Beyond The Gridiron: The Influence of John Yavasile.

During the late great John Yavasile’s 22-year tenure as head coach for Redwood Tackle Football, his influence and impact went beyond the gridiron. Redwood Tackle Football Defensive Coordinator David Clements ’92, Redwood Assistant Principal Taylor George ’10, Former Ranger JV Football Coach Mike Luna ’93, and Redwood Econ teacher Cole Schieferle ’92, all reflect on how Yavasile influenced them on and off the field.

By Fabian Anguiano

Redwood Tackle Football defensive coordinator David Clements was first introduced to Yavasile his freshman year in 1988, when Yavasile was still the linebackers coach.

Clements would get elevated to varsity for playoffs that year, and his immediate first impression of Yavasile was that he was a heck of a great guy and a heck of a great football coach.

Clements’ sophomore year would be when Yavasile would take over as head coach. Clements’ relationship with Yavasile naturally evolved as he spent a lot of time around him.

One of the most unique things about Yavasile was that he didn’t just care about how you were as a person; he cared about how you were as, “ A student. He cared about you as a human being, and he kind of took a holistic approach to developing not just football players but good human beings, and so that’s a really important aspect to understand about him,” said Clements.

Yavasile helped Clements turn into the person he is today by helping him understand that in order to be successfully you have to work hard and get the job done. All the things that translated on the football field for Clements would translate into his regular life.

One of Clements’ favorite memories with Yavasile was the Cowhide in 1990. The Maroon School was 9-0 going into the game and was the number one-ranked 3A team in California at the time.

The Rangers went into the game struggling at just 5-4, and they would end up pulling off a massive upset against The Maroon School, 17-13. That would be the game that would start the ten-year Cowhide winning streak for Yavasile.

This moment was massive to Clements, as it was a massive upset and, to this day, the biggest one in Cowhide history.

Some of the biggest lessons Clements learned from Yavasile was the idea of, “Never giving up and how important that work ethic is. Those (lessons) kind of bled into my own coaching career, where I try to model myself after him and approach a lot of things in the way that he did.”

What Clements misses most about Yavasile is a tradition the two would do every home game. Yavasile would sit by Clements in the booth, and they would both spend two to three minutes just hanging out.

The biggest thing that Clements would notice before Redwood’s home opener against Dinuba was Yavasile’s absence, which was really sad for Clements, as five to six times a year Clements had that opportunity to spend time with him. To Clements, that was really valuable.

Yavasile has had so much impact that there is no way people are not going to remember him. The impact that he had on thousands of students and players will live on forever.

Redwood assistant principal Taylor George played middle linebacker under Yavasile during his time at Redwood.

George’s first impression of Yavasile came before he even met him. He was such a legend that he had already built a legacy by the time George arrived at Redwood.

George added to this, “He was just a person that you looked up to before you even met him; you knew who he was, you knew what he had accomplished. Everyone talked about him in such a positive way.”

Since George practically lived on the field because of how passionate he was, it was natural for him to have a good relationship with Yavsile.

Yavasile would push his players; he would hold them accountable; he would have fun, and he was competitive. He would push coaches and athletes to be better versions of themselves. Yavsile had everything that somebody would desire in a coach.

Yavasile did a lot of great things for children outside of the gridiron; he would have them over and would feed them if they were in need. He was somebody that could be reached out to.

Some of George’s favorite moments during his time being coached by Yavasile were when he would get under his skin. There is a vivid memory that George has of when the offense was running a reverse, and he would end up blowing up the play. Yavasile would yell at him that he already knew what the play was, and those were the moments that George loved most because it was competitive, and it was all in good fun.

Yavasile allowed George the space to be a, “Leader, and he drives me, and is even part of why I’m in the position I’m in today. He gave me that platform to be a leader of other young men; he would pull me to the side and encouraged me to have conversations with other players about doing the right thing,” said George.

Yavasile looked at George as a second coach and a second leader on the team, and that felt good and natural to George.

What separated Yavasile from other coaches was his level of trust. He trusted other people to get the job done, and that’s something that is rare to find. A lot of times there can be people who want a lot of control, and that wants to control every little thing.

The lesson that George learned from Yavasile is, “The empowerment- that’s really how I carry myself. Those opportunities I had as a kid, as a teenager going through the program where he put me in those positions.”

George added to this, “It’s like a Mr. Miyagi thing; you don’t know you’re being coached, you don’t know you’re growing or doing things for yourself until you have the opportunity to look back and reflect.”

Yavasile was bigger than football; he did so many things for so many people; he loved everybody, and that’s a quality that is rare to find in people. 

George had more to say, “He did so many things for other people. I was just happy to be a part of what he was able to do for everyone, and definitely just want to be able to continue pushing the legacy that helped build.”

