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.