Joe Knows Winning!

Catching up with #14		Joe Aliotti was one of the most successful and popular players ever at Boise State, helping the Broncos win the Division I-AA National Championship in 1980. What has Joe been up to?
Joe Aliotti was one of the best field generals ever to put on a Bronco uniform. Look up “leader” in the dictionary and you should find a picture of Aliotti next to it. He defines the term. Joe had great talent, to be sure, but what endeared him the most to Bronco fans was his enthusiasm. You would always see Joe jumping up and down or running full blast to his teammates to congratulate them after a big play. “Winner” is another term for Joe Aliotti. Coming to Boise State in 1979 as a junior college transfer, he only had two years to make his mark at the school. Oh, how he did. In ’79, the Broncos were 10-1 but were ineligible due to a scouting violation the previous year. The following year, Aliotti led a determined group to a 10-3 season, culminating in a thrilling come-from-behind 31-29 victory over Eastern Kentucky to win the Division I-AA National Championship. After EKU had taken a 29-24 lead, Boise State took over with just 59 seconds remaining. Aliotti led the team down the field to the 13 yard-line. After three unsuccessful throws, his scrambling to avoid defenders on fourth down bought Joe enough time to find tight end Duane Dlouhy wide open in the left corner of the end zone with 12 seconds left. Aliotti hit 24 of 41 passes that afternoon for 358 yards. Aliotti hit 63.6% of his passes (278-437) for 32 touchdowns and had an interception ratio of just 3.43%. Aliotti was a unanimous All-Big Sky selection in 1979, earning offensive MVP for the league and Kodak All-America honors. Big Sky coaches also tabbed him all-league in 1980. Aliotti still ranks ninth all-time with 32 career TD passes and 10th all-time with 278 career completions despite only playing two years. Joe is third in career passing efficiency with a rating of 147.43 and fifth at Boise State with the 3.43% interception ratio. He is sixth in passing efficiency for a single season with a 159.72 rating in 1979. As has been the case with so many of those championship players, Aliotti too has gone on to have tremendous success after graduating. Aliotti earned his B.A. in physical education from Boise State and then furthered his studies with a Masters degree in educational administration from Cal State Hayward. Aliotti is now the offensive coach and Dean of Students for the De La Salle High School Spartans.De La Salle, located 30 miles northeast of San Francisco in Concord is one of the premier high school football teams in the nation over the last two decades. Aliotti joined DLS as an educator and assistant football coach in 1998. The school currently has a student body of 1050 students and 99% of its graduates continue on to college. De La Salle is considered by many to be a six-time National Champion, five of which have come during Aliotti’s tenure. USA Today, Student Sports Magazine, Fox Fab 50 and the Tony Poll have all placed DLS at the top in their rankins. ESPN voted them #1 in the nation in 1994, USA Today placed DLS at the top in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and National Sports News Service put them #1 in 1999. The Spartans have won California state championships 12 times (1992, 1994-2003 and 2007). They have played in the CIF Section championship game in every year of its existence. Aliotti arrived at De La Salle midway through one of the most remarkable dynasties in sports history. DLS not only broke but shattered the national record for consecutive victories, winning a mind-blowing 151 games in a row from 1992-2003. The Spartans more than doubled the existing record of 72 that had been held by Hudson, Michigan for 22 years. Aliotti helped DLS win their 18th consecutive and 25th overall Northern California section championship last season as the Spartans routed Pittsburg, the very high school where Aliotti played prior to coming to Boise State. Nearly all of the Spartan players continue at the collegiate level. Former Spartans now in the NFL include Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer, Denver first-round draft pick D.J. Williams, Detroit Lions guard David Loverne and Jets kicker Doug Brien. UCLA running back Maurice Drew also played for Aliotti at De La Salle, as did Michigan starting quarterback Matt Guitierrez. The De La Salle football team was the subject of two 2003 books. One Great Game: Two Teams, Two Dreams, in the First Ever National Championship High School Football Game by Don Wallace and follows the undefeated 2001 season and national championship showdown with Long Beach Polytechnic High School and focuses on both schools. The second book entitled When the Game Stands Tall is by Contra Costa Times sportswriter Neil Hayes, who joined the team for practices, meetings and games during the 2002 season. Former Oakland Athletics manager Tony LaRussa wrote the forward for that book. Wallace also wrote about De La Salle and Ladouceur in an article called "The Soul of a Sports Machine." published in the October 2003 edition of Fast Company magazine. De La Salle has already sent Boise State at least one player, defensive back Ryan Brinkley, who played for the Broncos in 1997, 1998 and 2000. De La Salle’s remarkable 151 consecutive victories: 1992 13-0 (outscored opponents 629-112—won California State Championship by beating Pittsburg 41-6) 1993 13-0 (outscored opponents 629-120—won CIF Section Championship with a 46-14 win over Pinole Valley) 1994 13-0 (outscored opponents 589-115—won California State Championship with a 35-0 shutout over James Logan) 1995 13-0 (outscored opponents 620-159—won California State Championship with a 35-14 win over Pittsburg) 1996 12-0 (outscored opponents 594-53—won California State Championship by beating Pittsburg 35-7) 1997 12-0 (outscored opponents 618-104—won California State Championship by beating James Logan 35-15) Joe Aliotti’s time at DLS during winning streak-- 1998 12-0 (outscored opponents 567-129—won California State Championship with a 42-0 shutout of Pinole Valley) 1999 12-0 (outscored opponents 594-130—won California State Championship by beating San Leandro 38-14) 2000: 13-0 (outscored opponents 591-154—won California State Championship with a 49-13 win over San Leandro) 2001: 12-0 (outscored opponents 567-96—won California State Championship by beating San Leandro 48-13) 2002: 13-0 (outscored opponents 540-102—won California State Championship with a 42-14 win over San Leandro) 2003; 13-0 (outscored opponents 531-65—won California State Championship with a 39-0 win over Pittsburg) 2004: 8-3-2 (won CIF Section Championship) 2005: 11-2 (won CIF Section Championship) 2006; 13-1 (won CIF Section Championship, lost to Canyon 27-13 in State Championship game) 2007: 13-0 (won California State Championship with a 37-31 win over Centennial Corona) 2008: 12-2 (won CIF Section Championship, lost to Centennial Corona 21-16 in State Championship game) 2009: 13-2 (won California State Championship with a 28-14 win over Crenshaw)