The journey of life can be unexpected and it can often lead you to give back to where you come from. Athletic Director and basketball coach Jose Gil has been an influential figure in both students’ and athletes’ lives, all while doing the job he loves most.

Gil was born in East Los Angeles in 1971, but was raised here in East Salinas. His parents would work in the fields in order to put food on the table for Gil and his family.“My parents worked hard in the fields for us to have a better life, and we didn’t take that for granted,” Gil said.

Growing up was not the brightest for him either. Many of those around him and close to him were still trying to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives. 

Due to the pressure of growing up rough, many of them went down the wrong path, but not Gil and his brother, Julio. The thing that kept them focused and away from the streets were athletics. “I think sports at that time kept me and my brother in a fine line and on track to being around people with goals and wanting to make something of themselves,” he said. “There’s many of my friends from back in the day that are either not alive or incarcerated.”

As a student in the 80s, Gil was very involved in the culture at Alisal and was a student athlete. He played basketball and baseball. He was also a part of many clubs on campus. He was part of the art club as well as sports clubs like basketball club. “The culture of the school was really awesome,” Gil said. “It felt great to come to school.” 

After graduating from Alisal in 1989, he continued his academic journey at Fresno State for 1 year, and then he transferred to attend Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo. He wanted to attend Cal Poly specifically because originally there was a mix up between the schools and he wanted to go to the more prestigious option, which was Cal Poly.

He majored in Applied Art and Design, with a concentration in Graphic Design. “I had to deal with the culture shock of being in a school that was 99% Latino, to a school that was sort of the opposite,” he said. “It was much tougher, especially when I got to Cal Poly.” 

He graduated from Cal Poly in 1995 and went to San Jose State for his teaching credential.

Even while Gil was on to bigger and better things in his college career, he always had his high school in the back of his mind. “I knew my first or second year of college [that he wanted to come back to Alisal],” he said. What made him realize this was wanting to come back and better the art program by spreading his ideas with the rest of the Alisal youth.

Knowing that he wanted to come back to Alisal as a teacher, he still continued to look up to teachers who helped him along the way. Some of the teachers that were a big influence on him were English teacher and counselor Mr. Contreras, Ms. Burnhart, Coach Rear, and driver ed teacher Mr. Espinoza. “That kind of inspired me a lot,” Gil said. He learned that being a coach and a teacher at the same time was possible, so it further encouraged him to take the leap.

When he first shifted back to Alisal after attending college and getting all of his credentials, it felt unusual to him. Especially since he would be working alongside most of the staff that was there when he was a student. “When I first started, it was weird because I was teaching where my teachers were,” Gil said. “The only one left from when I was here is Ms. Albano.” Some of the teachers that were here when he first started were Mr. Espinoza and Mr. Griffith.

Gil has been the Athletic Director for 20 years in total. The first time he was Director lasted 7 years. But before he became the athletic director, he was an art teacher and the boys basketball coach.  “My dream was to be an art teacher and to be the basketball coach here, and I accomplished both,” he said. “I was living the dream.”

He eventually stepped down from the athletic director role after his 3rd child, Nayeli Gil-Silva, was born. 

But later, he was offered the job again. And this time, he took it full time. “She got older, and it was proposed to me again [the athletic director position] but as a full time position,” Gil said. “I thought that I wouldn’t have to teach anymore, I can just coach basketball and be the athletic director.” With time comes change, and it was no exception to when Gil came back to Alisal. There was a change in the atmosphere of the school and it was something he was unfamiliar with. 

Rather than sports being a priority, the school became more student driven and the focus was on academic performance. Seeing the school shift was a beautiful thing to him. It created a closer bond with the students and their environment. People became more comfortable and proud to be a trojan. “One of the biggest projects that we did that I take pride in is the beautification of our school, ” Gil said. “The culture changed when we started investing in our school.”

Gil believes that sports still makes up a lot of the culture in school today, and it shows. When performance is good on the court and in the classroom, everything feels right. “Sports are at a very high point, I think that helps the culture of the school,” he said. “I think we are really good as far as the athletes knowing the responsibility of wearing a uniform and acting the right way, and being a role model for the rest of the kids.” 

Outside of school, Gil has many things that are special to him, such as hanging out with his wife and family. Some of the activities that he partakes in are going to the gym often and continuing to create artwork. “I love playing basketball as much as I can and I love painting and drawing, which is my talent,” he said.

One of the most special experiences for Gil has been seeing his kids go through the same high school that he once attended and moving on to bigger and better things. 

All 3 of his kids were student athletes and all were highly ranked in their class with the 2 oldest moving on to Stanford University and Nayeli moving on to continue her basketball career at a women’s college. “It was amazing [seeing his kids at Alisal], just the fact that they came through our school and were scholar athletes,” Gil said. The main sport in the family has been basketball. “Sports helped them be well rounded, great human beings, and great athletes,” Gil said. “I think it prepared them for life.”

Alisal is special to Gil because he enjoys his job while being in a familiar environment that helped him grow. “There are a lot of us, including myself, that want to be here, who love being here, and we love what we do,” he said. “We get paid to do something that we love, and we can’t take it for granted.” Work isn’t just a normal job to Gil. It is something sacred to him and he is grateful for everything that led him up to where he is now.