Of all the circumstances surrounding Alex Golesh's life, of all the places he has been and all the experiences that led to his ascension as USF's head football coach, one biographical detail practically leaps off the page and begs for a proper back-story.

He's from Russia.

"It's different,'' Golesh said. "It's part of who I am. It certainly has been an ice-breaker, a conversation starter.''

So, let's start — at the moment when Golesh's life changed forever.

In 1991, the Soviet Union was collapsing. Hard-line Communists staged a coup, seeking to oust Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. A protestor in Red Square was crushed by one of the tanks patrolling the streets of Moscow. The horrifying scene was witnessed on television by Golesh and his older brother, Eugene.

On a chilly September morning, Vladimir and Bella Golesh, college-educated professionals, fled their middle-class, comparatively comfortable existence because they feared the future and what might happen to their sons. They were forced to leave practically everything behind. They carried a few bags of clothing and $400. None of them spoke a word of English. Alex Golesh was 7.

The family boarded a 747, bound for New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, where Golesh's aunt awaited. She was the family's sponsor, the bridge to this new world, the final ingredient that closed a two-year process filled with paperwork, telephone calls, interviews, frustration and lingering doubt over whether this carefully planned exodus would actually happen.

"We were scared,'' said Golesh's father, who took advantage of a brief window where approved groups were permitted to leave the USSR. "We didn't know exactly what life would be like. We just knew we had to get to America.''

When they arrived after the 11-hour journey, Golesh's aunt met them at the gate and had fresh bananas for everyone — an absolute treat that was generally unavailable in the homeland.

"I was young, but I'm sure most people would've wondered, 'We have all of 400 bucks … we're in New York City … so what are we actually going to do?' '' Golesh said.

Golesh's father, a telecommunications engineer back home, drove a truck and hustled for any cash. Golesh's mother, a medical aide, cleaned houses. The family rented a cramped two-bedroom apartment above a bodega in Brooklyn.

Golesh immediately entered elementary school and learned his first word — "It was 'bathroom,' so I could leave the class and go to the bathroom,'' he said — while bonding with the melting pot of children in his English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. The presence of other Russian kids helped his comfort level.

That summer, Golesh and his brother attended an overnight camp and saw American football for the first time. Golesh was smitten. He met a coach from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, who let Golesh work as a ballboy. When the family moved to Dublin, Ohio in 1996, seeking a lower cost of living, Golesh began playing youth football … and his future course was officially set in motion.

"I'm absolutely astonished every time I hear the story,'' said Golesh's wife, Alexis, an Arkansas native who met her future husband when he was an Oklahoma State graduate assistant. "They left everything they knew, pretty much everything they had, and made this new life. Alex had never even seen American football. And he becomes a college football coach? The whole thing is amazing and inspiring.''

Golesh said the true inspiration comes from his parents, who sacrificed everything so their sons could have a better life. Golesh, 39, became one of America's brightest young coaches. His brother is an executive with Nationwide Financial in Ohio.

"Leaving Russia was the only decision,'' Golesh's father said. "Alex and Eugene have worked for very bright futures. Most importantly, all of us have freedom. We are free.''

Golesh's Life In Russia

A few years ago, Golesh and his wife began binge-watching "The Americans,'' a spy-drama television series that won two Peabody Awards. It's set during the Cold War and features two Soviet KGB intelligence officers posing as an American married couple in a Washington, D.C. suburb. They own a travel agency — as a cover — while carrying out KGB missions.

"I told Alex, 'You know, I'm not sure if this is good for me to watch this because I'm getting paranoid … is this some kind of set-up?' '' Golesh's wife said with a laugh. "And he said if it was a set-up, he would've picked a 9 to 5 job so he just could hang out and avoided the crazy coaching hours.''

When they first met over dinner with friends, when Golesh casually said he was from Russia, she had a ton of questions.

"I was very surprised,'' Golesh's wife said. "He had no accent. I'm from Arkansas. This was a really different guy and I was immediately drawn to him. I had never met anyone like this.

"Over the years, I think I've posed all my questions. They've been answered. I think anyone would be naturally curious and kind of fascinated. Alex's experiences are just way different. The things he has seen and done, many of them I can't imagine. But I have to say now I'm pretty confident he's not a Russian spy.''

She laughed again.

Aleksey Golesh was born June 24, 1984 in Moscow, not long after U.S. president Ronald Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as the "evil empire'' and "the focus of evil in the modern world.''

But what does a kid know about the Cold War?

How do you explain decades of tension, the threat of a nuclear conflict, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Olympics at Moscow, the specter of communism, the danger of anyone seeking political asylum in another country, then being labeled a defector and a traitor? Crossing the border was forbidden, usually punishable with a death sentence.

