Nino Giarratano

Anthony "Nino" Giarratano (born June 2, 1962) is a former American college baseball coach, who served as head coach of the San Francisco Dons baseball team from 1999 to 2022.

In March of 2022, Giarratano was fired by the University of San Francisco due to allegations that were later reflected in a class-action lawsuit that three former players filed accusing him of inappropriate sexual conduct .

Early life and education Born in Pueblo, Colorado, Giarratano attended Pueblo South High School and graduated in 1980. He then attended William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, earning a degree in physical education in 1985. He later added a master's degree from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado.

Coaching career In 1989, he began his coaching career at Trinidad State, a junior college in Trinidad, Colorado. In six seasons with the Trojans, Giarratano led teams to five NJCAA World Series. In 1994, Giarratano managed the Bourne Braves, a collegiate summer baseball team in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. His Bourne team featured future major leaguers Jeremy Giambi and Mark Kotsay. He then spent two seasons at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona. He sent 25 of his players to professional contracts before becoming an assistant at Arizona State in 1997. Giarratano served as hitting instructor, offensive coordinator, and third base coach and helped lead the team to the 1998 College World Series final. "John Doe 1" alleged that Giarratano referred to him using several expletives and repeatedly berated him in an attempt to pressure him to leave the program (he had a significant four-year guaranteed scholarship). He entered the transfer portal in January. "John Doe 2" outlined a pattern of verbal and emotional abuse that resulted in five emergency room visits in the fall of 2021, contributing to his decision to leave the program. "John Doe 3" said Giarratano told him he was a waste of space, that none of his teammates or coaches liked him, and said, "I wish I could take my bat and hit your head as hard as I can, and maybe I can get your brain to work," according to the lawsuit. Another former USF baseball player, Tyler Imbach described having suicidal thoughts in a public Instagram post in September of 2021 and told the San Francisco Chronicle : "The USF thing definitely compounded my mental health issues. USF was a rough experience, just the way I was treated by the coaching staff. It kind of sent me over the edge."

On March 13, 2022, Giarratano was fired immediately from USF. University of San Francisco Athletic Director, Joan McDermott stated, "When the university first became aware of the complaints by students and families about the environment and behavior of coaches in the baseball program, we immediately conducted an internal investigation that led to the firing of Troy Nakamura and an official reprimand of Nino Giarratano."

Head coaching record