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SCOTT PURKSAfter 17 seasons leading the the Tigers, he wants to spend more time with his family.
TAMPA - It was always about Jesuit's football team, never about Dominick Ciao.
His overall record?
"I'm not sure what it is," he would say.
What would he say about winning an upcoming game?
"All I know is that we will prepare as well as we can."
What would he say about the importance of winning a game for him?
"All I know is that it means a lot to this team."
Close to the vest. Never one for long speeches. Nothing fancy.
"Just the best," said Tiger running back Aaron Fryer, who rushed for 1,978 yards and 24 touchdowns his senior year. "He is as great a coach as he is a teacher and a person."
In the process Ciao, who officially resigned Tuesday after 17 years as the Tigers' coach, became one of the most respected figures Hillsborough County prep sports has seen.
He also was one of its biggest winners.
He finished with a 132-60 record, taking the Tigers to the playoffs 10 of the past 11 years, averaging nearly 10 wins a season in that span.
"And he did it with class," Robinson coach Mike DePue said. "To tell you the truth, this comes as a total shock because you're talking about a guy who maintained one of the class programs in the state.
"I know I will sure miss competing against him. We played some tough, close games, but we never beat him. Afterward, though, he was always very professional, very courteous. ...
"As tough as our games were, there was never any bad blood between the teams. He always had really, really good kids, and our programs had a mutual respect for each other."
Fryer also said he was shocked because, "Jesuit football is Dominick Ciao, they are one and the same to me."
Ciao, who was a Jesuit assistant in 1978 through 1986 before taking over as coach, said it was simply time "To spend some time with my family."
"Football is my passion," said Ciao, who had more than 100 players sign football scholarships. "But right now I feel this is the right thing to do."
He wouldn't elaborate, but he said he wanted to be there for his sister in Chicago, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and for his mother, wife and four children.
As usual he didn't want to talk about himself, but rather about "the great assistant coaches and players that I had the good fortune to work with."
"Every day it was a pleasure," said Ciao, who will continue teaching physical education at Jesuit. "I was blessed for every one of the years I was there. There was so much loyalty."
Four of his coaches - Bob Weiner, Billy Monahan, John Few and Joe Ross - were with him for 14 years or longer.
One father, John Godsey, was there for most of Ciao's run because he had three sons - Greg (signed with Air Force Academy), George (Georgia Tech) and Gary (Notre Dame) - play for the Tigers.
"My sons loved him," John said. "And they will always love him. Shoot, all of them still come back to help out at camps. Dominick would do anything for them and vice versa. That's just the type of guy he is."
Highlights?
Ciao said they were endless, but named two specifically: his first victory, 6-0 over St. Petersburg Catholic in the Tigers' 1-9 season in 1986, and in 1992 when the Tigers made it to the state final before losing 28-16 to Pasco.
For Fryer the highlight at Jesuit was Dominick Ciao.
"Every day, every day, every day, he talked about the importance of teamwork," Fryer said. "And he instilled that into his players. It was a great lesson to learn, and it's why the football program at Jesuit and Dominick Ciao are so great.
"He will always be a friend to the end to all his players, whether he's coaching at Jesuit or not.
"I know there will never be another Dominick Ciao for me. No chance of that."