Tino Ierulli: tough love

Tino Ierulli’s Facebook wall speaks volumes about his approach not only as a football coach but also as a mentor to his students on and off the field. While the world may think coaches only care about the final tally on the scoreboard, Tino wants more than just hard hits and seamless plays from his players; he wants them to succeed in all aspects of life.

“These are our sons,” he says. “People forget we’re more than just a coach. To a lot of these kids, we are a father graciously accepts the part of wearing many hats. Some days, he’s just coach. Other days, he can be a guidance counselor, a sounding board, or even just a friend.

“Many times the boys will talk about things like their home life, their grades, and their relationships with friends and girlfriends,” he says. “They will talk to me about things they wouldn’t talk to their own parents about, and to me, it’s both sobering and challenging.” to shatter dreams, but I do let them know to be prepared for something else in a positive way because I think it’s still great to have dreams.”

As he speaks, it becomes apparent Tino takes this taxing yet rewarding responsibility quite seriously because he knows the advice he gives carries a lot of weight. He takes pride in giving guidance beyond what happens on the field at game time. His advice is all encompassing, from pressing the value of becoming a well-rounded individual to discussing the benefits of a good education.

That is what Tino calls tough love. “I believe in tough love. Show you care about them, but also be honest,” he says. “I will never make a decision for them, but the way I give advice is to open their eyes and let them make their own choices. It helps teach them to make the right choices and determine what’s best for themselves on their own.” figure, an uncle, a big brother.”

Over the years, Tino has gotten to see the results of his no-nonsense yet encouraging approach. Like when Robert Aquayo, current kicker for Florida State University, visited Tino at Lake Minneola to thank him for all he did when he was his youth football coach.

For the last three years, Tino has worked as defensive coordinator of the Lake Minneola High School Hawks, but he’s been coaching youth sports for almost 17 years. With a fierce passion to see children reach their full potential, Tino gave up a job making a sixfigure income to become a coach.

“I was blessed with good coaches when I was growing up,” he says, “so I wanted to give some of that back.”

As part of giving back, Tino

“People look at coaches like all we care about is sports, but that’s wrong. We talk to these students about the importance of academics,” Tino says. “Though we call them student athletes, we instill in them that student comes first, athlete comes second.”

It’s why Tino talks to his players about having a backup plan, even if their hopes and dreams rest on becoming a professional football player.

“When someone tells me they want to be in the NFL, I always tell them that’s great and to go for it, but I also talk to them about having an alternative in case the NFL doesn’t pan out. I’m not going

“When the children I coached come back in front of the kids I have now, it solidifies our stories,” he says. “And I have no doubt Aquayo will be a first draft pick in the NFL in a few years.”

And most recently, Tino watched a student, who came to him troubled and on the verge of dropping out, graduate from high school with a full four-year scholarship to Stony Brook University.

“My reward was seeing him sign his letter of intent because no one thought he would make it to college,” he says. “What I do is truly a blessing. I always tell my kids, ‘When someone tells you that you can’t, don’t look for a way to go around it, go through it.’ What we coaches do is not just a job. We’re trying to make young men out of these boys.”