Success no idle boast for St. Francis product Gangi

Ty Gangi does not like to talk about himself.

Part of that stems from his parents, Kathy and Frank, who raised a son with humility and sound moral values.

Another part of it comes from the coaching he received at St. Francis High, where the 22-year-old thrived under the tutelage of Golden Knights football coach Jim Bonds.

So, while Gangi, now the starting quarterback of the University of Nevada Reno Wolf Pack, is hesitant to talk about his accomplishments or his potential, others will gladly boast on his behalf.

“He’s one of the most humble individuals that I’ve been around and had the chance to coach,” said Bonds, who coached Gangi during a brilliant 2013 campaign in which the signal-caller passed for 2,882 yards and 25 touchdowns and also ran for 421 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to being named the All-Area Football Player of the Year. “He’s got the self-confidence. He’s not going to brag about himself, but he’s got a quiet confidence that he’s the best guy out there. He believes in himself and he believes in his ability.”

Gangi has had to constantly prove his abilities, from his time at St. Francis to Ventura College to Nevada.

He didn’t get the starting nod at St. Francis until his senior season, as he was forced to wait behind 2012 All-Area Football Player of the Year Jared Lebowitz.

Gangi didn’t sit idly by, though.

After Friday nights, he would be on a local football field working with quarterback coach Anton Clarkson, who has an all-star list of clients that he’s worked with, including Jake Locker, Ryan Lindley and Brett Hundley.

“His work ethic is second to none,” Clarkson said. “The kid works harder than anybody I’ve been around. It’s not just a practice-type of thing. He’s truthfully the most dedicated quarterback I’ve seen.”

Bonds also marveled Gangi’s dedication.

“We’re limited on how much time we can spend with our guys and, obviously on weekends in the offseason, we’re not doing anything,” Bonds said. “Ty was that guy who could never get enough. He was going to work on his craft every opportunity he got. Just the fact that he’s out there; throwing, dropping back, working on reads and working on timing, that’s great. You’re doing stuff when the other guys are sitting at home playing video games. He’s outworking his competition.”

Gangi wanted to be prepared, physically and mentally, for when an opportunity arose.

“I wanted to outwork everybody,” said Gangi, who graduated in May with a degree in business management and is currently taking graduate level courses in sports administration. “I think a lot of people can throw a good football and are talented. It’s the guys that put in the extra work that really show improvement and do well during game days. I think the desire to outwork other people and to perfect my throwing and accuracy pushed me.”

His work ethic allowed him to walk on at the University of Colorado. But due to not feeling like he was given a fair chance to compete, he decided to find another place to play.

“It was just frustrating because I wanted a fair chance,” Gangi said. “If I have a fair chance to compete and somebody is better than me, I can live with that. It was frustrating because of politics, you can’t go where you want to be.”

That prompted a move to Ventura College, where Gangi had to once again sit and wait for an opportunity to play. He finally got the job after the starter, Brandon Jones, suffered an injury.

Gangi rose to the challenge when he received the starting nod and went on to throw for 2,288 yards and 21 touchdowns, with only six interceptions. The only school to offer him a scholarship was Nevada.

And it was time to compete — again.

He took over the starting quarterback duties during his sophomore campaign when the starter suffered a season-ending injury in the eighth game of the year. Gangi led the Wolf Pack to two consecutive wins to end the season.

Gangi was the assumed starter for his junior year, but a new coaching staff brought in David Cornwell, a former All-American and a transfer from Alabama.

Gangi beat out Cornwell for the starting job, only to lose the job to a true freshman and then to earn it back once more. A roller-coaster ride for sure for Gangi.

“I’ve kind of experienced everything,” Gangi said.

Gangi’s team-first mindset and perseverance has drawn the respect of his teammates.

“He’s relentless,” said Wolf Pack junior receiver Kaleb Fossum. “I have a lot of respect for him because when I came here, they had a different option at quarterback and he was getting screwed over the whole time during the summer last year. But he was relentless and never stopped working to be the guy.”

Gangi’s junior year stats included 16 total touchdowns — 14 passing — a 58.8 completion percentage and 1,435 yards passing.

That all led to the 2018 campaign, the first one since his senior year at St. Francis where he didn’t have to compete to earn the starting nod..

Gangi’s senior season has brought higher expectations and more hype. He’s on five watch lists for awards, including the Maxwell Award, Manning Award, Wuerffel Trophy, Golden Arm Unitas Award and the Good Works Team Award.

Gangi started the year on an impressive note, throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns in Nevada’a 72-19 win against Portland State. After a loss to Vanderbilt the week prior, the Wolf Pack (2-1) rebounded Saturday with a 37-35 win against Oregon State. In the win, Gangi completed 17 of 35 passes for 195 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

On the season, Gangi has 55 completions in 100 attempts for 735 yards and six touchdowns against four interceptions.

“He hates [the attention],” Fossum said. “If we’re out in public, I say, ‘Hey, are you Ty Gangi?’ It’s funny for a quarterback. I love the kid. He’s a great dude. He doesn’t like to talk about himself.

“He’s a smart dude. He sends me pictures of looks before we’re about to play a game. He sees stuff before it happens. He goes, ‘This linebacker is going to come here, you’re going to go there, I’m going to hit you right here.’ I’m like, ‘sure.’ He’s the boss. He’s a smart dude. He’s very aware. He’s just a good all-around dude. He’s a very, very smart dude on the football field.”

Fossum and Gangi — roommates a year ago — would spend hours talking about the team’s efforts rather than the individual performances.

“He might have killed it, but if we didn’t win, he was not happy,” Fossum said. “He didn’t care about individual stats. The only column he cares about is the W. I want to win for that guy. I want to send him out on a good note.”

Gangi wants to end his collegiate career on a winning note as well, one that he hopes finishes with a victory in a bowl game. As far as playing at the next level, he said his focus is on this year.

Those around him think that he has the ability to play on the professional stage.

“His chances of playing at the next level are very bright,” Clarkson said. “The one thing coaches will come away with when they see him in practice and when they see him in games is the kid is in total control. He’s been given the ability to call a lot of his own plays and to check his own protections. He’s got more responsibility than 99% of college quarterbacks. For a young quarterback, you don’t see that. He’s won over the trust of his coaching staff and he’s done it the hard way. He’s won over the trust of his teammates. Those guys would die for him and he would do the same for them.

“If I could start a team, I would pick Ty Gangi.”