|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Saint Francis High School is welcoming two big-time veteran football players to its coaching roster – NFL Hall of Famer Bryant Young and former professional quarterback Alex Smith, both of whom played for the San Francisco 49ers.
When asked how the Lancers acquired the two retired NFL players, varsity head coach Greg Calcagno said both men have children who attend the private Mountain View school.
“They’ve been around, so I was smart enough to ask them if they would help us,” Calcagno said. “They gladly accepted.”
Young, a first-round draft pick, was a defensive tackle for the 49ers from 1994 to 2007, earning a Super Bowl ring and four Pro Bowl distinctions before being elected to the Hall of Fame in 2022. Smith, a 2005 No. 1 overall draft pick and three-time Pro Bowler, played in the NFL for 16 seasons, starting with the 49ers and ending with the Washington Commanders.
The former pros will both be assistant coaches at Saint Francis, with Young focusing on the defensive side and Smith on the offensive side, Calcagno said.
“It’s great to have people with those kinds of credentials around our kids and wanting to help our kids,” Calcagno said.
The football program is also adding Hudson Mesa and Momo Wilmer, both Saint Francis alumni, to the coaching staff. Calcagno described Mesa and Wilmer as “class young men” who will be great examples for the program’s student athletes to look up to.
The Lancers are a force to be reckoned with in Bay Area high school football, with 17 Central Coast Section titles – more than any other program in the region.
The team started practicing this month. Saint Francis’ first game of the 2026 season is scheduled for Aug. 28 against Manteca High School.
