Capistrano Valley Assistant as Tough and Dedicated as a Marine

Dave Josker is a pleasant guy. He has a warm, ready smile and eyes that sparkle when he tells a funny story.

His blond hair is cropped short and he keeps his 38-year-old body in shape by weightlifting. He, his wife and their two children live in Mission Viejo. As are many doting suburban fathers, Josker has been a volunteer coach for his son’s athletic teams.

He continues that role today as a linebacker coach at Capistrano Valley High School, where David Jr., a senior, is a starting outside linebacker.

Like most dads who try to combine coaching with their career, Josker’s days are hectic. Each weekday, Josker rises at 4:30 a.m. and drives to work down the San Diego Freeway. Most days, he leaves work at 2:30 p.m. in order to make the Cougars’ 3 o’clock practices.

Dave Josker also is Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Dave Josker, and that makes him the embodiment of desire, dedication, discipline and sacrifice.

Is he the toughest, most demanding assistant coach in Orange County? Certainly his background would indicate as much.

In 20 years as a Marine, Josker has served at Cherry Point, N.C., Da Nang Air Base in Vietnam from 1970-71, Buffalo, El Toro and most recently Camp Pendleton.

He played and coached on Marine Corps all-star football teams that played against teams ranging from Taft Community College to the prisoners at the California Correctional Institution at Tehachapi.

Josker has devoted more than half his life to the ideals of being a Marine. A former wide receiver at Lake Shore Central High in Angola, N.Y., he’s devoted at least as much time to football.

Semper Fidelis --always faithful--is a Marine’s motto. Add commitment, honor, tradition and esprit de corps , which are a way of life for Josker.

“I think he brings a lot of the experience and outside perceptions from the Marines; a lot of the discipline we like to instill on our football team,” said Eric Patton, Capistrano Valley’s coach. “He adds a certain amount of toughness to what our defense is trying to do.”

In his fourth season at Capistrano Valley, Josker passes it all on to the Cougar players, some of whom are old enough to be Marines themselves.

Indeed, football players and Marines are a lot alike, Josker said.

“It’s close,” he said. “The war is to win (a Southern Section championship). The battles along the way are the games. Leadership is a big part of the military. Leadership is a big part of football. Discipline is a big part of the military. Discipline is a big part of football.

“It’s being in shape, sacrificing and making a commitment. It’s close. It’s similar.”

There’s no questioning Josker’s commitment to coaching. He recently spent a week living in the fields of Camp Pendleton with his company of 260 Marines. He had arranged to miss practice that week, but midway through he left the exercise--with his commanding officer’s permission--to drive up and help with practice, still dressed in fatigues.

However, high school football is not to be taken as seriously as the Marine Corps. Josker seems to have a firm grip on the distinction between the two. He knows you have to be demanding on the football field, but not as demanding as on the battle field.

“I don’t believe I know everything,” Josker said. “I listen to the kids. I’m not into physically abusing them, grabbing their face mask. That turns me off. That’s no good.”

Still, Josker is an intimidating presence, particularly on days when he’s running late and hasn’t had time to change out of his uniform.

When his tone is serious and he wants to get a point across, his voice can suddenly grow deep. He looks strong enough to batter even the largest Cougar linebacker. The players don’t seem to fear Josker, but when he speaks, he has their full attention. He commands, not demands, respect.

It was a different story when he was the defensive coordinator on the freshman team during his first three seasons at Capistrano Valley. The freshman practically trembled in their cleats.

“I always did the conditioning,” said Josker, who put them through a never-ending set of sprinting drills. “They’d say, ‘This ain’t boot camp. We can’t do that.’ ”

Josker’s response was always the same: “Are you breathing? Are you dead? Are you going to be sick? No? Then you can do it.”

And when they did, when they sprinted once more down the field, they surprised even themselves.

It never surprised Josker. The kids, he said, don’t know how far they can stretch their endurance.

“I’m the same way in the Marine Corps,” Josker said. “I demand perfection.”

Josker’s high standards have been honed and tested for 20 years in the Marines. Now he’s passing them on to a few good men wearing the black and gold at Capistrano Valley.

“I think I have an advantage,” Josker said. “I think the players expect me to be harder than the others. They already know I’m a Marine. Little things like that count.”