One of three football honorees this year, Vivo was born November 12, 1968, and is a 1987 graduate of Chaney High School.
During a stellar scholastic career with the Cowboys (1984-86), he earned three letters under the tutelage of their late, great head coach Ed Matey, starting 25 games at quarterback while serving as team captain during both his junior and senior campaigns.
A two-time All-City Series first-team selection, he was a two-time all-Northeastern Ohio and all-State special mention pick his senior campaign.
In what was one of many CHS career highlights, he completed 35 of 50 attempts for 362 yards versus their West side arch-rival, Austintown Fitch, all new school records.
He ended his scholastic career with 3,500-plus passing yards and 500-plus rushing yards, setting new program standards for total offensive yards, passing yardage, completions and attempts at the time of his graduation.
He also set new single season marks for completions, attempts and yardage.
Upon graduation, he ranked in the Top-5 in City Series history in completions, attempts, passing yards and total yardage.
In the October 1986 issue of Scholastic Sports America, ESPN featured him in a story and upon graduation, received a football scholarship to Ohio University.
He would go on to earn his accounting degree from Youngstown State University in 1992 and in 1994, earned his technical certificate.
He began his high school coaching career in 1990 at Cardinal Mooney High School where he served under legendary Cardinal head football coach Don Bucci, moving over to Struthers High in 1993 where he was part of the grid staff that featured current Youngstown State University head coach Doug Phillips and former Girard Indians-YSU signal caller, and current Girard director of athletics, Nick Cochran.
From 1994-96, he was on the Boardman Spartans’ football staff where he worked for head coach Dan Pallante and coached with notable area assistants Ron Stoops, Roger Patterson and Mark D’Eramo.
In 1997, he was named head football coach at Lowellville High School, posted a two-year 13-7 mark, was named Valley Playbook “Newcomer of the Year” in 1997 and Small School “Coach of the Year” both seasons.
From 1999-2001 he served as head coach of the Ursuline Fighting Irish, guiding UIHS to the 2000 OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) Division IV state football championship, the first ever grid title in school history.
For his efforts, he was named the Associated Press, Northeastern Ohio and State of Ohio Division IV “Coach of the Year” that year, also earning the Paul Brown “Coach of the Year” award, Mahoning Valley Coaches Association “Coach of the Year” honor as well as Ohio Football Coaches Association “Coach of the Year” laurels.
A member of the North coaching staff in the annual North-South High School All-Star Classic (2001), he also served as head coach at Chaney, East and Westerville North high schools with other assistant stops at Girard, Green and Poland high schools.
In addition to his 2000 state title, his teams also advanced to the state semi-finals in 1990, 1995 and 2019.
He has spent the last 30 years as an educator, has served as school administrator for 17 years with the last 10 years being spent as principal at Lordstown High School.
He is married to the former Tracy Schuler and is the father of four children, Jimmy, who will turn 27 the day of the banquet, Jenna (25), Macey (11) and Emmy (9).
The Vivo’s reside in Poland.
