Viera High School names new head coach for football program: 'Save the team'
VIERA, Fla. - Viera High School just named its new head coach for the football program.
The new announcement comes after a hazing investigation shattered the team last season. The former coach was removed, players were disciplined, and the district had to find a new leader.
The administration just chose Tony Gulla to take the Hawks to new heights. He comes with nearly 40 years of experience and coached in Boston, Orlando, and Palm Bay before coming to Viera. He started with the football program last March and stepped in to save the program when the sheriff’s office and school district had to investigate a hazing incident on the team.
"It wasn’t very easy, and we were under a microscope, and there was a lot that we had to do, and they were excellent, so it was really on them," said Coach Gulla.
The coach is praising his players for how they handled the season. Gulla stepped in to lead the team then, and now, he has just been named the permanent head coach.
"My entire career, which is going on year 37, has been dedicated to building young men out of high school football players," he added.
He says experience, dedication, and hard work are what he'll bring to the team. When news broke about hazing in the locker room, Gulla says he started a new player-lead leadership council so players could discuss any issues with which they were dealing.
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"That council had the opportunity to come to us, no recourse, and talk to us about any aspect of what was going on in the classroom, in the locker room, or even on the practice field," the coach said.
Viera High School’s district school board member, Matt Susin, says Gulla is the perfect man for the position.
"Thank god for coach Gulla," said Susin.
Susin says Gulla values ethics and discipline on and off the field.
"That man stepped into a firestorm where he tried to save the team, and he deserves all the credit in the world," the board member said.
Moving forward, Susin says virtual hazing training will still be required for players, and he wants to see more communication with families to ensure something like this never happens again.
"Having parental support, identifying – hey, we just don’t play with that here, that’s just not something that’s acceptable here. I think that’s the third component that I’d really like to focus on," Susin concluded.
Coach Gulla says the team is already lifting weights together, and he is laser-focused on getting players in the right mindset for their upcoming season.
He also wants to see the team succeed in school. Last season, they had a 3.2 average GPA. His goal for the upcoming season is for players to have a 3.5 average team GPA.
Spring scrimmages for the team start in April.