Before he became the head football coach of Alisal, Francisco Estrada was one of Alisal’s finest. 

Estrada, who graduated in 2004, led their first CCS playoff appearance paired with the first league championship in over 50 years. “My time here at Alisal was probably the best time of my life,” he said. “I did okay in school. I wasn’t valedictorian or anything crazy like that, but I would say I was a good student.” 

Everyone knows Estrada as the approachable head football coach; however, that wasn’t the case back then. “So, not a lot of people know this,” he said. “But I was really shy in high school and my friends and peers thought I was stuck up and I didn’t like talking to people but I think I’ve broken it.” 

After high school the plan for Estrada was to attend Hartnell and play football. However, in the summer going into college, Estrada broke his right thumb. “Since I played quarterback this was a career ending injury,” he said. “I couldn’t even grip the ball and throw the ball, I just felt devastated.” 

The next step was to work and go to school. He did this for about a year and he got a promotion at his job managing a couple of cellphone stores and ended up deciding to leave school for a while. 

Then in 2008 a coaching job opened at Alisal as the JV offensive coordinator and he coached until 2010 under Coach Sunil Smith. 

In 2010, he quit coaching at Alisal and opened his construction business. “Yeah I was making pretty good money,” he said. “I was doing home remodeling for about 5-6 years.”

Then in 2022 he started coaching again at Alisal as a JV coach. But around 2024 Estrada knew his next step in his coaching career was to become the head coach of his own program. 

Estrada applied for the head coach position at Alvarez; however, an opportunity presented itself when Coach Chaidez decided to retire. He applied for the position without hesitation.

Becoming the Head Coach of the Alisal football team was a lifelong dream for him.

Then on April 2nd, 2024, his dream became reality and he was officially announced as Alisal’s new head coach. “I have 3 kids, so I have to say them being born is the best day of my life,” he said. “But knowing I got the coaching position is up there alongside with the birth of [my] children.”

What made the day even more special is it was also his dad’s birthday. “I called him to say happy birthday and also that you are now speaking to the new head coach of Alisal,” he said. “It was just a big day all around filled with excitement.”

Ever since he became head coach he has decided to step away from the construction business and decided to work here on campus to keep an eye on his players by working in the special ed department. 

His job is a behavior support specialist. He follows around students and supports them in anything they need. He also helps them with academic needs and emotional support or with anything they need in general. 

While he’s working in the Special Ed department, he’s also working on finishing up his teaching credentials. He plans on becoming a history teacher. “If I were to become a teacher I think I would be a cool history teacher,” he said. “I would want to make it fun and I would bring a lot of energy. Energy is important and the way you approach topics because if you’re low energy your students aren’t going to buy into anything.”

What makes the school special for him is the people because he knows the struggle that students go through just to get into school. “As a kid who grew up in the Eastside,” he said. “I know how hard it can be and I’m here to support them, my Special Ed students and my players as well.”