Sitting Down With Riverdale’s James Delgado
If you follow high school football in Florida at all, chances are you know the name James Delgado. As head coach of the Riverdale Raiders, he’s made some serious waves over the past year. So much so, in fact, that he was voted the District 18 High School Football Coach of the Year by his fellow coaches. I got him on my podcast, “The HartBeat Show,” to talk about the award and his trials, tribulations, and victories.
“I was honored,” he says of the recognition. “For the area coaches to think of me that way after this year has been really a flattering deal.” Of course, it seems pretty clear to me that the honor was well-earned. With a 10–1 record, Delgado won districts and led Riverdale to the first undefeated regular season in the school’s history. Not to mention he’s just a driven, down-to-Earth guy with a lot to offer his community, his team, and his peers alike.
Though Delgado had a very successful college football career at Webber University, he had no idea where the sport would take him after college. In fact, he was pretty sure he’d take his finance degree and shuffle off to the corporate world for good. But his head coach had other plans and asked him to stick around as a graduate assistant coach. For Delgado, the opportunity to “be around ‘ball,” while getting his master’s paid for was “a no-brainer.” From there, he coached in college and then moved on to high school and never looked back.
Today, Delgado is, as he puts it, lucky to be somebody whose professional career has always revolved around his greatest passion. “I never dread getting up for work regardless of what time it is or what I have waiting for me.”
I hate to cut this article short, but I just don’t have room to go over everything we discussed. This was one of my favorite interviews ever. Seriously, guys, if you have a second, go check out the full dialogue on Episode 40 of “The HartBeat Show” on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. A sincere thanks to James Delgado and big congratulations on the award! Here’s wishing him the best as he continues to crush it in 2019.
Born and raised in Southwest Florida, I have been in the Mortgage business since 2001 I'm a grizzly, battle tested mortgage veteran. I am also the Host of Rates & Reels, which is the most popular fishing show in Southwest Florida, hosted by a guy named Tim. In my spare time I love spending time with my family, coaching baseball, and anything else my kids or wife want me to do. I would be happy to help you or someone you know with any of your Mortgage needs.
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