Dover man enjoying retirement as a volunteer coach

Retiree Frank Alesiano of Dover couldn’t recommend volunteering more. The former Dover High School football player is in his second year as an assistant football coach for Tuscarawas Central Catholic in New Philadelphia.

“I love football period, and I love to be involved," Alesiano said. "When I was asked to come on staff by Coach (Giovanni) Ionno, I was just blown away that he had the trust in me and the confidence in me to have me on his staff.

“I just feel that this is my way of giving back, and if I can help some kids along the way, I'm happy.”

Since he accepted the volunteer coaching position, Alesiano has also been appointed the director of football operations, another volunteer position.

Alesiano enjoys working with the athletes and hopes to influence them.

“I want them to graduate from this school and go on to be successful,” Alesiano said. “It's like a big family here, and I really enjoy the atmosphere, and I honestly feel that we're making a difference with this football program.

Alesiano and his wife, Cindy, are both retired from law enforcement. Their two children are TCC graduates.

He’s a stickler for certain things like keeping the locker room clean.

“I tell them, 'you’ll thank me someday for this,'” Alesiano said.

Alesiano enjoys the small school atmosphere. With the staff focusing on improvement, the team has gone from 13 football players last year to close to 30 this season.

“There's a lot of one-on-one working within a small school, where if you're at a big school, you have 70 kids out there, it's hard to do one-on-one sometimes,” Alesiano said.

The 13 athletes from last season set the team standard for the future.

“We showed the group that this is the right way of doing things. It's amazing that we even had a season, but I can tell you, these kids never gave up. They faced adversity head on, and I'm so proud of them for doing that,” Alesiano said.

He’s excited that once the season starts, he’ll have the opportunity to talk with the athletes at least twice a week on things he considers important.

“We're going to talk about life skills," Alesiano said. "We're not going to talk about football. We're going to talk about life. So, I think with my background and all the things that I've seen over the years, I think I can offer some positive guidance for the boys."

Alesiano puts in as much time as he can with the Saints — and more.

“If the kids aren't here, there's a ton of other stuff I can be doing," he said. "I love to keep things organized. I love to keep things on track. I'm constantly in communication with the athletic director and the principal too.”

He also takes a role in fundraising for the football program as well. TCC recently started a Football Alumni Association that is open to any former St. Joseph, St. Mary’s or TCC football players, coaches or support staff. The group currently has more than 100 members with an alumni social planned for this football season.

“One of the members donated what they call guardian caps that go on top of the helmet for practice to give you an extra layer of protection against concussions. We will be wearing those during practice,” Alesiano said. “Another alumni member purchased a refrigerator to put in the remodeled locker room so the kids can have access to healthy drinks and healthy snacks.”

Other donations led to the team adding a new flip sled – a tool that teaches linemen to drive – to their equipment.

The entire basement area at TCC is under renovation including updated locker rooms for boys, girls, and visiting teams, weight room, locker room for officials and a wrestling room. TCC also hopes to break ground in 2026 for a new fieldhouse that will also include space for educational programs.

Alesiano serves as assistant line coach. The current coaches for TCC include head coach Ionno and assistants Ed Korns, Josh Taylor, George Clore, Sam Rodriguez, Tom Lesiecki and Kaedin Presutti. Jeremy Rennicker leads the team in strength and conditioning, which the players have been doing since January.

“I love every minute of it and as a senior citizen, why stay home and sit in a chair? I'd like to urge other senior citizens to get out in the community,” Alesiano said.

The team can always use more volunteers in jobs like scoreboard operator or as spotters. For more information call Alesiano at 330-407-0927.