Long before he became MVLA’s superintendent, Eric Volta was a defensive lineman on the Stanford University football team, proudly wearing the cardinal red and white. A member of the Class of ‘88, Volta played Division I football at a time when few student-athletes juggled as much as he did. 

But Volta’s ties to the Bay Area go back even further, as a graduate of Santa Clara High School. 

“I remember playing at Los Altos High School as a high school senior,” Volta said. “It was at 3:15 on a Friday afternoon, in front of 20 people, because it was warm and nobody wanted to be on the aluminum bleachers.”

After being accepted to Stanford, Volta joined the football team — an experience that suddenly became the center of his college life.

“My memories are a little more unique because my life revolved around a sport in college,” Volta said. “For others, they revolve around studies, but mine just revolved around football.”

Playing for a DI team meant arriving on campus six weeks before classes began, and enduring grueling daily routines — all while balancing pursuing a degree in history, at a program topping the nation. 

“We’d wake up, roll out of bed, go to the training room, practice, training room, lunch, rest, training room, practice, meetings — that was our day,” Volta said. “It required a lot of time management, and our studies were at night.”

But Volta wouldn’t have had it any other way. As a longtime Stanford fan, he vividly remembers his pride in running onto the field for the first time. 

“Seeing everyone in Stanford colors, with the ‘S’ on our helmets, I felt like the luckiest person alive,” Volta said. “Did I know I was getting into such a big commitment when I signed up to play? Didn’t care. Because I loved it.”

After graduating, Volta coached for two years at West Valley College and for a year at Santa Clara University. Still, the college coach lifestyle didn’t appeal to him. 

“I didn’t want that environment where I was traveling either with the coach, or because the person I was working for got released,” Volta said. “So I said, ‘Okay, I’m gonna be a high school teacher and a coach.’”

Volta spent years coaching at the college and high school levels, including four seasons as Wilcox High School’s head coach. During that time, Volta’s team faced both LAHS and MVHS on the field.

“When I coached against Los Altos, they had a really good defensive lineman who also ended up playing at Stanford,” Volta said. “But they didn’t have many other players, and their team was small. It didn’t go well for Los Altos.”

As superintendent, Volta values not only what he learned from playing football, but the people it brought into his life. 

“You get to know people,” Volta said. “And some of those relationships have lasted for 30-something years.”

His advice for current high school athletes hoping to pursue college sports is clear: Focus on academics. 

“You have to compete in the classroom and on the field,” Volta said. “It can’t be one or the other. Being competitive doesn’t mean just in sports.”

Looking back, Volta credits Stanford for instilling a competitive mindset that has stuck with him through every role since — from student-athlete to coach to superintendent. And while Volta’s career has moved from the football field to the classroom, his loyalty to Stanford remains strong.

“Go Card! Beat Cal!” Volta said.