Throughout football journey, close-knit Vaganek family has always had each other

Throughout senior defensive end Brian Vaganek’s career at Holy Cross, there have been two constants. 

One is that he’ll never give up on a play — he’s committed until the final whistle. Vaganek plays a no-frills, no-nonsense style of football; he isn’t flashy, but he is tough, gritty and finishes what he started.

The other is that after he makes a big play, once he runs off the field and sorts through the mob of his teammates, there’s an even more familiar smiling face on the sideline: his father, Brian Vaganek Sr., the linebackers coach of the Crusaders. 

The Vaganeks share more than just a name. The duo has celebrated three Patriot League Championships together, spent countless hours poring over film and discussing technique, and grown closer through a shared passion for the sport of football. And they’ve shared many an embrace after a big play — but after a brief celebration, the focus turns right back to football. 

It’s an opportunity that very few Division I football coaches are awarded: To spend every single day with their son on their team. 

“Not many college coaches get to see their son play in college — and there's not a lot of guys that are college football coaches that get to be around their son every day,” Brian Sr. said. “This has been a blessing that he's here."

“It's not lost on him that he's watched his young son grow into a young man — and go to one of the best institutions to play for the team that he’s coaching,” said Holy Cross defensive coordinator Scott James. “And Brian Sr. was a good football player in his own right. This passionate life that he has in football is culminating with his son on an incredible run in his own right as leader of our defense.” 

Despite a late start to Brian Jr.’s own football playing career, football has been everything for the close-knit Vaganek family. And as he’s grown into a leader for a young defensive line while refining his own game, Brian Jr. has had an impressive example through it all. 

“He's my biggest mentor,” Brian Jr. said about his father. “I look up to everything he does, and I've tried to live my life by his example. 

“I think a lot of why I wanted to play college football was because my dad played college football — and I wanted to be like my dad.”

Brian Sr. isn’t shy when it comes to expressing his love for his family, particularly his son.

“I love him to death,” he said. “I'm very proud of what he's done — not just here, but how he’s handled himself through his whole life and the decisions he's made.

“I’m just proud of who he is becoming,” Brian Sr. added, “and proud of who he is.” 

Throughout the entirety of a full conversation about his son, the same words keep popping up: Love. Proud. Fortunate. Blessed. He beams at any opportunity he gets to discuss his family — his wife Jeanette, his son Brian, and his daughter Julia. Even more than football, ultimately, family comes first for Brian Sr. It’s a no-frills, no-nonsense, loyal, unconditional love. 

“He's one of the most loving guys in the world,” Brian Jr. said. “He'll do anything for his family, no matter what, no questions asked.” 

The elder Brian’s example has set the foundation for much of who Brian Jr. is today. His passion for hard work has been passed down, and a competitive edge permeates throughout the entire family (forget about a quiet night at home playing board games — that can devolve into a cutthroat battle in a matter of minutes). 

Brian Sr. has a booming, contagious laugh, whereas the younger Brian’s laugh around his teammates is much quieter — more of a smirk than anything — but the two share a persistent, sharp sense of humor even in the most stressful of environments. 

And the two share a compassion for others, not just for their family, but everyone around them. 

“We tried to instill in our kids the importance of just caring about each other, as well as others,” Jeanette said. “Just to be very caring people, make good decisions and keep an open mind. They have just become people that we're really, really proud of.”

After a successful playing career at Temple, Brian Sr. wasn’t ready to go into an office job, and certainly wasn’t ready to give up football. His coaching career began in Kansas, at Highland Community College and Fort Scott, before moving to Virginia for a coaching position at William and Mary. 

“I wasn't ready to put on a tie yet,” he said. “One of my coaches was taking an athletic director and head coaching job at a small school. And he said, ‘I think you might be good at this.’ So I went out there with him and fell in love with it, and I've done that ever since — it was my calling.” 

From the very beginning, Brian Sr. and Jeanette’s relationship centered around football. The two met at William and Mary, while he was an assistant coach, and she was the director of operations for the football program. After both moved to Long Island and took jobs at Hofstra, Jeanette left athletics, and later became a stay-at-home mom when their children were born. 

