Dan Carmazzi hasn't wasted his career as a football coach
Author: By Joe Davidson - Bee Staff Writer

Dan Carmazzi hasn't wasted his career as a football coach

By Joe Davidson - Bee Staff Writer

Dan Carmazzi used to be a government man. Something about waste management.

In his subsequent career, he tends to put a lot of teams away as the Jesuit High School football coach -- in a tidy, efficient, methodical way. Carmazzi earned his 200th career victory with a 31-10 triumph over Modesto on Friday night.

And has there ever been a more humble winner and champion? He'll point to his staff, his student athletes and the administration before he'll ever point to his own headset. Truth is, Carmazzi has become synonymous with Jesuit football.

He rescued the Carmichael program in 1981. For years, Big Red was nothing but a Big Bore in shoulder pads. He inherited an 0-9 mess. He was a 27-year-old coach who, before this gig, thought he was going to make a living in a suit and tie in that government job. Red Smith hired him, listening to recommendations from many sources, including Dave Hoskins, the Elk Grove coach now who nearly was the Jesuit coach then.

Hoskins, a coach since darn near the beginning of time, knew Carmazzi from 1970, when Carmazzi was the bespectacled quarterback for Christian Brothers. Carmazzi became an academic All-American at UC Davis, where his five touchdown passes in a single game was an Aggies record for years.

It took awhile to turn Jesuit into something formidable. Then the Marauders became formidable and fun. Carmazzi's first playoff team was in 1988, led by quarterback Greg Harcos. His first great team was in 1993, led by sons Gio at quarterback and Matt at receiver.

His 100th victory came against Hoskins and a dynamite 12-0 Valley team in the 1995 city championship. His first section title came a week later, followed by another title in 2002.

Now Gio and Matt watch kid brother Dominic lead the Jesuit charge. Dominic is one of the region's top passers, with poise and accuracy that bring to mind his pop during his day. He has Jesuit headed toward the postseason with more title hopes.

And the junior has a pretty good mentor.

Two of them, actually.

"I think Dominic listens to Gio and not his cranky old dad," Carmazzi said recently. "It's been a lot of fun."

Club 200

Carmazzi joins some select company across the Sac-Joaquin Section with at least 200 victories. Max Miller of Cordova and Frank Negri of Foothill are the only active coaches in the lot, with Negri set to retire after 41 seasons this fall. Tracy's Wayne Schneider and Tom Zunino of Vacaville are retired coaches with 200-plus wins. On the horizon, Ed Lombardi of Sheldon (with a lengthy stop at Elk Grove) is on pace for his 200th win next season.