They Call Him Coach
Paul Mastracchio Building A Program with Character
Story by Brad W. Wright

They call him coach. He is assertive, he's cool, and he's cocky. But he's cool cocky. Cassius Clay was assertive cocky as a young champion and Muhammad Ali was just cool cocky as a mature champion. This young man is assertive cool cocky with the emphasis being on the cool. Ayn Rand wrote a book entitled "The Virtue of Selfishness." Well, Coach Paul Mastracchio's book should be "The Virtue of Cockiness." Why? Because it is okay when it is done right in sports. Coach is very respectful of opponents and parents. He takes his hat off and, regardless of denomination, says a team prayer before every opening kick-off. He knows when to be humble. Coach makes it fun for the kids and they respond to him because he is like the mailman. Coach delivers. This young man can flat out coach, teach and build character in the children who participate in our local Pop Warner Football program. He plays every kid, some boys more times than the rules or their talent warrants. Coach plays no favorites and he gives as many kids as possible a chance to be the hero and still obtain the goal of victory over an opponent.

Another quality I believe exemplifies his success is that Coach Paul listens to his players and assistant coaches. How many coaches or adults do you know who will listen to an 8-year-old halfback suggest an adjustment or presents an idea and then actually implement the suggestion into a game plan. Coach does it. Coach Paul can smooze the refs (maybe the best I've every seen). When he pats an opposing coach on the back before a game, the guy feels like a million dollars, and when he shakes the same man's hand after the game, that person feels respected, regardless of the outcome on the scoreboard. Even the coaches he's not real fond of think Coach Paul likes them. He definitely is a social salesman and a true diplomat.

I've had the honor of coaching with Coach Paul Mastracchio (don't ask me how to pronounce it, he's just coach to me) for the last two years, and he has helped turn around the Triton Pop Warner Football program.

I've coached in this league for seven out of the last eight seasons and have watched the league evolve from the Seahawks into the South Coast Tritons (great name change) and develop into a respectable program on the rise. I have seen a lot of people come and go, and I witnessed the embarrassment of a coach Arnold.

Eight years ago the group of coaches I started with were all qualified. Three out of four of us had played at four-year universities at a high level of competition. We ranged from playing in a small school national championship game to a division one quarterback working with the kids on footwork and the proper throwing techniques. We produced some winning teams, but we never really put it all together, we never achieved the gel, the absolute rhythm that Coach Paul seems to bring to the field.

Last year, I witnessed Coach take 35 kids, ages 13 and 14, (only five of them had ever played tackle football before) and go 7-0 their first games and 7-1 in league, then advance to the playoffs. The game we lost was in Stanton, and we held them on fourth and two with a 1:30 on the clock. We had been getting home-cooking all day and the head referee overruled all his referee peers and my profuse objections and gave Stanton a fifth (not first) down. Everyone in the stadium knew it was our ball, specifically the head referee. It then took 20 minutes to play the last 1:30 of the game with a running clock. The Stanton parents were very supportive of that. So, in my book, we went undefeated.

The next week Coach Paul told the kids before the playoffs that a loss is a loss, no matter how it happens, and they need to make sure and score enough to not be put in that position. He never once used the word "cheated" when he addressed the boys. So what Coach really is, besides being a great coach, is classy cool with an emphasis on classy.

Editors Note: Coach Paul is currently the President of the South Coast Tritons and defensive coordinator for the freshman football team at San Clemente High School.

(SouthCoast Magazine Fall 2005)