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02/01/2017 11:00 PMAfter dedicating himself to the Tigers for the last decade, David Mastroianni was recently named the third head coach in the 46-year history of the Hand football program.
David played football at Foran High School before hitting the gridiron at Columbia University. David came back to the Southern Connecticut Conference as an assistant at Amity, after which he joined the Tigers in 2007, and served as Steve Filippone’s defensive coordinator for the past eight seasons. Now that Filippone has stepped down from his post, David is succeeding him as Hand’s head coach.
“I haven’t traveled too far, but I’ve gone through a lot of stuff with football. To be only the third head coach here is humbling and a lot to bear,” says David, a Niantic resident who teaches social studies at Hand. “Hand football has a great background and program, which has put its trust in me to keep it going. For people to gather and support me, it’s humbling. It’s nice to be in a supportive environment. [Assistant coach Mike Ciotti] is my confidant and right-hand man and it makes sense that we have a tight-knit community here because that’s what makes Hand football.”
As a longtime member of the coaching staff, there’s a strong familiarity factor between David, the Tigers’ athletes, and their fans. David’s confident that will help Hand grow fast under a new, but similar regime.
“I know the culture of Hand and Madison and I know their expectations. Hand has this mystique that is unrivaled,” David says. “There is continuity amongst the staff here and a smooth transition. Aside from Steve, everyone is coming back, which makes life a lot easier.”
David doesn’t have a master list of principles he adheres to when it comes to effectively mentoring athletes. Instead, he mostly focuses on being a dependable person who his players can always to reach out. David feels immense pride when someone compliments him on the caliber of the fine young men who come through Hand’s program.
“We as coaches all buy into the fact that we truly care about our kids and the kids know they can come to us for anything. We want them to know that they are in good hands,” says David. “It’s great when you coach them to do something and then they do it right. It’s also rewarding when you have someone pull you aside and tell you that one of your kids is a great one. To see that sincerity is important and is what keeps me coaching.”
Filippone couldn’t be prouder of David for getting the nod to be his successor. Filippone says that David’s vast football knowledge and commitment to excellence help him constantly put a quality product on the gridiron.
“Dave came to us and we utilized him as a position coach and then we realized how capable of a mind he had for football. I then allowed him to take over a whole part of the team in the defense. I gave him free reign to make decisions about personnel and schemes and our defense started to improve,” says Filippone. “He’s a great teacher and incredibly hard worker. Our staff would meet Sundays at my house at 5 p.m., but he would be there with me at 10 a.m., breaking down film on his laptop. You are very lucky when you find someone with that desire.”
“The IQ of the head coach here has gone up 30 points immediately,” Filippone adds. “We had two incredible candidates for the job in David and Mike Ciotti. The two of them are coaching our kids, so it’s a win-win. They won’t miss a beat. David entrusts his assistants with responsibilities and he will be very influential as time goes by. They will win a lot of games with those kids and coaches running the program. I really don’t see any downside to him.”
The Hand football tradition is one unlike any other in the state with its fervent fan base, as well as a passionate group of alums who always want to see the Tigers thrive in the spotlight. David knows that he’s part of a special community in Madison and will be as hungry as ever for success in his debut campaign as Tigers’ head coach.
“The Hand football community itself makes the program so special. [Hand’s first Head Coach Larry Ciotti] established what it was supposed to be like and Steve took it further. Hand has created a mystique and we have to build upon it with great kids and people for support,” David says. “There is a legacy created by the alumni here. They have high expectations for us now and we don’t want to let them down. We want to have a good combo of people the community is proud of.”