Saltaformaggio leaves alma mater but not on own terms, looks forward to next challenge

On Thursday, Holy Cross School announced that head football coach Nick Saltaformaggio was departing his position at the school after three years at his alma mater.

As a guest analyst Friday evening on Ken Trahan’s Original Prep Football Report on NASH ICON 106.1 FM and The Original Network, Saltaformaggio expressed that it was not a voluntary decision.

“They called me in and told me it would be best for us to part ways,” Saltaformaggio said. “I didn’t want to really resign. I had no choice in that matter. It goes against my principles as a man and coach. I preach to my players, wherever I’ve been, to never quit. You fight to the bitter end.”

Saltaformaggio shared his catch phrase that he shared with his team.

“Our chant is we will fight until we can’t fight anymore and when we can’t fight anymore, we’re going to lay down and bleed,” Saltaformaggio said. “And then we’re going to get up and fight. I am going to continue to get up and fight.”

The fight at his alma mater is over.

“It was just at a point yesterday with Holy Cross and the administration that it was just time for me to lay down and bleed,” Saltaformaggio said. “That’s what I did. I’m just going to pray and I know that as a man of faith, the good Lord has better plans for me as I go down the road.”

Saltaformaggio was invited to be our guest analyst earlier in the week, prior to his dismissal by Holy Cross and both parties upheld the commitment.

For Holy Cross, the next hire will be the fifth football coach since 2014, joining Barry Wilson, Eric Rebaudo, Guy LeCompte and Saltaformaggio.

Saltaformaggio, who graduated from Holy Cross in 1977, has led a pair of schools to state title game appearances and won one championship.

Saltaformaggio posted an impressive 54-23 record in six seasons at Hahnville, reaching the Class 5A state championship game in 2017, where they fell to Zachary in the championship game. Hahnville was 9-3 in 2019 – the fifth time in Saltaformaggio’s six seasons the Tigers won nine or more games.

Saltaformaggio arrived at Hahnville after six years as head coach at East Jefferson from 2008-13, where he built the program from the bottom up and led the Warriors to the Class 4A state championship in 2013, the first and only state title in program history.

Previously, Saltaformaggio was the head coach at Abbeville from 1987-91 and at Chalmette in 2004. He also served as head coach at Oconee County, Georgia, in 2006 and 2007. Overall, Saltaformaggio is 138-95 as a head coach.

Saltaformaggio could not match his previous success at Holy Cross, posting a 7-20 record over three years, though he has built a solid foundation of talented players, most of whom will return to provide a promising future for the next coach of the Tigers.

Saltaformaggio has previously advocated for seeing Holy Cross possibly drop down to competing on the 4A level, in Division II, as was the case once previously under Wilson and as Archbishop Shaw, with similar enrollment issues, did recently as well. That position was not well received by some at Holy Cross.

“It was one of the reasons, I was told, that they needed to find somebody else,” Saltaformaggio said. “The numbers make it tough to compete with much bigger schools in 5A and in a very good league with good coaches in the Catholic League.

“I know the tradition. If you lack numbers and have injuries and we had nine surgeries this year, it is tough. The LHSAA follows two principles—age and enrollment and they do that for a purpose.”

If he has any say in the matter, Saltaformaggio is not done with his profession.

“Absolutely, I want to continue coaching,” Saltaformaggio said. “I’ve gotten inundated with phone calls from parents and players about how much I meant to them and it meant a lot to me. I’m glad they called because I didn’t get an opportunity to talk to the team. They were told that I quit. I know in my heart they know me better than that.”

Several other coaches have already reached out to “Coach Salt,” as he is known to many. Saltaformaggio is open to all possibilities.

“I look forward to the next adventure in coaching,” Saltaformaggio said. “I don’t need to be a head coach. I don’t need Holy Cross to validate my career. I pretty much had done that before I got there. I simply wanted to help make a difference at my school, a school I love.”

It will not be easy for Saltaformaggio to watch his alma mater and players he nurtured moving forward.

“I thought Holy Cross which was a school that I love and I have 75 years of family history with was ready to make a splash and turn what has been a program that has wandered with some intermittent success,” Saltaformaggio said. “There are very good players coming back next year. I love those young men.”