To Brian Sr. and Jeanette, it was important to become parents — and Jeanette has been a rock through the family’s football adventures.

“She's the best mom on the planet,” Brian Jr. said. “She's probably one of the most caring people I've ever known — just like my dad, there's nothing she wouldn't do for her kids in a heartbeat, no questions asked.” 

The life of a college football coach is hardly glamorous. Oftentimes, it can require moving across the country on a regular basis. It’s an unconventional lifestyle, requiring incredible sacrifice, long hours in the office and time spent away from family. When Brian Jr. and Julia were babies, Jeanette always brought them to practice, and Brian Jr. would crawl around the stands and play on the side of the field; a young Brian would run around, cradling a football as the surrounding football players towered over him. After practice, the family would say hi to Brian Sr. briefly, before he had to go back for meetings and film review. 

Since Brian Jr. was born, he’s lived in New York, Kansas, Virginia, Rhode Island, and now Massachusetts. After a couple of years at Hofstra, the family moved to Kansas, where Brian Sr. returned to Fort Scott for a two-year stint as head coach. After that, the family packed up and moved back to Virginia, where Brian Sr. took a role at Christopher Newport University as the associate head coach. The family then moved to the Northeast, where they’ve settled in their home in Narragansett, Rhode Island, since 2011.

In reality, the Vaganeks have had it better than many football families when it comes to relocating. As Brian Sr. has held roles at the University of Rhode Island, University of New Haven and now Holy Cross, the Vaganek family has been able to stay put in Rhode Island since before Brian Jr. started middle school. Even now far away from their extended family in Buffalo and Virginia, the four Vaganeks have always had each other. 

Through it all, Brian Jr. and Julia became best friends and partners in crime. From teaching her how to ride a bike to much broader life lessons, Brian Jr. has always been there for his little sister. And now, he’s quick to praise her accomplishments, too — as a student at URI, she’s held numerous internships and a spot in the honors program at the university.

“We're a force,” Julia said. “Wherever we’ve moved, we’ve always been there for each other — we’ve always stuck together.”

Among all his coaching stops, Brian Sr. has carved out a reputation as an elite recruiter and stellar linebackers coach, devoted to player development. He’s a thoughtful communicator who always keeps his players’ best interests in mind. 

In positional meetings, he’s patient and laid back, interspersing a learning-based focus and astute questions with jokes and conversation. He builds an environment of trust and loyalty. 

“What sets Coach Vaganek apart from other coaches is the way he conducts his room,” said Liam Anderson ’23, an All-American at Holy Cross who signed with the Indianapolis Colts following his time with the Crusaders. “He really builds rooms of tough individuals who play fast and disciplined. He coaches the right way, and he treats each player with respect, so if you’re playing for him, it makes you play 10 times harder.

“If you look at all the linebackers he has coached at Holy Cross, it really is an elite group to be a part of: All-Americans, All-Conference, All-Region players — the list goes on and on. It all stems from the culture that he has built in the room.”

Anderson is correct: Coach Vaganek’s resume speaks for itself. Since 2017, he has coached three All-Americans, and his linebackers have earned All-Patriot League honors seven times. That’s not to mention countless player accolades prior to his arrival on The Hill.

“He's definitely the best linebackers coach in the country,” said fifth-year captain and All-American linebacker Jacob Dobbs. “He is the best at what he does, and it's not even close.”

Brian Jr. didn’t even begin playing football until his freshman year of high school. The options to play football in Rhode Island were limited, and he instead focused on soccer and baseball. Because Brian Jr. didn’t start playing football until late, he had a good amount of catching up to do. — granted, he had a bit of a head start on his football IQ thanks to his pedigree.

Much like how his father fell in love with coaching immediately, Brian Jr. immediately fell in love with playing football. 

“I loved everything about it,” he said. “It was just a lot of passion, a lot of teamwork. It wasn't like any other sport. You create bonds with people that nothing else can replicate — and I think that was the part of it that I loved the most.”

