Alumni Spotlight: Anthony Russomanno
January 14, 2021 | Men's Soccer
UC Irvine and the Anteaters are still a young university even after over 50 years of athletics. A lot of people are still finding out about UCI today much like one distinguished soccer alum, Anthony Russomanno, was after making his cross country trek at the end of the 1980s.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Russomanno played soccer on the East Coast even with the limited field time with the winter weather and snow, but had his eyes on the West Coast as his time in high school was ending.
"When I was in high school, my parents moved to California. I didn't want to leave, it was my junior year and I knew the people and my friends. So my parents actually moved and I just stayed back to finish out, but that started the whole transition of my whole family to California."
The Russomanno family landed in San Clemente with Anthony searching out where to continue his education starting with the closest institution to him at the time.
"UCI wasn't very well known, especially on the East Coast. I had never heard of it. I've heard of UCLA and some of the other top UCs, but not UC Irvine. Like, the Anteaters? So that's kind of how it got onto my radar. Academics were big for me so I said alright I'll take a look."
So the process began for Anthony. He reached out to the coaching staff and saw a very good soccer program. The academics were top notch, and in a new locale, staying near the family he had was important for Anthony, so the decision was made for the new fish in the big pond.
"A guy with a thick, New Jersey accent and a mullet trying to weave my way into California culture, it was very interesting. So that's why David Szekeres calls me Rocco, one of the first things early on was I had cut shirts and chains, they called me Rocky Balboa. Then the coach at the time turned it into Rocco, and that's how I got my nickname, and it was a great four years in the early 90s."
And Rocco was born and ready for college life. From road trips to training camps to fraternity life, his four years as an Anteater produced really great memories. He played from the start with nearly 70 career matches with points in each season from 1990-93. He scored three of his six career goals as a senior including his one game-winner and finished with 17 career points adding five assists as the team was consistently competitive and scored wins over programs like Cal, New Mexico, and San Diego State with Rocco on the pitch.
"It wasn't as intense of a program as it is now where it's year round. I joined a fraternity and in the spring I did fraternity sports. People weren't necessarily expected to be as committed. Coach Lawther was a good coach, but the expectations weren't high. We didn't have spring seasons like you do now. I do remember road trips to Vegas or Stanford or New Mexico. The pranks that the team played, double days in the hot August summer, those type of things for soccer, and playing competitive games against UCLA who had national team players. Playing against Cobi Jones and players that have made a name for themselves, those are really great memories."
Through all the soccer highlights, education was always number one for Rocco who really wanted to go into business, something UC Irvine was lacking at the time.
"UCI had economics classes but didn't really have business. That's why some other schools may have been a better fit for me and that I was looking at. I was undeclared for a while then went into psychology. I always gravitated towards working with adolescents and helping or coaching or teaching, that kind of theme around whatever I did. I coached soccer camps, coached kids, then during school I did some social and emotional behavior types of things with high school kids."
Rocco continued through his psychology major eventually leading to clinical psychology in grad school and a master's in family therapy. Even with a job at an education company, he continued on pursuing his MBA.
"I was trying to get all my education done by the time I was 30. I was set on honing my skills of working with kids, families, people, and counseling. My earlier years, it was a lot of coaching as well as doing therapy for families and adolescents that had emotional issues. Later on, I kind of transitioned into educational counseling, but more helping kids and families with college and going to college, choosing classes, finding their career path."
For about 15 years, Russomanno worked for a company that was helping kids in need of college and career counseling. He joined up with the Princeton Review tutoring SAT and ACT on the side and presenting a lot about going to college.
"It was a really great experience. I worked my way up and enjoyed educational counseling because I got to work with high school kids, adolescents, families, which was again at the core of everything that I was doing from coaching and all along the way."
Rocco was coaching soccer on the high school level at Fountain Valley High School and Cypress High School, club soccer at Wolfpack soccer, and was involved in soccer camps training and coaching. His counseling and soccer worlds came together during this time.
"A lot of times I would get calls from coaches needing to get better test scores for their kids to get their scholarships and money. I tutored a ton of kids over my time and had some get perfect scores so I mean it definitely works. Some athletes they just need to be eligible, others I had was helping get into MIT or UCLA."
Russomanno has always been connected to coaches and soccer programs helping students prepare for the college level. With his location right across from UCI, he would take on a lot of students and athletes as interns who needed mentoring, a job, or just to get their feet wet into business or marketing.
Over the past five years, Anthony has helped get kids college and career-ready counseling them and their families with the Capistrano Unified School District as the College and Career Counseling Coordinator. Even in a challenging 2020, Russomanno and his staff have continued to counsel and adapt.
"I'm used to doing a lot of webinars so my counselors and I will have appointments with families through Zoom so we're pretty adept at that and it works out fine that people don't have to drive. We will do workshops online, my team puts together the college fair where instead of packing 100 schools in a gym and having people walk around, we're doing virtual tables and you can go see UCLA just by clicking a link so we're moving forward like we normally would. Everything is going to be virtual and I feel like we're able to do it justice successfully and it saves us. It's hard for kids because they want that face-to-face, but we're still seeing good results and getting good feedback."
As 2021 begins, Anthony has started a new private business venture of college counseling, athletic recruiting guidance, and consulting to tap into all of his experience over his years. So if you have high school students of your own or know any that could use his service, give his new company, AR Advising, a look.
