After 40 Years Coaching Football & Track, Cizmar Retires

June 10, 2011 / Football

He’s a short bald Italian guy with glasses. He wears a little tie accompanied by a short sleeve shirt every day.

“Just looking at him makes you smile,” Field head football coach Patrick Youel said.

“He’s looked the same since when I had him 25 years ago,” Field athletic director Matt Furino said.

After 40 years of service to Field School District, Vince Cizmar decided to retire at the end of this school year. He taught middle school history for the entirety of his career and there was never a year that he couldn’t be found after school coaching. He coached football and track all 40 years and coached basketball for 15 years both at the middle school and high school levels.

“He’s one coach that if you asked anyone who went to Filed, whether they were in his class or had him as a coach, they would say that they love him,” Furino said. “Students refer to him as Coach C. There’s not one person who is going to say a bad thing about him. He bleeds Falcon red. He’s the most loyal coach I ever had on my staff when I was the head football coach.”

Cizmar got more middle school students to come out for football than any other person, Furino said. Students who had him for history wanted to the opportunity to play for him.

He’s an example of the type of person Field School District wants to employ.

“When I interview people I put them to the Vince Cizmar test. He’s the staple mark of what we want in our programs for our kids,” Furino said.

Cizmar is humble, hardworking, honest, respectful, loyal and trustworthy, Youel said.

“He’s what you would want any assistant coach to be and he cares about the kids more than anything,” Furino said.

Anything that will benefit the students, Cizmar will do it. He did all the things the other coaches didn’t want to do. His duties ranged from setting up the field before games and making sure there was water for the players to dealing with playing time issues and talking to parents.

“He’ll do everything for you. He’s completely selfless. He won’t complain at all,” Furino said.

Cizmar worked with the players that were struggling most of the time. He wanted to take the time to get them up to speed and get them to the next level, Furino said. He treated everyone the same from the most talented athlete to the waterboy.

“As long as you’re with the students it doesn’t matter what you’re doing. You can do almost anything and have fun,” Cizmar said.

Cizmar said he decided to retire to open up a spot for someone younger to take his place.

“This job is for young people. Some of us need to step aside so they have a chance too,” he said.

He won’t be seen in a Field locker room anymore. However, like other former coaches, he said he’ll be following his team through every season. He’ll know what their record is, which teams are on their schedule and which teams are expected to give them trouble.

“I’ve been tramping around Portage County for 40 years scouting on Friday nights. If Field is scheduled to play Streetsboro I can go watch Streetsboro the week before,” he said.

He’s had undefeated seasons in every sport he’s coached and been a part of numerous championship teams, but his biggest accomplishment is just finishing 40 years of service, he said.

Cizmar was the very first recipient of Field’s Teacher of the Year Award. He is loved equally as a teacher and a coach.

“I never thought coming through the doors in 1971, that my life would open up like this and stay open the whole time,” Cizmar said.

He worked to make students better off when they left his classroom.

“I believe when a student comes into your room he may be able to read and write or he may not, but you just have to get them a little further ahead of where they were before. I’ve done that every single time I’ve dealt with a student,” he said.

The valedictorians got to practice the things they were already good at in his class. The students who struggled got one-on-one time with him to improve. There was never a lost-cause in Cizmar’s class.

Every day Cizmar came to school in a great mood. He’s always been positive and he’s always been there for the kids, Furino said. There was never a problem you couldn’t talk to him about.

“I love teaching middle school. That’s when you’re changing kids. When they’re 17- or 18-years old they’ve already made their minds up about who they’re going to be,” Cizmar said.

He’s been offered teaching positions at the high school level and he’s had the opportunity to peruse a career in administration, but he chose to stay at the middle school.

“I thought anything that would take me away from the classroom was something I didn’t like the idea of doing. I would have never left the middle school for any job because that’s where I felt I was being helpful,” he said.

Cizmar said his experience teaching and coaching at Field had been fun and fulfilling.

“I’ve been awfully thankful. I have a heart full of gratitude for the people at Field,” he said.

Things people will never forget about him include: his raps he performed in the middle school talent shows, the bleeders he made kids do at football practice and him calling students dingbats when they acted out, according to Youel.

“He loves every kid he’s come in contact with for 40 years. You don’t stay in a profession like this for as long as he has unless you care about the kids as much as he does,” Youel said. “I’m going to be very sad to see him go.”

He made a difference in people’s lives and he took the time to be there for his students.

“He embodies what we want here at Field,” Furino said. “He’ll be sorely missed and never replaced. We’ll find someone to fill his position, but I don’t know if we’ll ever have another Vince Cizmar.”


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