley Conference play this year will be a dogfight every week.
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