How Time as a Busboy Shaped UCLA's Offensive Coordinator

Tino Sunseri grinded away at his family's restaurant before becoming the football mind he is.

Indiana Quarterback Coach Tino Sunseri before the start of the Indiana versus Michigan football game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Nov. 9, 2024. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Everyone has a story that has shaped them into who they are today. UCLA offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri's story dates back to when he was clearing tables at Bella Notte, his family's restaurant in Pittsburgh.

While sitting down with Ashley Adamson and Yogi Roth during the Big Ten Network's behind-the-scenes of UCLA's training camp, Sunseri revealed how his time as a busboy made him the coach he is today.

"What I took is just be able to put your nose down, and there's always some work to be had," Sunseri said. "There's either a table that needs to be cleaned, there's somebody that needs a drink refilled, there's something that you need to be able to do to provide a service. And I think that it carries over to your real-life workspace; there's always something that you can be able to improve on, essentially, is what I took away from it.

Nov 09, 2012; East Hartford, CT, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Tino Sunseri (12) throws a pass against the Connecticut Huskies during the first quarter at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

"Because, whenever I was able to run around, I wanted to be able to make sure not to let down my uncles. ... So, it allowed myself to be able to understand, now being able to be in the building, that it doesn't matter if you're a GA, if you're the offensive coordinator, if you're a position coach, let's all pull the weight that we need to inside the building to be able to make sure that we're structured to be streamlined so that we can all be able to get to the end road and our end result, which we want, is the win.

"It doesn't matter if you're in the restaurant business or if you're in football, at the end of the day, you want to win, and in the restaurant business, it's being able to make sure your sales are up."

Behind the mindset Sunseri adopted as a young busboy, the Bruins' offensive stock is rising.

Sunseri Lauded For Hands-On Approach

Second-year Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster can't help but praise Sunseri. Foster, a former running back, and Sunseri, a former quarterback, are a perfect match to lift UCLA's revamped offense.

"He just does a good job with the quarterbacks," Foster said during last week's media availability. "He's fiery. He holds them to a standard and he's not budging. I love everything that Tino's bringing to the offense and the guys are responding to it."

The Bruins' offense is going through a lot of changes. Not only personnel-wise, after adding key transfers like Nico Iamaleava under center and Jaivian Thomas in the backfield, but also schematically. UCLA is pivoting into an "everything" offense under Sunseri, and Foster thinks they are coming along well through two weeks of fall camp.

"We're in a good place," Foster said of the offense. "They're taking strides and people are playing multiple positions at each level. So, the outside guys are playing multiple positions, receivers and tight ends are doing the same, and running backs. And it's all coming together."

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