Maybe you’ve seen the fresh new face on campus or you might have seen him help direct traffic in the parking lot, either way, there’s a new Cougar and his name is Ross Ribaudo. Mr. Ribaudo is a campus monitor. He used to be the Sabino football coach and is very enamored with our football team, stating, “My favorite thing about Sahuaro so far is the football team and my favorite song is the Sahuaro fight song.”

It’s clear to anyone who meets him that he is a football fan through and through.  Coaching football was his passion but he wanted “to get more involved with the students and faculty” he elaborated with, “the day to day school life”. So far Mr. Ribaudo really enjoys working at Sahuaro.  He expects it to be challenging but he’s fired up and likes a challenge. Mr. Ribaudo’s wife, Ms. Ribaudo also works at Sahuaro and is a PE teacher and girls basketball coach. About working with his wife he says, “It’s nice, but I don’t really see her.” Upon doing further research I found out there is a lot more to Ross Ribaudo than a campus monitor or football coach.

Back in 2000, Mr. Ribaudo bought an “Iowa style” restaurant called Wags Family Restaurant. This restaurant was even in The Arizona Daily Star in 2006 for its pork tenderloin sandwich. Mr. Ribaudo’s restaurant also caught the public eye because they had the catchphrase”Pancakes as big as your head, Godzilla!”  So when you see Mr. Ribaudo in the halls, be sure to say hi, tease him by ordering a short stack, and shout “Go Cougars!”