Ex-Menlo-Atherton High School coach Adhir Ravipati staying involved

“I’ve been working with some M-A kids, some JC kids, some kids from other schools. For most college coaches, verified height and weight and seeing them doing football activities (is enough). … I’m not doing any showcases or anything like that,” Ravipati said, adding he is following county guidelines for COVID-19.

Ravipati spend nearly a decade on the M-A coaching staff and has built a connection not only with the M-A football team, but the school and the community. His first official football coaching job was for the M-A junior varsity squad in 2010. He moved up to varsity receivers coach in 2011 and stayed as an assistant until taking over as the head coach prior to the 2015 season. In four seasons as head coach, M-A went 17-3 in Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division play, winning a pair of division titles. Overall, he compiled a record of 38-15, winning two Central Coast Section championships, two Northern California crowns and the 2018 Division 3-AA state title with a 21-7 decision over Lincoln-San Diego.

It’s the connections he built with the school that has led Ravipati to continue to work with players in the M-A program. This year’s junior class is the last one connected to the Ravipati Era and he is working with new head coach Chris Saunders to help these players get the help necessary to get recruited to play football in college and work toward a degree.

“A lot of these guys I’ve known for a long time and I want to be around and to help them finish high school,” said Ravipati, a 2005 Harker graduate and a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame.

“I’ve known a lot of them even before high school. It’s kind of special for me to be around them.”

In addition to helping players prepare for college, he also spent the 2019 season helping current college players find success as an offensive analyst for the College of San Mateo football program — breaking down video and helping with the offensive game plan. He said current head coach Tim Tulloch and longtime former head coach Larry Owens approached him about working with the Bulldogs and Ravipati jumped at the opportunity.

“I know them really well. They’ve been amazing mentors to me. It was a cool way to stay connected (to the sport),” Ravipati said. “It was a unique opportunity. You get a chance to see different things. After being at M-A for years, it was kind of cool to be in a new environment and see a different (program).”

Ravipati said the arrangement worked out for him because he was not required to be at practice and could perform his duties at home, after work.

Which is what forced Ravipati off the sidelines to begin with. The work necessary to run a top-level football program, in addition to his day job, was becoming too much as he was being overwhelmed with time constrictions. Ravipati was not the type of coach to show up right before practice. He would often go to campus at lunch to watch film with the team, head back to the office and be back on campus for study hall before the start of evening practice. Eventually, Ravipati decided he needed to focus more on his career and he stepped down as head coach.

But it’s not a permanent retirement. With many companies allowing for remote work, Ravipati said that accommodation could allow him back on the sidelines — if the right opportunity comes along.

“ Do I have to be a head coach to be coaching again? No. But I definitely miss coaching. Definitely miss working with the kids,” Ravipati said. “Right now, I’m just focused on what I can do to help kids in the area.”