Cole Garvey
Sports Editor
University of California, Berkeley sophomore and Mira Costa alumnus Liam Digregorio helps Berkeley’s football team win on and off the field.
Digregorio is the student equipment manager of Berkeley’s football team. As a high school student, Digregorio managed Costa’s football team for three years. Digregorio created the manager position at Costa and was free to do what he wanted with the position, which differs from his set jobs at Berkeley, Digregorio said.
“I love being on the football team because it is a special experience to see behind the scenes of such a huge program,” Digregorio said. “There are so many moving parts that go into putting on a game of college football that nobody will ever see.”
When Digregorio toured Berkeley’s campus, he looked to give his pitch as a football manager to anyone in the football program. After running into Andrew McGraw, the athletic director for football operations, and giving him his pitch, the university contacted Digregorio to discuss him becoming a student manager.
“I was reminded of some very important things that day that I encourage everyone to keep in mind,” Digregorio said. “You need two things in life to be successful: confidence and passion.”
According to Digregorio, he is responsible for taking care of every coach and administrator for the team, so they can focus on the success of the team. He is also responsible for setting up the field and the team’s drills, answering questions from the players, doing laundry, repairing football helmets, replacing athletic clothing articles and distributing football gear. Digregorio works approximately 40-45 hours each week as manager.
“You have to be able to react quickly to make sure that everything is prepared for the players and the coaches because otherwise it distracts them from their jobs,” Digregorio said.
Berkeley had a winning season in 2018 as the Bears ended the year with a 7-6 record. The Bears had huge wins in their conference last season but ended their season with a 10-7 overtime loss to Texas Christian University in the Cheeze-It Bowl. During the Cheeze-It Bowl, Digregorio was responsible for the entire locker room transition before and after halftime, and for unloading and loading all the team’s football gear.
“Last season working for the bears [was] especially great,” Digregorio said. “Coach Sirmon was an absolute pleasure to work with, and as serious as football can be, we still had our fair share of laughs.”
As Digregorio pursues his major in Environmental Management in the college of Natural Resources at Berkeley, he plans to continue his job as a student manager for the football team until he graduates in two years. After graduation, he plans to embark on a cannabis entrepreneurship in the future.
“I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the entire Mira Costa Football team and coaches, in addition to my teachers who prepared me for where I am today,” Digregorio said. “I am forever grateful. Just because I may not have been the best student in school, doesn’t mean I didn’t learn a lot.”
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