It all began with a suggestion more less. That suggestion was for Highland Springs principal J. Irvin Brooks to consider a coach out of Warrenton who was a World War II vet and former student athlete at the University of Richmond. Not just any student athlete either... this guy had played basketball, ran track and played one season of football for the Spiders. The suggestion came from an assistant coach at Richmond at that time. Al Rinaldi left Warrenton for Highland Springs after three seasons and forever changed not only the Highland Springs program but also Central Region football.

From 1940 to 1953 the Springers had just six winning seasons. When Coach Rinaldi arrived on the scene, it was honestly a bit of a rough start. The Springers lost 11 of Rinaldi's first 12 games... That would not cut it at Highland Springs today but it was a different time then, we were a more patient society back then. In 1956 the Springers went 7-1-2, the first winning season under Rinaldi. A huge turnaround in one season considering in 1955 the Springers scored just 82 points and allowed 136 whereas in 1956 they more than doubled their offensive scoring with 201 points and allowed just 45 points! 1955 would be the final losing season for Rinaldi's Springers. The Springers and Rinaldi would continue building the program to heights it had not reached culminating in a state title after a 10-0 season in 1961. In fact, in three seasons; 1959-1961 the Springers lost just one game going 26-1-3! The Springers were hitting their stride and becoming one of the big programs in the region at that time. That is why it came as a bit of a shock when Coach Rinaldi left the Springers after that season to take a job in New Jersey.

For 11 seasons what Rinaldi had built at Highland Springs began to erode... The 1962 team went 0-10, their last winless season to date. The loss of their coach, graduation and the opening of nearby Henrico High hit the Springer program hard. In 11 seasons the Springers posted just 3 winning seasons and were 39-64-6 as opposed to 49-20-10 in 8 seasons under Rinaldi.

That is why when he returned to Highland Springs it was a huge deal but no one could have envisioned what would follow.

What would follow is a run few in the region had seen till that time.

64-7 in 6 Seasons!

5 out of 6 Seasons they won or had a share of the Colonial District going 33-3 in that span.

They won 4 Central Region Titles at a time when the playoffs were still in their infancy.

In 1978 they became the first team from the region to play for a state title in an actual game!

The 1976 and 1978 teams were the first teams in the region to score over 400 points in a season.

The Springers lost to just three teams from the Central Region in that time; Henrico(1973), Lee-Davis(1974) and Douglas Freeman(1977).

Three undefeated regular seasons.

14-game win streak from 1977-1978 that is matched only by the Springers that just won a state title.

The Springers became the program you wanted to beat, the program you aspired to be.

They did so on both sides of the ball, offensively in his second stint at Highland Springs they never scored less than 270 in a season. Defensively they never allowed over 93 in any of the six seasons and had 32 shutouts in that time!

With all the success at that time, let us not lose sight of what he did at Highland Springs during this time off the field. From helping bring a community together that was coping with desegregation, something he did not face in his first stint to reviving a dormant booster club.

You mix the two together and you have a program that has stood the test of time. As Gary Criswell who was on the staff of Henrico at the time put, "He didn't win a state championship with any of those teams in the 70's but they developed a level of consistent excellence that was the gold standard in the Central Region."

After falling by one point in the state championship, the Springers were the class of the region and one of the dominant programs in the state which is why it came as much of a shock then as it did the first time he left. That said, he had the opportunity to return to his hometown and coach and he did so. It did not pan out and a year later he was back in the region but as strange as it was, he was no longer a Springer but now across Henrico County at JR Tucker.

He was only on the job for three seasons in which the Tigers went 12-17-1 which obviously is a far cry from what he had done with the Springers.

To this day he is 1 of just 5 coaches to post a winning record at Tucker.

Despite retiring from coaching after the 1982 season, Rinaldi never left the game keeping close to the Springer program as well as Central Region football be it as a member of the Touchdown Club of Richmond or broadcasting games on Friday nights which he did for 15 years alongside Gary Hess.

In his second career as a broadcaster Rinaldi took his love and passion for coaching and brought it to life on the airwaves for the fans. I as a fan always enjoyed getting in the car after a game and listening to Gary and Al recap the game they had on that night. Even after retiring Rinaldi never lost his passion for the game. Gary Hess attributes the broadcaster he is today to working with Rinaldi, "I have a great passion for high school football and that grew through my partnership with Coach Rinaldi. I have never met anyone more passionate about high school football."

