Here’s why Paul Volero is giving up the ‘good life’ in Key West to coach Miami High

New Miami High football coach Paul Volero, 50, doesn’t have a car.

He doesn’t have a place to live, either, at least not in Miami.

Volero, a husband and father of three adult children, has a house in Key West located a half-mile from the beach, and he uses his Yamaha Zuma scooter to get there.

But when he was hired last week as the new Stingarees coach, he knew he would have to figure something out in terms of transportation and lodging during football season.

“He left a good life to take this job,” said Miami High athletic director Leonard Graham, who hired Volero.

The sacrifice is worth it, Volero said, for the chance to coach his alma mater.

“Miami High is a special and sacred place for me,” said Volero, who was born in Miami to Cuban parents. “I was a knucklehead kid who hated school, and football coaches such as Ralph Arza and Lou Sanabria gave me purpose and changed my life.

“I wonder where I would be without the people in that building [Miami High]. I’m making this sacrifice because it’s time to give back. It’s time to turn boys into men.”

This is Volero’s first job as a varsity head coach, but he has tons of experience

Volero, a defensive lineman, was a high school teammate of Graham, a linebacker/safety who went on to play for East Carolina. Volero ended up at an NAIA school, Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia, losing in the 1993 national championship game.

Rich Rodriguez was the coach of that Glenville team. Later, when Rodriguez was the coach at West Virginia University, he hired Volero as a special teams quality-control coach.

That became one of five collegiate coaching stops for Volero, a list that also includes South Florida, Central Michigan, Washington State and FIU. Volero also served as a Miami High assistant coach on three different occasions.

At FIU, Volero worked with the defensive line in 2015 and 2016 under coach Ron Turner. But when Turner was fired following a 0-4 start in 2016, that was the beginning of the end of Volero’s run at FIU.

New FIU coach Butch Davis did not retain Volero, who at that point decided to buy a home in Key West, where he lived “the good life” until Miami High’s job came open under tragic circumstances.

Previous coach Corey Smith — who was also a Miami High alumnus and a friend of Volero’s — was killed in September, shocking everyone who knew him.

“I was in class taking a test when I found out,” Stings offensive lineman Bill Bonilla said. “I thought it was a lie at first.

“That happened on the day we were supposed to have our first practice of the season, following COVID. … It was hard. We canceled practice, and we all started crying.”

Bonilla said a majority of the team attended Smith’s funeral.

Six months later, Miami High has a new coach.

“I like his attitude,” Bonilla said after meeting Volero last week. “He’s an old-school coach. He’s going to coach us to the limit. He motivates us just by the way he talks.”

Graham said he made an “easy decision” hiring Volero due to the coach’s vast experience and a shared philosophy. Graham tried to downplay expectations for 2021, however, due to the heavy losses suffered in terms of the roster and the coaching staff.

Volero, though, is excited about the possibilities.

“Becoming the head coach at Miami High has always been on my bucket list,” Volero said. “Part of my decision to come back is that I coached Corey Smith. I recommended him to be the Miami High head coach.

“When he was murdered, it struck a chord in my heart. I knew I had to find a way to come back.”

Even if he had to give up the scooter life for a while.

This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 11:09 AM.