His father has been there as a resource since he began playing football — making time to help him train individually at the local high school during the offseason, answering any questions he’s had and reviewing his film upon his request. Most importantly, there was never a pressure to play football. His parents emphasized a well-rounded childhood — particularly the value that any sort of sport and being on a team can bring — and the importance of seeing your commitments through. 

“It let me find the love for football on my own,” Brian Jr. said. 

Brian Jr. enjoyed a decorated career with a successful program at Narragansett High. As a result, Holy Cross began to keep an eye on him — his size, leadership and toughness all impressed the Crusader coaching staff. 

“What we saw was a versatile football player,” James said. “He was productive on offense and defense, was the leader of his team, and was big, strong and physically imposing — he played this game the way you want it to be played.”

While his father remained removed from the recruiting process, the rest of the coaching staff brought him to campus for a visit, and Brian Jr. had a chance to see everything that Holy Cross had to offer. And he was immediately awestruck. 

“I remember he came through the door when they got home,” Julia said, “and he was grinning from ear to ear.” 

The Holy Cross football program is one that centers on family above all — and for the Vaganeks, that has been the ultimate blessing. Brian Sr. has felt fortunate to be part of multiple staffs that are flexible and supportive of coaches making time for family. Unless Brian Sr. was traveling with his team, he always carved out time to catch Brian Jr.’s football, soccer and baseball games, and Julia’s soccer games, swim meets and tennis matches.  

Brian Sr. and Jr. obviously aren’t the first father-son duo ever to coach and play football together, and they certainly won’t be the last. But neither one takes for granted the special opportunity that they have — not only to spend every day with each other, but also to work together to win championships. In a football environment, Brian Jr. is still a player, and held to the same standards as any other player. But once the day ends, they’re still father and son.

“It's the way it should be done,” James said. “It's a testimony to them as a family — I've never seen a family so pure to the mindset of he's playing football and he's a player, but then, when the day is over, it’s: ‘there's my son.’ ‘There's my dad.’”

That support — and Brian Jr.’s toughness, determination and focus — has led to his best football yet. 

“Just to see how he's grown and how he's matured, it’s great to see,” Brian Sr. said. “He's always been competitive, but watching him raise that level here as the competition got better — and attack every day — has been impressive to see.” 

In the Crusaders’ most recent contest — a 47-7 Homecoming victory over Colgate — Brian Jr. had a crucial tackle for loss on fourth-and-one at the start of the second quarter, which proved to be a turning point in the game. He was a key element of a staunch defensive effort that kept the Raiders scoreless outside of their opening drive. 

As he enters Week 5 of his senior campaign, Brian Jr.’s growth is noticeable. Physically, he’s gained about 50 pounds since his freshman year. He’s stronger and tougher than ever before, and has proven to be a reliable, supportive leader.

“I'm playing with a lot more confidence,” Brian Jr. said. “And now it's showing up on the field, especially with my physicality. It’s allowed me to be myself out there.”

After the Colgate game, the two Brians, Jeanette and Julia gathered postgame on the grass at Fitton Field to reflect on the day, and enjoy a few quiet moments together. It’s reminiscent of the family’s days in Virginia. After games at Christopher Newport, Jeanette would take her two young children down to the field to greet their father. In the midst of a whirlwind life, it served as a peaceful moment that the four could spend together — the calm after the storm of a football-centric week. 

Nowadays, the kids are a bit older, and the quartet looks a touch different. All four are now clad in purple; Brian Jr. is now the college football player he dreamed of becoming. 

But in reality, as the four stand together now — numerous stops on their football journey later — things aren’t all that different. The same sentiment that’s been consistent throughout their entire lives still rings true today, and always will. 

“No matter where we go, or what happens,” Brian Jr. said, “We're always going to have the four of us.” 

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 

Be sure to follow the Holy Cross football team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!

Twitter - @HCrossFB | @goholycross

Instagram - @hcrossfb | @goholycross

Facebook - Holy Cross Football | Holy Cross Athletics

YouTube - GoHolyCross