Now days it's Gary Hess & Gary Criswell calling the games but Hess credits what the show is and how far it has come to Rinaldi and his love of the game. "He loved high school football and held a steadfast belief it needed to be held in a position of importance. That attitude rubbed off and helped the high school football coverage on Fox Sports 910 grow into what is has become today."

Whether it was on the field or in the booth, it's clear Coach Rinaldi loved the game, was passionate and he was a fan even to this day. A perfect example being a picture I saw recently on social media of Coach Rinaldi holding up the headline from Highland Springs recent state title win.

While today's generation might not know who Coach Rinaldi was and how great he was, others do. Others being those who coached against him, played for him, those who cheered for him and his teams on Friday nights and those who got to know him.

He coached such players like Greg Taylor, a 2-time All-Metro Player of the Year as well as All-State who went on to play at UVA and in the NFL.

Jake Adams who was not only an All-Metro Player and All-State Player of the Year as a defensive end but also an All-American. He went on to play for Virginia Tech and was drafted in 1964.

You cannot forget either Waddey Harvey who also reached the NFL after Virginia Tech.

Those are just a few of the players that came through Highland Springs under Coach Rinaldi.

Then there are the coaches... Tom Brattan who has gone on to have quite the college coaching career was brought to Highland Springs by Rinaldi as an assistant. Brattan would also succeed the coach when he retired.

Rudy Ward who was an assistant under Rinaldi stayed on as assistant to Brattan and then took the job himself. Once Ward retired himself, a former player of Rinaldi's, Randy Stokes took over.

Once retired from both coaching and broadcasting, you could find Coach Rinaldi around the Highland Springs program and sometimes on the sidelines on Friday nights. Coach Johnson who now joins Rinaldi as the only two coaches to win state titles for Highland Springs recalls his time getting to know the coach.

After getting the job he too read the same book I refreshed myself with just last night, "Springer Spirit: A 40-Year History of Highland Springs Football". Coach Johnson learned what Rinaldi had done as a coach and his impact on Highland Springs. The first time they met they shook hands and Rinaldi wished him the best. When they saw one another, Rinaldi was always positive and encouraging and when Rinaldi was on the sidenlines, he never interfered whereas others might have put in their two cents. One of the great understatements of Rinaldi is what Johnson himself said, "Highland Springs wouldn't be what it is without him".

No truer words have been spoken, Highland Springs wouldn't be what it is today without Rinaldi. You have to wonder what the program would look like at this time.

Not just Highland Springs but the region as well. The teams that would have benefitted without Highland Springs always hindering them like a Petersburg who they routinely met in the playoffs in the 70's.

Rinaldi set the bar high, before there was McConnell, Parker, Williams, Bedwell, Long, Kane or Mills there was Rinaldi. Long passed Rinaldi a few years ago for most wins in the region but Rinaldi remains held in high regard.

Programs around the region stepped up their games and programs in an effort to keep up with the Springers. I guess you could say their excellence bred other teams to excellence as well.

The bigger what if for me however is what if Rinaldi had not left Highland Springs after the 61' season? Could he have kept the momentum going from what he had built culminating in that 1961 season? What if he had stayed for the eleven years he was absent, how many more wins would he have as a coach? How much better would the Highland Springs program have been? You can even ponder what might have been had he not left Highland Springs after the 78' season and kept coaching for as long as he did at Tucker... The possibilities are endless.

Coach Rinaldi was a legend in the Central Region and the state. In 1992 he was inducted into the VHSL Hall of Fame. His final record is somewhat unclear, I've seen everything from 190 to 196 wins with anywhere between 76 to 83 losses and between 13 to 14 ties. Nonetheless, whatever his final record was, he won't be forgotten.

In the 'Springer Spirit: A 40-Year History of Highland Springs Football' I saw the best quote that I'm sure if we could ask him today, would still ring true. "The 14 years at Highland Springs were the highlight of my coaching career. I pride myself knowing that I played a part in helping to build a winning attitude not just for the school but for the whole community. But nothing could have been done if it wasn't for the help of every Springer fan and player."

The hearts are heavy for Springer Nation and the region with the loss of Coach Rinaldi at 90. There have been many great coaches since but there will never be another quite like him.