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10/17/2019 12:00 AMRalph Inorio has spent many years coaching football and, during much of that time, he’s been alongside North Haven Head Coach Anthony Sagnella. Ralph, a Branford resident, recently rejoined the Indians’ coaching staff after spending some time away from coaching due to work responsibilities. Ralph was welcomed back to North Haven in 2017 and is currently the co-head coach of the Indians’ JV team.
Ralph began his coaching career in Clinton, where he worked with the town’s youth football program from 1979 through 1991. Prior to that, Ralph played running back for four years at The Morgan School, leading the team as a captain in his senior season.
After graduating in 1977, Ralph spent a couple of years serving in the U.S. Army in South Korea near the demilitarized zone, then returned home to help care for his mother. Ralph attended Southern Connecticut State University for two years, after which he transferred to Ferrum College in Virginia and walked on to the football squad as a cornerback. Following a brief stint at Ferrum, Ralph came back home again.
Ralph’s first foray into high school coaching came at North Branford in 1992. The next year, the Thunderbirds hired Sagnella as their head coach, and Ralph stayed on the staff after giving an impressive interview. That interview spawned a long working relationship between the two coaches.
“I was honored to be on Coach Sagnella’s very first staff when he was hired at North Branford High School. He was a new head coach, and I applied to be an assistant,” Ralph says. “I didn’t know him, and I was the unknown on the staff. All his other assistants were either former teammates or coaches he knew. I’ve been with him off and on for like 15 years.”
Ralph has seen a lot of success on the field throughout his tenure with Sagnella. However, Ralph prides himself the most on helping his athletes become good citizens.
“I know I’m probably not coaching anybody to be a future NFL player. The odds for that are off the charts,” says Ralph. “My coaching style is just trying to help a kid become a well-established individual in society and in their community. I want them to go at any job with passion and try to be the best at it. To me, that is the most important thing. I want to see a child develop into a successful young adult.”
Ralph does whatever job needs to be done as a member of North Haven’s coaching staff. While his primary responsibility is coaching the JV team, Ralph is ready to do anything that will help the Indians at the drop of a hat.
“I’ve always been a guy that Anthony can just put me where he needs me. Over the years, I’ve coached every position but quarterback, and I’ve done it to the best of my abilities,” Ralph says. “I’m not a coordinator or anything like that. I’m old school. When Anthony or the team needs me, I’m there.”
Coach Sagnella has enjoyed working with Ralph throughout the years. Sagnella considers Ralph an invaluable member of his coaching staff and was happy to bring him back into the fold when he had the chance.
“Ralph cares about the kids, and he interacts with them well. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, and that’s more important to him than even winning the game,” Sagnella says. “Ralph is fiercely loyal. He’ll give you the shirt off his back, and he oftentimes does. The kids really love him, and he’s not easy on them, either. He’s demanding of them. They appreciate him. He’s a rare guy and, when you find someone like him, you keep him close.”
As the JV coach, Ralph has to help North Haven’s athletes make the transition from playing youth football to the high school level. Fortunately, he gets plenty of support from his fellow coaches.
“I consider myself a co-head coach with coach Chris Grillo. We also have the assistance of coach Marc Russo and coach Mike Dodge to come help us for games on Saturday mornings. Me and coach Grillo share the duties,” says Ralph. “The practice plans are developed two to three days prior to practice and are then altered as need be. Half the practice, the JVs will practice separately, but during individual drills, they will co-mingle with varsity players. So, they get the best of both worlds, and they can see how the varsity player reacts and does drills.”
Ralph considers it a great honor to help shape North Haven’s student-athletes during an important time in their lives. Ralph takes that responsibility seriously, and he hopes that his actions make a positive impact on each and every one of them.
“I do this because I’m trying to get kids prepared for the world outside of high school,” Ralph says. “I’m a business manager of a very large labor union. I see how the world isn’t fair every day, and I know the game of football helps them to face adversity. In the end, life is full of ups and downs, and this game can help show that to them.”