Now with a family and two boys of his own, he has a full plate while still counseling and very involved with the soccer program. Together with a good friend from Cal State Fullerton, the sides continue to try and put together alumni matches between the two programs prior to UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton games.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Russomanno played soccer on the East Coast even with the limited field time with the winter weather and snow, but had his eyes on the West Coast as his time in high school was ending.
"When I was in high school, my parents moved to California. I didn't want to leave, it was my junior year and I knew the people and my friends. So my parents actually moved and I just stayed back to finish out, but that started the whole transition of my whole family to California."
The Russomanno family landed in San Clemente with Anthony searching out where to continue his education starting with the closest institution to him at the time.
"UCI wasn't very well known, especially on the East Coast. I had never heard of it. I've heard of UCLA and some of the other top UCs, but not UC Irvine. Like, the Anteaters? So that's kind of how it got onto my radar. Academics were big for me so I said alright I'll take a look."
So the process began for Anthony. He reached out to the coaching staff and saw a very good soccer program. The academics were top notch, and in a new locale, staying near the family he had was important for Anthony, so the decision was made for the new fish in the big pond.
"A guy with a thick, New Jersey accent and a mullet trying to weave my way into California culture, it was very interesting. So that's why David Szekeres calls me Rocco, one of the first things early on was I had cut shirts and chains, they called me Rocky Balboa. Then the coach at the time turned it into Rocco, and that's how I got my nickname, and it was a great four years in the early 90s."
And Rocco was born and ready for college life. From road trips to training camps to fraternity life, his four years as an Anteater produced really great memories. He played from the start with nearly 70 career matches with points in each season from 1990-93. He scored three of his six career goals as a senior including his one game-winner and finished with 17 career points adding five assists as the team was consistently competitive and scored wins over programs like Cal, New Mexico, and San Diego State with Rocco on the pitch.
"It wasn't as intense of a program as it is now where it's year round. I joined a fraternity and in the spring I did fraternity sports. People weren't necessarily expected to be as committed. Coach Lawther was a good coach, but the expectations weren't high. We didn't have spring seasons like you do now. I do remember road trips to Vegas or Stanford or New Mexico. The pranks that the team played, double days in the hot August summer, those type of things for soccer, and playing competitive games against UCLA who had national team players. Playing against Cobi Jones and players that have made a name for themselves, those are really great memories."
Through all the soccer highlights, education was always number one for Rocco who really wanted to go into business, something UC Irvine was lacking at the time.
"UCI had economics classes but didn't really have business. That's why some other schools may have been a better fit for me and that I was looking at. I was undeclared for a while then went into psychology. I always gravitated towards working with adolescents and helping or coaching or teaching, that kind of theme around whatever I did. I coached soccer camps, coached kids, then during school I did some social and emotional behavior types of things with high school kids."
Rocco continued through his psychology major eventually leading to clinical psychology in grad school and a master's in family therapy. Even with a job at an education company, he continued on pursuing his MBA.
"I was trying to get all my education done by the time I was 30. I was set on honing my skills of working with kids, families, people, and counseling. My earlier years, it was a lot of coaching as well as doing therapy for families and adolescents that had emotional issues. Later on, I kind of transitioned into educational counseling, but more helping kids and families with college and going to college, choosing classes, finding their career path."
For about 15 years, Russomanno worked for a company that was helping kids in need of college and career counseling. He joined up with the Princeton Review tutoring SAT and ACT on the side and presenting a lot about going to college.
"It was a really great experience. I worked my way up and enjoyed educational counseling because I got to work with high school kids, adolescents, families, which was again at the core of everything that I was doing from coaching and all along the way."
Rocco was coaching soccer on the high school level at Fountain Valley High School and Cypress High School, club soccer at Wolfpack soccer, and was involved in soccer camps training and coaching. His counseling and soccer worlds came together during this time.
"A lot of times I would get calls from coaches needing to get better test scores for their kids to get their scholarships and money. I tutored a ton of kids over my time and had some get perfect scores so I mean it definitely works. Some athletes they just need to be eligible, others I had was helping get into MIT or UCLA."
Russomanno has always been connected to coaches and soccer programs helping students prepare for the college level. With his location right across from UCI, he would take on a lot of students and athletes as interns who needed mentoring, a job, or just to get their feet wet into business or marketing.
Over the past five years, Anthony has helped get kids college and career-ready counseling them and their families with the Capistrano Unified School District as the College and Career Counseling Coordinator. Even in a challenging 2020, Russomanno and his staff have continued to counsel and adapt.
"I'm used to doing a lot of webinars so my counselors and I will have appointments with families through Zoom so we're pretty adept at that and it works out fine that people don't have to drive. We will do workshops online, my team puts together the college fair where instead of packing 100 schools in a gym and having people walk around, we're doing virtual tables and you can go see UCLA just by clicking a link so we're moving forward like we normally would. Everything is going to be virtual and I feel like we're able to do it justice successfully and it saves us. It's hard for kids because they want that face-to-face, but we're still seeing good results and getting good feedback."
As 2021 begins, Anthony has started a new private business venture of college counseling, athletic recruiting guidance, and consulting to tap into all of his experience over his years. So if you have high school students of your own or know any that could use his service, give his new company, AR Advising, a look.
Now with a family and two boys of his own, he has a full plate while still counseling and very involved with the soccer program. Together with a good friend from Cal State Fullerton, the sides continue to try and put together alumni matches between the two programs prior to UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton games.
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