In Golesh's young world, he remembers playing soccer and hockey. The family lived on the sixth floor of an 11-story condominium. He remembers his family having a car — very rare — and a spot at the nearby garage park. He remembers standing in line for two hours to get a hamburger when the first Russian McDonald's restaurant opened at Pushkin Square.

"We had it pretty good because both of my grandfathers were career military — and you get taken care of when that happens,'' Golesh said. "We even had a summer place down toward St. Petersburg (Russia). It was actually more like a trailer — but it was a summer trailer.''

Golesh still speaks a little Russian, usually when communicating with his grandmother, but his verbal and written skills have diminished with lack of practice. His brother, who has lived near their parents and grandmother in Ohio, works to keep the culture alive with food and customs. His daughter, Golesh's niece, has developed a taste for caviar.

"Russia is a beautiful country, very historic, very clean, very nice people,'' Golesh's brother said. "But when Russia invaded the Ukraine (in 2022) … it's hard to be associated with a positive thought. The connotation is bad when people know you are from Russia. You're almost like, 'Sorry, it's not my fault.' I understand the weird dynamic. I hope in the future it can be more open, more understanding and less of an embarrassing connotation.''

One day, Golesh would love to take his children to Russia so they can see their father's homeland. He's not sure when — or if — that would ever become a realistic goal.

"I've never felt safe to go,'' Golesh said. "There are too many stories of my mom's friends going back, people who did business in America and had some level of financial success. They go back … and it has never ended well. It has been bad. And by bad, I mean bad.

"Leaving Russia and coming to America, I'm more proud of what it has represented for my family, the ability to live the American dream. I mean, I coach American football, right? I have a great life. I make a great living and my family is secure. Like, man, what a crazy, crazy story. To me, it's more the pride in what it has become, what we worked to accomplish, more so than actually being from there.''

The Land Of Opportunity

A couple of years ago, Golesh took his wife and kids back to where his family lived in Brooklyn. They drove past the heavily ethnic neighborhoods of Bensonhurst — where popular television shows "The Honeymooners'' and "Welcome Back, Kotter'' once were set — and Bay Ridge.

"My kids were like, 'You lived here? Boom! Mind blown,'' Golesh said. "I showed them the bus I rode to school. It was actually a city bus. And there were two buses. I had to transfer. Somehow, I figured it out, even though I was a kid by myself. They were like, 'Are you out of your mind?'

"When you're a kid, you don't really know what you don't have. The clothes were hand-me-downs. We didn't have luxuries by any means. But I knew how hard my parents worked and I knew they wanted the best life for us. That was enough. The challenge as a parent now is providing your kids with what they need, not spoiling them, and making sure they appreciate what they have.''

Golesh's parents are moving to Florida's East Coast. They bought a place in Palm Coast a few years ago and are just getting around to retiring (maybe).

Golesh's father has always worked. He tried everything. He once became a driver for Little Caesar's Pizza, then wound up managing the whole store. More recently, he has operated a warehouse in Ohio. Golesh's mother works for a language translation service, which she might continue remotely.

"They are task-oriented people,'' Golesh said. "But they take vacations and they love to travel. Seeing them enjoy things like that, I think it means a lot to myself and my brother.''

Sometimes, Golesh's father wonders what would've happened to the family had it stayed in Russia.

"Would Alex and Eugene still be alive?'' he said. "They would have been in the military and there are wars. Would I still be alive? These are not good thoughts. That is impossible to say. And it doesn't matter. I do not think about Russia. There are so many better places in this world. We are in America now. We got a new life.''

Golesh had a different experience than many of his coaching counterparts. Some of them grew up in gated communities and wanted for nothing. Some might have had a famous coaching father. Golesh said hard workers come from all sorts of backgrounds. So do slackers.

But Golesh said he believes his background gave him a special perspective.

"My approach is simply that I'm more accepting of what my young guys are,'' Golesh said. "I was different growing up. Some of my guys are different, too, maybe even more than I was. If they have nothing (materially), I know that feeling. If they've had to work for everything they've ever gotten, I know that feeling, too.

"But here's the deal. It's OK to be different. It's OK to come from a different background. I tell them, 'Man, just be you. I don't care if you're different. I just want you to be the best version of you. And no matter what, if you have the desire to make it, you're going to make it. I can promise you that.' ''

Golesh learned it was always better to be a giver than a taker. That was the appeal of coaching. It was never about climbing through the profession as quickly as possible. Just do the best job possible, wherever you are, whoever you are, and things will work out.

On the long plane ride from Moscow to New York, Golesh's father wrestled with apprehension, even dread. Could they fit into this new world? How would they make it? But deep down, he knew it would be better. Long ago, while contemplating the lives and families his two sons have built, he felt completely at ease. He couldn't be more proud.

"We have freedom,'' Golesh's father said. "We all have a beautiful life. God bless America. And Go Bulls!''

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