By: Chloe Grant
For 37 years, Mr. Torillo has had a content, welcoming presence in a high school gym and on the sidelines of sports fields. What started as a simple love for sports has turned into an amazing lifelong career of teaching and mentoring student-athletes. As a Hall of Fame athlete and state-champion caliber coach, his impact on any student he mentors is undeniable. If you were to ask anyone he works with they would tell you Mr. Toriolo truly loves what he does ,even though working with teenagers can be very challenging sometimes. As Mr.Torillo reflects “I really do like working with kids but it takes time even with difficult kids they always come around”. Today, his legacy has been a family effort, he shares the sidelines with his three sons who he hopes will continue his work when his time to retire does arrive.
Mr. Torillo’s path to becoming an educator is far from traditional. After asking Toriilo, If he knew he always wanted to be a teacher, he admitted “At first no. Like any other college kid I just wanted to go and play hockey”. Like many student athletes in college his goal was to focus on hockey and baseball at Canisius College while majoring in business. After failing a Macroeconomics test in his first semester of his freshman year he realized this is not what he wanted to do with his life. He decided to pivot and switch his major to education. This unexpected change allowed him to combine his love for sports with his love of working with kids. He believes this is one of the best things that could have happened to him.
Before Mr.Torillo was a coach and teacher, he was a dominant standout athlete himself. He attended Sweet Home HIgh School in Buffalo New York, where he played hockey ,baseball, football and ran track. At Sweet Home he won two State championships one in hockey and another in baseball. His success did not stop at the high school level and was carried into college where he attended Canishus College. Here he became the hockey program’s all-time leading scorer in goals, assists , and points! All his hard work earned him honors of being inducted into both the Sweet Home Hall of Fame and the Canisius College Hall of Fame.
His coaching journey began in college, as his love for coaching took off at Canishus College, this is where he was told that teaching would be a perfect fit for him. He spent 18 years teaching physical education at Transit Middle school when they first opened after teaching part time at Williamsville East for 2 years. He eventually decided to return to Williamsville East so he could be closer with his players throughout the school day. Over Mr. In Torillo’s 37 year long coaching career he has created a remarkable resume. He coached Girl track for 10 years, even leading a high jumper to a state championship. In football he spent 15 years as an assistant coach at Williamsville East before transferring back to his old high school he attended to be the head coach for 13 years. Back with Williamsville East on the ice for hockey he coached the 2004 Williamsville East boys varsity team to a state championship.
Today, Williamsville East athletics is a Torillo Family affair. After being inspired by his former athletic director, at Sweet Home high school Bob Barczak, the idea of “family” in sports Mr.Toriilo has brought his actual family’s right to his sidelines! His wife has remained always his biggest supporter and following her there three sons – Michael, Kevin and Joe all coach beside their father commanding the Football, Hockey and Flag Football programs.When asking Mr. Torillo said if coaching helped prepare him for raising his own children his response was ““I would have to say yes being able to see how other kids growing up gave me a little extra insight”. While Mr. Torillio is glad his sons attended Sweet Home High School over Williamsville East because they were able to create their own legacy, without having to see their father in the halls every day and on the sidelines.
When asking Mr.Torillo what he would do if he was not coaching and teaching he admitted that he has no idea what else he would do in this lifetime. Sports drive everything he does. He lives for the daily challenges and competitiveness that sports bring. When he finally does choose to retire, he plans on travelling and hopefully taking care of grandkids in the near future . He is not planning on leaving the sidelines anytime soon though, he is planning on retiring from teaching and will still continue coaching at the high school level. For now, he is enjoying every moment and cherishing it because time really does fly by. As Mr.Torillo says, “life is good now, I don’t have any complaints”.