APS athletics leader Joe Vassalotti is retiring at the end of the year, not because the work stopped mattering, but because his family matters more.

After more than three decades as an educator, coach, and athletic administrator, Vassalotti will be stepping away from his role as APS Coordinator of Athletics to be closer to his daughter, Anna, who is battling breast cancer and lymphoma.

“For sure, it gave me pause,” Vassalotti said of Anna’s diagnosis last spring. “I was thinking about retirement, but this was the final straw that pushed me into it.”

Anna, now 32, is undergoing treatment at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Vassalotti has spent countless hours on the road to be by her side, time he now says is invaluable.

“She’s handling it with such grace and bravery,” he said. “We’re extremely proud of her strength and courage through this whole process.”

Vassalotti retires Dec. 30, closing a chapter that included leading APS athletics through facility upgrades, launching the APS Athletics Hall of Fame, emphasizing leadership through programs like Love Akron, and celebrating milestones like Buchtel’s 2023 state basketball championship.

But even with those accomplishments, he says the lesson is simple.

“I’ve relearned the priorities in life,” Vassalotti said. “Family and faith top that list. I’ll have more time for my family now.”

After years of telling students and athletes to control what they can, Vassalotti says this is one thing firmly within his grasp: choosing time, presence, and love.

Joe Vassalotti – At a glance

Age: 58

High school: Walsh Jesuit

College: Miami University (Ohio):  B.A. English,   Kent State University:  M.A.T. Secondary Education/English,  M.A. Literature,  Ed.S. Secondary Educational Administration

Teacher: English teacher for 24 years; adjunct professor at University of Akron 8 years

Administrator: Athletic Director at Norton High School (1995-98),  Akron Public Schools (2015 to current)

English Teacher/Head Football Coach:  Norton (1995-98), Brush (1998-99), Kent Roosevelt (1999-2002), Tallmadge (2002-2015)