Owner of California Strength Dave Spitz has the unique honor of having coached a player from both teams playing in Super Bowl LX. The biggest sporting event of the year takes place here in Santa Clara County where the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots will face off in hopes of hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy. Last year, 127 million viewers watched, making the event an American hallmark. Spitz shared what it’s like to be in the unique position of witnessing two players he’s personally worked with getting ready to go head-to-head.
Spitz coached each of these athletes through his pre-draft program. Jake Bobo (#19) is a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks who trained in Los Gatos three years ago at Cal Strength.
“He’s one of the best blocking receivers in the game, and caught a nice touchdown pass in the NFC Championship game,” Spitz said.
Austin Hooper (#81 on the New England Patriots), has been working with Spitz since he was just 12 years old.
“I prepared Hooper for just high school at De La Salle—and then on to Stanford,” Spitz said. “He ended up getting drafted in the third round to the Atlanta Falcons and became the highest paid tight end at one point, with his second contract in Cleveland.”
This will be Hooper’s second time playing in the Super Bowl. Spitz says that he looks forward to potentially celebrating a Patriots victory with Hooper and his family after the game this Sunday.
Spitz says he tends not to root for teams when he has players on both sides, commenting that he’s the guy who wears a nondescript black shirt to the game.
“I hope they both have a great game,” he said. “And at the end of the day, one of them is going to be incredibly elated, and one of them is going to be devastated. That’s always a little bit of a difficult path to reconcile. But you have to play the game, and there are winners and losers in sports. And that’s the way it goes.”
Spitz has kept up with Bobo and Hooper over the years, and even went out to Foxborough this year to see Hooper play—and then celebrated his birthday with him.
Last year, Spitz went to a Seattle game and got to spend time with Bobo.
“Once you’re part of our ecosystem and part of our family, you don’t get to leave,” he said, explaining, at Cal Strength, their mission is to be in it for the long-haul—they’re going to connect the dots on the player’s journey and be there along the way for whatever role the players would like them to play.
Fresh crop of NFL hopefuls
A group of 10 athletes have been training at Cal Strength for the first two months of the year in preparation for the NFL combine, which starts on Feb. 23.
“The group I have this year are already professionals and have already been paid to play football, considering the advent of NIL (name, image, likeness rights),” he said.
Spitz said he doesn’t think he’s had a collection of trainees as locked-in and mature from top to bottom as this year’s group. One of Spitz’s players in this year’s group attended Monte Vista High School in Danville, where Spitz also attended (Class of ’95).
This year’s group:
Dezhaun Stribling, Oklahoma State
Taniela Latu, San Jose State
Isiah Revis, San Jose State
Carsen Ryan, BYU
Jack Endries, UC Berkeley
John Carlos Miller II, Texas Tech
Geno VanDeMark, Alabama Crimson Tide
Jackson Canaan, San Jose State
Germie Bernard, University of Alabama
Chase Roberts, BYU
Many college football players transfer schools to further their football dream—sometimes as many as three times—with the intention of getting more playing time. This year’s crop is no exception, though only the universities they graduated from will be published. The athletes are housed at the Toll House with just one day off per week.
Germie Bernard says that spending time in Los Gatos reminds him of Alabama, where everyone is family oriented. Spitz highlights that the NFL is not the destination, but the start of these athletes’ journeys. Several of this year’s group have completed, or are pursuing, a Master’s degree. Isiah Revis is currently in a Master’s program at SJSU. He says he was inspired by a class he took during his undergraduate days, where he did community service at a homeless shelter that assists immigrant children. He says he could feel the power of the impact he had on those kids.
One of Spitz’s athletes from last year’s group, Terrance Ferguson, was drafted to the LA Rams after placing as the fastest tight end in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Ferguson joined Colby Parkinson at the Rams, who also trained with Spitz at Cal Strength.
Spitz says that his business has been booming and that he’s grateful to the town of Los Gatos for embracing him and his team. This year’s group is very driven, he adds. Some already hold philanthropic goals for once their dreams have been actualized in the NFL. “I want to help underprivileged young people get out of the situations that they’re not supposed to be in and create some change systematically,” one player commented. Another said he hopes to become a D2 football coach so he can make a bigger impact on a community, rather than coaching at the D1 level in the G5 FCS (Football Championship Subdivision).
Taniela Latu says that one of Spitz’s best qualities is that, as a coach and mentor, he finds something new that they can work on each day. That way, they don’t become complacent with their techniques. Jack Endries says he’s known Spitz since he was a sophomore in high school, and that, during Covid, Spitz took both high schools in his area under his wing, even coordinating a travel league to Los Angeles—driving a bus of about 50 kids down to play.
Homecoming
Spitz says it’s particularly exciting to have the Super Bowl here this year, because during the week prior to the event, there are a lot of appearances that players get to make. “I get to have a homecoming of sorts for a lot of the players who we’ve worked with over the last 16-plus years preparing for the NFL draft,” he said.
Spitz said many of the players he’s coached have gone on to have very successful careers in the NFL. “The NFL is not a destination, it’s the start of a new journey,” he said. Spitz is planning to attend this year’s Super Bowl as he received tickets from Hooper, and will be joining them at their after party in anticipation of a celebration. The last time the Seahawks and Patriots played each other at the Super Bowl was 11 years ago, when the Patriots beat the Seahawks, in—as Spitz puts it—“dramatic fashion.”
The last time the Super Bowl took place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara County was a decade ago. President Donald Trump has publicly announced he will not be attending this year’s festivities. Though artists keep their performances heavily discrete until showday, some anticipate that featured musical artist Bad Bunny will attempt to draw people together in hopes of creating one unifying moment.
What is certain is that Spitz has the opportunity to be somewhat of a unifying leader, considering he has allegiances to both sides. So, while the rivalry of sports can cause things to heat up, given the unique position that Spitz is in, he can help to turn heated emotions into a more positive direction—at least when it comes to his two former students. Of course, with competition comes tunnel vision, so, hearing the wise perspective of a trusted coach and business owner can provide an important reminder for the loser that winning isn’t everything.
Spitz has a profound sense of pride due to witnessing what these young men have accomplished. He says he’s humbled to have been part of their journey. “It’s a lot of fun; that’s the best way I can describe it,” he said. “If you are in the right profession, it’s really hard to distinguish the work from just the pure enjoyment of what you do everyday. For me, I consider myself very fortunate, because everyday, I come to work and have the opportunity to interact and help be a positive mentor for these young men.”
