Since “kelly green and white is what I grew up on,” Norridge native Vince Fanelli thought it logical to add the Ridgewood High School head football coach’s job last week to his already-busy head baseball coaching duties.
What’s the big deal? Baseball plays in the spring, while football kicks off in late summer and lasts deep into the fall. But in the 21st century, each sport’s activities, from the pros on down, have dramatically expanded to co-mingle with the other’s.
Football spring practice and workouts run at the same time as the meat of the baseball season. Summer high school and travel baseball is played at the same time as football training camp. A shorter, competitive fall baseball season coincides with the heart of football and Friday Night Lights.
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In the modern era, 1999 Ridgewood alum Fanelli, who often opens the school at 5:30 a.m. in his “day job” in the maintenance and custodial department, is an outlier. At small, rural high schools, one person might coach both football and baseball. But at larger urban or suburban high schools like Ridgewood, the head coaching jobs are typically held by separate individuals.
“I’ve never heard of it,” admitted Fanelli. And neither did Ridgewood athletic director Rob St. John, who signed off on the hiring after being pleased with Fanelli’s recent successful run as baseball coach.
“That’s the first question I posed to Vince,” St. John said. “He’s got a wonderful wife (Theresa) and two kids (Giovanni, 5, and Nica, 2). “He’s got his health and ability to do time management. He’s a go-getter. It’s personal for him. He’s willing to put in that time.
“He’s a fiery guy in a good way. He’s motivational and inspirational.”
Fanelli said he’ll wear both hats “with poise.” Living just “a minute and a half” walk from Ridgewood, he has no commuting time. He already has figured out how he’ll split up his physical presence and delegate his marching orders. After 2 p.m., when his maintenance shift ends, he’s free to take on his coaching loads.
“I will trust my assistants and schedule things properly,” Fanelli said. “With our summer baseball, they only play three days a week – Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, because they travel so much the rest of the time. Football practices would be held in the evening. With spring football, lots of kids playing other sports anyway so we schedule the workouts around that, like early in the morning.”
Fanelli hopes to bring the same kind of success to football as he has enjoyed in baseball. His Rebels baseball team has won regional titles three of the past four years.
Football, though, needs a boost. Head coach Don Gelsomino had an 18-12 record from 2016 to 2018 with two Illinois High School Association playoff appearances. But under successor Matt Walsh from 2019 to 2021, the Rebels dipped to 7-25.
Fanelli admitted not having a faculty job at Ridgewood makes his new busy sports schedule possible. If he taught four or five classes, he’d have papers to grade and other administrative tasks after hours.
St. John said a factor heavily in Fanelli’s favor was already being employed at Ridgewood. He did not really want a coach who arrived at mid-afternoon after a job at another school.
Fanelli was also used to a multi-sports schedule, having been an assistant coach for the basketball, baseball and football teams prior to assuming the head coaching job in baseball.
St. John also had his own experience with switching from one team to another in the same season. At one juncture he coached Ridgewood’s boys and girls soccer teams at the same time.
Fanelli estimates between 12 and 14 athletes will play both baseball and football for him.
He was a three-sport athlete himself at Ridgewood. He played wide receiver and safety in football, pitched and played third base and outfield in baseball, and was a shooting guard/wing player in basketball. Moving on to college, he played baseball at Concordia University, Oakton College and North Park University.
No matter which sport he is coaching, Fanelli will teach more than that day’s game.
“I want them to be accountable, play at next level and prepare them for life,” he said. “My players are not allowed to play with more than one ‘D.'” That’s beyond the IHSA rule. My line is if I can’t trust you in the classroom, I can’t trust you between the white lines.”
St. John also was sold when Fanelli informed him of plans to bring in qualified assistant coaches in football. Among his hires are three fellow Ridgewood alums: Peter Catalano as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, Wojtek Gasienica as special teams coordinator and Henry Meyers as junior varsity coach. He also hired Connor Murphy, a former defensive line coach at Missouri Valley College, away from Elmwood Park High School. Larry Nawrot was hired as offensive line coach.
“We’re looking to build a culture,” St. John said. “He is bringing in a great staff. He’s got great connections.”