Publisher’s Column: The Coach of Life

ABOVE: Angelo Attillio DiPaolo, No. 18 (fourth from left), in a family photo. (Courtesy of Angelo Attillio DiPaolo family.)

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I felt like I had just stepped into yesteryear. It was 1975 and I was entering the old Window Rock High School Fieldhouse on a wintery Friday evening and the place was jammed-packed with Fighting Scouts basketball fans. The game tickets were sold out and it was standing room only.

The old Fieldhouse was alive with the screaming sounds and youthful energy of an excited Fighting Scouts basketball crowd. I could smell the delicious aroma of freshly popped popcorn as I slowly made my way through the crowded lobby and headed toward the locker room.

The junior varsity boys’ game was just about to start and there he sat at the scorer’s table, the leader of our WRHS football program, the Big Dawg himself, and right behind him sat his pretty wife. He was running the score clock tonight and he was in game-time mode with a pencil tucked over his right ear and proudly sporting his Columbia blue Fighting Scouts football coach’s shirt.

“Hey Mrs. D,” I said as I neared the scorer’s table and she quickly replied with a smile, “Hi Tommy.”

“Hey Coach D,” I followed up with, and without batting an eyelash on his serious game-face expression, he bellowed, “We gonna win tonight Tommy?!”

I yelled back sternly, “Yessir!”

“Good, that’s what I wanna hear,” he responded with a small grin now peeking out beneath his fury mustache. “Good luck, son.”

I can’t remember how many times that scenario took place during my high school days at Window Rock, and later, throughout my adult life. If it wasn’t on the basketball court, it was on the football field, or in the classroom, or just out in public somewhere. Mr. and Mrs. D were always together, smiling, greeting and encouraging everyone they met.

On Monday morning, as I sat in a completely full pew at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Gallup, all those memories of yesteryear came flying back into my mind and heart. I was there to pay my respects to the late Angelo Attillio DiPaolo, and so were hundreds of other people. The church was filled with former students, athletes, coaches, co-workers, and many, many family and friends.

Coach DiPaolo basically started his teaching and coaching career at Window Rock High School in 1971. He moved on to Gallup High in 1979 where he served as a teacher, coach, principal and administrator for many years. He closed out his teaching, coaching and administrative career at Gallup Catholic High School. He also served on many city, community and school committees, boards and commissions. He was also quite active in his church activities.

The memorial service held Monday was a living testament to the many lives, hearts and souls that were positively touched in some manner by the kind and sincere friendship of Coach DiPaolo and his lovely wife of 43 years, Diane.

Just like the good old days at WRHS, the church was jammed-pack, standing room only, with at least 600 people squeezed in. And, Sacred Heart Cathedral is a huge church, too.

Diane DiPaolo described the memorial service as, “Angelo’s Celebration of Life.” Coach DiPaolo was born on January 29, 1948 in Gallup. He died on November 6, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas. He had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in June of this year and sought and received treatment in San Antonio. Coach D was 66 years old when he passed.

Coach DiPaolo’s son Tony, his daughter Angela, and his grandson Jairdan delivered the Eulogy at the memorial service. They used words like dedication, commitment, caring, education, service, excellence, happiness, sports, music, honesty, loyalty, spirituality and of course, family and love. Coach DiPaolo had unconditional love for his family and his wife Diane. He also cared deeply about all of the people he got to know, about his community and the schools, about all the boards and committees he served on, and about his church.

I got to see a few of my former classmates and teammates at the memorial service and while we have put on a few more pounds and are a little bit gray, we still share our youthful memories and experiences, and Coach DiPaolo is a big part of those eventful times.

In fact, I credit Coach DiPaolo for bringing all of us back together for the purpose of acknowledging our lifetime experiences, setbacks and accomplishments, and rebuilding friendships. One good example is that I did not see or speak to my former math teacher and coach at WRHS, Bill Floor, for over 20 years. But, one day recently, we reconnected because we both cared about what was happening with Coach DiPaolo. Today, we are friends again, and I am grateful for that.

Coach Floor came to WRHS in the mid 70’s and he taught algebra and geometry in the math department with Coach DiPaolo. And, needless to say, they became real good friends. In my recent conversations with Coach Floor, who now lives in Aurora, Colo., he explained to me the respect that he had for Coach DiPaolo and his wife.

“Even as a fellow coach and teacher, I learned from Angelo about the importance of Love in coaching and teaching, and in demonstrating it through affection and discipline and dedication, and in investing oneself in the players and students outside the lines and outside the classroom,” stated Coach Floor.

He continued, “I watched him live that every single day that I knew him. And while he never knew it, he quickly became my role model, not just in the sense of being the type of teacher or coach I wanted to ultimately become, but the type of person I wanted to ultimately become.”

In high school, Coach DiPaolo and I did not always see eye-to-eye on things and it seemed that I was always in his doghouse. I can tell you that I ran so many after-practice sprints and laps around the football field because I challenged his authority, and he was quick to point out to me that I wasn’t to do that. But, because of that, he also was quick to encourage and challenge me, not only in athletics, but in education and in life, too.

Throughout my adult life, I would see Coach DiPaolo and Diane occasionally, and they were always happy to see me and vice versa. When good things happened at work, I would get a congratulatory call from Coach DiPaolo and that always made me feel good. I’m going to miss those occasional meetings and those phone calls.

Perhaps one of the best tributes that I heard on Monday was from Ed Tano, former longtime teacher and football coach at Monument Valley High in Kayenta and at Greyhills Academy in Tuba City.

Tano said he started his coaching career a few years after Coach DiPaolo did and they became good friends right away. He said Coach D talked to him about life off of the football field, and about family. That was what he liked about Coach D.

“Coach DiPaolo was a great coach and an even greater man,” said Tano with a proud grin. “He taught me that when you win, be grateful, and when you lose, be graceful.”

The Friday Night Lights are burning bright in Heaven right now. Rest in peace, Coach DiPaolo, we will miss you but never forget you.