Renowned San Antonio high school football coach Van Fuschak announces retirement as head football coach to Antonian

Renowned San Antonio high school football coach Van Fuschak announces retirement as head football coach to Antonian

Renowned San Antonio high school football coac, Van Fuschak has announced that he will retire as head football coach at Antonian College Preparatory High School effective Friday, Feb. 28. Fuschak completed nine seasons with the Antonian Apaches. He joined the school in 2011 after retiring from a successful coaching career in the Northeast as well as the Northside Independent School Districts.

“Anyone who knows me knows I tend to stay in one place for a while, so when I got the opportunity to come to Antonian, I had to really talk that over with my wife,” explained Fuschak. But being here at Antonian has been really good for me and my family. Everyone I work with at Antonian is just so kind. It has really been good to be here.”

Fuschak’s departure comes on the heels of one of Antonian’s most successful football seasons in recent years, which saw the team compete in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) Division I state semi-final playoff game. Under Fushack’s direction, the Apache football team has an overall record of 63-37.

“Coach Fuschak has been an incredible leader within the school and the football program,” Antonian Athletic Director Devlyn Lovell said. “He changed the culture of the program and his character influenced his athletes to make them better students, family members, teammates, adults, and contributing members of society. His vision of success has put Antonian in a position to be successful for years to come.”

Prior to coaching at Antonian, Fuschak coached at MacArthur High School, where he rose in rank to the position of athletic director. Before that, Fuschak was on the staff of the football program at Marshall High School.

In his 44 years of high school coaching, all in the San Antonio area, Fuschak has received a number of accolades. In 1996, he served on the Texas High School Coaches Association South All-Star Selection Committee for football and later served on the Board of Directors of the same organization from 2001 to 2004. He was recognized by the Greater San Antonio Football Coaches Foundation for outstanding contributions in the coaching profession in 2014.

A particularly proud moment was serving as the head coach of the MacArthur Brahmas when the team broke Judson High School’s 55-game winning streak in 1994. In August 2018, MacArthur High School dedicated its campus football field as Fuschak Field.

“Coach Van Fuschak has been everything a principal could ask for in a football coach,” said Tim Petersen, Antonian principal. “He is a person of unquestioned integrity who combines an ability to motivate players to give their maximum effort and to be team players. It has been an honor to be his colleague these past five years. I am appreciative of all he has done for Antonian and Antonian football. Van has epitomized what it means to be a teacher and coach, consistently stressing the importance of doing things the right way. He has left a lasting imprint on students and colleagues alike. There is no doubt that his impact on the young men he has coached is profound and will last for generations.”

Antonian will begin a search process to identify the best candidate to fill the vacancy left by Fuschak’s departure, with an intent to name a new head coach by the start of spring football in May 2020.

An event in Fuschak’s honor to allow his former Antonian players and their family and friends to thank him and wish him well is planned for later this year.