Longtime Venice football coach Angelo Gasca has died

"I'm not accepting your resignation today. You need to go home and think about it. He went home and thought about it and stayed on the team and was the starting center. He taught me the best thing we can teach kids is come to school and you never know what connections you'll make at the school you grew up at."

"He was such a fixture at Venice that coaching sons of former players became the norm. He loved the concept of 'neighborhood team.' Perhaps his most important contribution was training, supporting and preparing players to become teachers and coaches. Most of his staff at Venice has been made up of former players."

"There's more to coaching than winning games and scoring touchdowns. In our lives as teachers and coaches, we do learn from players. When we stop learning, it's..."

Angelo Gasca, a 1978 Venice High graduate, spent 36 years as a football coach and special education teacher at his alma mater, never leaving his neighborhood. He won the City Section Division I championship in 2021 and was renowned for innovative passing schemes and developing top quarterbacks, including NFL player JP Losman. Beyond football success, Gasca's greatest contribution was preparing players to become teachers and coaches, with most of his staff comprising former players. He actively supported them through earning teaching credentials and securing employment. Gasca took pride in former players' achievements, including running back Byron Ellis who became an orthopedic surgeon and receiver Brycen Tremayne who played for the Carolina Panthers. He believed coaching extended beyond winning games to teaching life lessons about connections and personal growth.

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