On the back of years of continual pivoting from the classroom to the athletic track, even the sidelines, teacher and coach Nick Vescio has earned the prestigious 2025 Coaches' Excellence Award for transforming student-athletes into champions on and off the field.

From leading the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s James Cardinal McGuigan’s track and field team to three straight OFSAA titles to founding the school’s first football program, Vescio’s relentless dedication has undoubtedly elevated the Toronto Catholic school into a hub for both athletic and personal growth. Now, Vescio has been recognized with the highest coaching honour across all sports and levels, awarded each year to exemplary coaches across Ontario for the integral role they play with their sport, teams and community.

Vescio received the award officially as part of a special VIP CFL celebration at BMO Field on Sept. 13 during the Toronto Argonauts versus Edmonton Elks game. There, with 14 other of Ontario’s best, he began to realize the weight of his most recent achievement.

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“It was just such an honour for me. They told me back in June that I was nominated, and I thought it was a joke at first.  Looking back, my success is built on the work of all the kids that we've had, the team that we have here at the school, as well as because of the support from my wife,” Vescio said.

In addition to the recognition, the award included a $500 prize for team-oriented purchases.

With many achievements already under his belt since joining James Cardinal McGuigan in 2022 as the school’s co-op teacher and high-performance athletics (HPA) coordinator, Vescio hopes to continue driving the school’s sports culture forward. His path to coaching began following a broken neck injury while playing university football, followed by a brief professional stint until medical records ultimately put an end to his playing career.

Sidelined and away from the game he loved, it was the memories of one of his old football coaches, the late Charles “Chuck” Wakefield of Toronto’s Central Tech, that brought Vescio closer to the world of coaching. He credited Wakefield’s compassionate and wrap-around approach as something that not only continually stuck with him, but also as a style he could see himself emulating through his coaching path.

“ He was the type of person who truly cared about the kids, not just on the team or during the games; he was the guy I wanted to be like. Now, I’ve taken that approach to coaching myself, which entails being with the kids all the time. I make myself available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for them,” Vescio said.

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“The kids who really need that oftentimes don’t have a person in their life who’s willing to put the time in like that, so I try to be that person for them,” he added, highlighting his commitment to program-building and student development over mere athletic results.

Vescio also spoke about his unique upbringing as a half-Italian, half-Chinese first-generation Canadian. Growing up through hard times and with a cultural focus on street smarts and financial literacy, he says he’s become used to relating to and guiding students from varied circumstances.

Additionally, his faith as a teacher at McGuigan has contributed to his success, reinvigorated through his marriage and fatherhood. He credits it as a foundation of core values he integrates into coaching and teaching.

“ Growing up in those two different cultures, I sometimes ran away from my faith as a younger man, but my family has brought me closer to it again. That understanding of faith has rooted me in this strong sense of ethics that not only I promote in my family but in our school community as a whole as well,” he said.

Vescio's commitment to excellence is seen in his many tangible accomplishments, such as mentoring student-athletes into attaining post-secondary opportunities.

But for him, the biggest achievement of all is not a physical trophy or award, but the continued work he’s a part of in developing players, building culture and growing the school community.

“ When I first got to the school, there were 1,000 kids, and this year we're at 1,400, and it's not just because of me, it's because of everybody around here,” he said, crediting principal Antonio Bisceglia. “This high-performance program is starting to attract some of the best kids from all of Canada. We're not just obtaining them, but developing them and then sending them off to futures on the pathway to success — that’s what it’s all about.”

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Once again situated amid hectic athletic seasons and in-classroom teaching, Vescio’s focus has returned to expanding the HPA program through various initiatives such as a high-performance combine at York University, an HPA mock “draft” and even a signing day to mimic university and professional pathways. He continues to actively build partnerships, such as with York University and George Brown College, hoping to provide even more resources and opportunities for student-athletes.

“We’re always going, always developing, always looking forward. We don’t slow down here,” Vescio said.