Former Redwood Tackle Football JV coach Mike Luna played running back under Yavasile during his time at Redwood.

Yavasile was a, “Great man, a great mentor, somebody we looked up to, somebody we respected and admired. He taught us more than the game itself; he taught us about life and how to transition from young boys to men,” said Luna.

Yavasile supported Luna on and off the field with an open-door policy. He would always do his best to support you with the best possible knowledge he could provide, and he would do so with demonstration.

Luna’s favorite part about being coached by Yavasile was the competitiveness that he drilled into each and every one of his players. He never allowed them to give up, and he pushed them to their limits.

Yavasile took sportsmanship very seriously; win or lose, it would be done with a head held high, and making sure that everything was left on the field.

Yavasile would help players reach new heights; he would make an average player a better player, and he made good players into great players. Yavasile made those around him want to improve.

What separated Yavasile from other coaches was his, “Leadership style. One thing that Mr. Yavasile was was fair. He treated every player fairly, no matter if he was an average player or an above-average player. He made every player accountable for their actions,” said Luna.

Yavasile didn’t care if you were the star player of the team; if you were screwing around on campus or in anything else, he was going to hold you accountable. Not one player was special; there was no favoritism; everyone was equal.

Luna’s favorite moments during his time being coached by Yavasile were always Cowhide. The week leading up to the game was very challenging, and Yavasile just built it up to be some of the most fun experiences somebody could ever have.

One of the most valuable lessons Luna has learned from Yavasile is, “Respect, respect one another no matter what. Respect and work ethic. How people judge you, there are so many ways, but they’ll always at you on how you perceive others.”

Luna built more of a relationship with Yavasile when he came back from college. Luna would then have the honor to coach alongside him, starting off with the freshman program in 2004 as one of the assistant coaches.

Coaching alongside Yavasile was intimidating for Luna, as he was trying to instill in the new players what Yavasile instilled in others. Yavasile wanted to make sure that varsity, JV, and freshmen were all doing the same thing; he made sure all levels worked together.

Yavasile took care of everything behind the scenes, from parent boosters to getting the brochures ready before the game.

Luna got to learn more about Yavasile as a fellow coach; he demanded a lot out of his coaches, and as far as making sure that they led by example.

Yavasile helped Luna improve as a coach by learning how to take on challenging situations with parents, students, and sometimes teachers or faculty. As a coach, it is important to understand that not everything is going to be easy; not everything done will make everyone happy.

It was more than just about football; it was, “Transitioning their life and making sure that they realize who they are, and that they can always transform into a better person,” said Luna.

Luna’s favorite thing about coaching alongside Yavasile was the excitement and knowledge that he brought. The knowledge of the game that Yavasile had is something that Luna drew from, which helped Luna improve as a coach.

Yavasile helped shape Luna into the person he is today by holding him accountable for his actions and making sure that there’s always going to be someone you have to answer to.

This has helped how Luna has worked with, “Youth, I’ve been coaching now for over twenty-five years, and every time I work with youth it’s about building that relationship and making sure that we’re not favoring one side or another.”

Luna believes Yavasile should be remembered for how he treated people with respect. He needs to be remembered for his fairness towards all his athletes on the field

Luna had more to say, “It’s been an honor to have graduated from Redwood, and to come back from being a player to coaching alongside your hero. The gentleman who helped you become who you are, and all the life skills that were taught.”

Redwood Economics teacher Cole Schieferle played safety under Yavasile during his time at Redwood.

Schieferle would build a relationship with Yavasile when he got out of college. Schieferle was at Divisadero Middle School, and since Yavasile wanted Schieferle on the training staff at Redwood, he made his way on over.

Yavasile treated people and his players well, but he was not accepting of mediocrity. He showed Schieferle how to demand excellence, but at the same time, you can still treat people well.

Schieferle’s favorite memory during his time playing under Yavasile was, “My senior year, he coached us to his third consecutive Cowhide win in a row, which was the first time,” said Schieferle.

Coaching alongside Yavasile was fun as Schieferle learned a lot about how to be a good coach, how to interact with players, and how to be a good teacher, as that is what coaching is.

Schieferle and Yavasile would build a friendship, “We played golf together many times, and we would see each other around town. He was a mentor of mine.”

What Schieferle is going to miss most about Yavasile is his sense of humor; most people don’t know that he was a fun guy who would crack jokes all the time.

Schieferle does not know how Yavasile should be remembered, but he does know that he had a, “Large impact on this community among hundreds or thousands of young men that he either coached or students that he taught, and I think he’ll have a legacy that’ll last in the community well beyond his lifetime.”

Cole Schieferle ’92,

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