Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?
Chuck Matto: What I enjoyed most about competing in athletics was the sense of family and commitment, particularly when playing high school football. It didn't matter who you were or where you were from. All we cared about was are you committed to the team and working hard? And I'm still proud to say that as a team, I think we truly did some great things. To this day, I hope all my brothers know I'd be there for them in a second... the former teammates I'm not currently in contact with for whatever reason. But that sense of family and brotherhood is unparalleled.
D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?
Matto: I went to SRJC to play ball and then I tore my rotator cuff. Then I realized I was done with football in the sense that, I didn't want to do the grind anymore. From there, I eventually transferred so Sonoma State and I studied psychology. I worked with troubled youth and families in need at the Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma and then at the Valley of The Moon residential center for the County of Sonoma. Now, I'm working in the family business helping people protect themselves from everyday risk in Sonoma. I got married about a year and a half ago and my wife and I purchased a house in Vallejo. I also enjoy cooking and have been trying to pursue that as well as feeding the homeless. Now I'm just trying to live everyday to the fullest, enjoy my time and not waste any opportunities.
D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Justin-Siena High?
Matto: My favorite class at Justin-Siena was English with Mr. Morrish. I had always done well in English and enjoyed it... but with him, it was more than that. He taught me so much about life. His classroom wasn't just a classroom, at lunch it was the spot to hangout at. He didn't care who you were or judge anybody. He just wanted you to be safe, have fun and learn something. He was diagnosed with a rare cancer my senior year. I remember visiting him at his home shortly before he passed and I remember him looking me in my eyes while he barely had the strength to speak and him telling me "I'm not afraid to die. I'm not sad about it. I'm sad that I'm not going to have the opportunity to meet anymore young people. It's the teaching moments with young people that I'm not going to have that I am sad about." Teaching was his passion through and through but he did it in a way that made you feel alive. He was an example of a what a thunderous force the human spirit can be and I'll never forget that. I'm confident that if you asked any student that had the privilege of being in his class that they would say the same.
D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Justin-Siena High?
Matto: My favorite athletic moment was a comeback win against Novato. It was a rainy Saturday morning and we were down 0-17 at the half if I recall correctly. I remember our D-line coach, Coach Shanks told me that he was going to lay into me at halftime and he needed me to respond. I don't remember what he said to me or what I said to the team in my speech. I just remember feeling out of my body. Everyone was making huge plays, hitting key blocks and coming up big. We ended up coming back for what I think was a 21-17 victory. I'm not sure. Coach (Rich) Cotruvo had such an ability to inspire and I just know everyone was so committed we were a force that wouldn't be stopped. Outside of that, I think just the run the entire group of guys went of from 2002 to 2005 was amazing.
D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?
Matto: Since high school I've grown tremendously and I continue to grow daily. I attribute that a large amount to athletics but more specifically to Coach Cotruvo. He taught me about accountability, being a self-start and motivator, about caring for those around you before yourself and about believing in a goal. I frequently think about the lessons he taught my teammates and I. And I often find myself thinking, Coach would be proud. Having said that, Coach always said to stay hungry, and I've got bigger dreams and goals and I still want to accomplish and it is only a matter of time!
D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?
Matto: I'm truly a product of the community and my family goes beyond those that I am biologically related to. First and foremost though, my parents are my greatest inspiration. They are so loving and so giving. They adopted me and have given me every opportunity I could ever have hoped for. I hope that I can change half the amount of people that they have for the positive. And if I can make my wife Erica look at me, like my mom and dad still look at one another after all this time, I'd say I did something right. Outside of them, my siblings all inspire me in their own ways. I also have several other Moms, Dads and siblings and I am so inspired and influenced by all of them. I was taught to love your neighbors, have an open heart, be yourself and just try to be a decent person. I know it sounds so simple and seems like it might be overused but I can't say it enough. And last but certainly not least, my wife Erica. She is my rock and my foundation. She loves me for who I am and has never asked me to change. She motivates me to be better. She supports my dreams and goals and I'm honestly not sure where I would be today without her.
D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.
Matto: I'm not sure if this counts as historical for you, but for me she does. My biological mom, Vanessa Briggs. I was adopted at 8 months old and I never had the chance to meet her. Sadly, the only time I ever remember seeing her in person was at her funeral. I know my parents have shaped me, but I want to see what I inherited from her. In addition, I want her to see the man that she brought in to the world.
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