3 weeks ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Fresno City College's caput shot coach, Tony Caviglia, who has been doing that occupation for implicit 25 years, is retiring astatine the extremity of this season.
The 64-year-old Caviglia has been the caput manager astatine Fresno City since 1999.
“My person Ron Scott told me, 'if you deliberation astir status each day, it's astir apt clip to retire,' said Caviglia successful an interrogation with Sports Central. "Made the determination this summer, and we told the squad connected Tuesday of past week."
This twelvemonth marks Caviglia's 27th twelvemonth and 26th play arsenic the caput shot manager astatine the inferior college, with nary play successful 2020 due to the fact that of the interaction of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rams are presently 2-3 this season, and unfastened league play astatine Modesto connected Saturday.
In his clip astatine Fresno City College, Caviglia has ne'er had a losing play and has amassed an wide grounds of 197-83. He has won oregon shared 14 league championships and has guided the Rams to the postseason successful each but 1 season.
He acceptable the school’s vocation wins grounds successful 2016, surpassing Clare Slaughter’s erstwhile benchmark of 136 victories. According to Caviglia, helium is presently the longest-serving caput shot manager successful the authorities of California astatine the inferior assemblage level.
"You look backmost and it went truthful fast," said Caviglia. "So galore large people, and players, and coaches, and unit that person been a portion of this programme implicit the years, and you conscionable can't enactment it into words. It went by fast. It seems similar conscionable yesterday I was successful the property league being introduced arsenic the caput coach."
Caviglia has sent hundreds of players to the adjacent level during his tenure astatine Fresno City College. Notable alums, including Maurice Morris, Cameron Worrell, Matt Giordano, Zach Diles, Tony Curtis, and David Veikune, spent clip playing nether Caviglia astatine Fresno City earlier yet making it to the NFL.
Caviglia has been named Valley Conference Coach of the Year 11 antithetic times (2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2022), and has had tremendous occurrence against the different inferior assemblage teams successful the Central Valley, going 98-20 combined against Reedley (17-6), College of Sequoias (22-3), West Hills (17-1), Modesto (17-5), San Joaquin Delta (12-5) and Merced (13-0).
More than the wins and losses, though, Caviglia has strived to guarantee players successful his programme were prepared for occurrence connected the gridiron and successful life.
Worrell, a Chowchilla native, says Caviglia gave him a 2nd accidental aft helium initially went to Fresno State retired of precocious schoolhouse and flunked out.
“He's a fable man. He's affected truthful galore lives present successful the Central Valley. I deliberation the Central Valley's a acold amended spot due to the fact that of the interaction he's made. I deliberation the interaction of what he's done present volition unrecorded connected for procreation aft generation," said Worrell, who was a information connected the 2000 Fresno City squad that finished 10-1.
"Nobody would person ever known who I was present successful the Central Valley had I not met Coach C. I had nary direction, I had nary existent knowing of however to beryllium a liable adult. He gave maine that chance."
On the field, the lone happening missing from Caviglia’s inferior assemblage resume arsenic a caput manager is simply a authorities championship. He came adjacent successful 2000 and 2001, erstwhile some those Fresno City teams went done the regular play astatine a cleanable 10-0.
Before coming to Fresno City, Caviglia spent 3 years arsenic the caput manager astatine Chabot College successful Hayward, adjacent wherever Caviglia grew up. He went 22-10 astatine Chabot. He has besides spent clip arsenic an adjunct astatine Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Chabot, USC, New Mexico State, Ohio State, and Purdue.
Caviglia has 3 sons and 3 grandchildren, and though he's unsure of however he'll walk his clip successful retirement, helium is looking guardant to 1 happening successful particular.
"Eating meal with my woman successful the fall," said Caviglia. "I haven't been capable to bash that successful 45 years."
