Ron Gallino, former Watsonville High athletics director and football and track and field coach.
Former Watsonville High coach and athletics director Ron Gallino expected the most from himself and the kids he coached.
Tuesday evening, at his son Anthony's house, the community celebrated the life of a passionate man.
Gallino died Monday morning. He was 76.
"Whenever he did anything, he put everything he had into it," said Watsonville's Doug Severin, a longtime friend. "He did that for his own personal satisfaction."
A fierce competitor and outdoorsman, Gallino shined at football and boxing at Chico State from 1953-56, after he served an Army tour in Korea. While on Chico's football team, Gallino weighed 156 pounds. He played both ways, lining up as guard on the offensive line and middle linebacker on defense. In 1997, he was inducted into Chico's athletic Hall of Fame.
He was also an avid skier, camper and fly fisherman.
Gallino coached with the same passion he put forth as an athlete, his son said.
"He was pretty fiery, real intense," said Anthony, general manager of the California Giant Cycling team. "He was an unbelievable motivator. He knew how to read the kids at all levels and how to motivate them. He loved them all, turning boys into men."
A graduate of Nevada Union High in Grass Valley, Gallino moved from Stockton to Watsonville in the late 1960s, working as the school's football and track and field coach.
He served as head football coach at Watsonville for five seasons [1969-73], posting a
17-34 record. He returned to help out as offensive line coach under Ron Myers and Mike Spitzer during their successful runs in the early 1990s. The Wildcatz won Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League titles in '90, '91 and '94."He touched a lot of lives," Anthony said. "We've received a ton of outreach from former players, friends and the community. The impact he made is overwhelming and we're grateful to get that love and support."
Said Myers: "I never had a better offensive line coach. He knew the game so well and the kids played with such an intensity."
Gallino coined several quotes as coach, his son said.
One of his most popular: "You were all over him like a tall dog in short grass."
Gallino stepped away from coaching and teaching at Watsonville in 1995. After he retired, Gallino moved to Huntington Lake, east of Fresno.
But Gallino never stopped giving lessons. As a member of the National Ski Patrol, Gallino taught dozens of instructors slope safety for more than three decades.
Severin, a former football coach at Santa Cruz and Soquel who worked with Gallino on the slopes, said Gallino also had a gentle side.
"Most tough people are confident enough with who they are to expose that open and soft side," Severin said. "His bedside manner, when someone was in the basket, was really good. He could make them feel safe even though they had a broken leg or whatever."
Skiing, camping and fishing replaced his passion for coaching football, his son said.
"When he walked away from coaching, he was never going back," Anthony said.
But football was Gallino's first love. His role model was legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi. Anthony's middle name is Vincent -- no coincidence.
"Too many dinners, most of the time we were in front of the TV, watching game film or whatever game was on," said Anthony, who played defense on some of the teams his father coached. "Either that, or I was spending time with him at the high school as a boy. He was there from 6 a.m. until 9 or 10 at night."
Severin said Gallino will be cremated and will have his ashes spread in the mountains.
Gallino is survived by his second wife, Jeanne, and children Gina Cole, 45 and Anthony, 43. Gallino's first wife, Janine, died in 1997.
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