football
New Loyola coach is
a teacher at his core
Zehyoue approaches sport as ‘an educational opportunity'
Anthony Zehyoue, a Loyola Blakefield assistant coach who played on LSU's 2007 national championship team, has been named the Dons' football coach.
A native of Liberia who didn't play football until the ninth grade, Zehyoue also has a master's degree in teaching from LSU and teaches in the history department at Loyola. He approaches coaching as another educational opportunity for his players.
He said every member of his family, which includes parents and four siblings, has worked in education — his father as a college professor and his mother as a day care educator.
“We truly value it and I take football very much as an educational opportunity,” he said, “and it's something I'm really hoping will help our program and help our kids learn the game, help them to develop and have some opportunity to really see themselves grow through delayed gratification. That's one of the beauties of education.”
In announcing Zehyoue's appointment, Loyola principal John Marinacci said: “Anthony is the type of teacher and coach Loyola wants molding young men. By modeling and expecting hard work, care for each other, and accountability, he teaches lessons that go beyond the classroom and field. He brings a high level of passion and care to all aspects of his profession, and I am confident that his new role here will not only benefit our football program, but will also enhance his already measurable impact on our community.”
Zehyoue's parents valued education so much that he was not allowed to play sports until he got to McKinley High in Baton Rouge, where the family moved when he was 5. If his grades were good, he could play. In the meantime, he watched a lot of football, but because he didn't know the game as well as others his age, it took him awhile to catch up when he started to play.
“My entire career had been trying to figure out ways to constantly improve, and that's one of the things I'm excited about bringing to Loyola — just the constant improvement, because that's all I know through coaching experience and my playing experience.”
The Dons have a little catching up to do in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference.
They finished 5-6 overall and went 0-6 in the conference last fall. The Dons haven't had a winning record since 2010 — two years after going 11-0 and winning the A Conference title outright. They've also lost three straight Turkey Bowls against Calvert Hall and have lost seven of the past eight games in the 97-year old rivalry.
The past two seasons Zehyoue worked closely with former coach Brant Hall, who stepped down after the season to spend more time with his young family. Zehyoue coached the offensive line and Hall called the plays.
“He and I worked hand in hand in terms of what we did, and communicated very regularly about what we did on the offense,” Zehyoue said. “We had a lot of similarities. I don't think people will see a major overhaul in what we do. What I'm going to try to be a little bit more detailed about is making sure the kids we have in the program are always in the position to run what's best. We have a young team, and it's my job to try to figure out what's going to make them successful.”
Zehyoue was an assistant football coach as well as strength and conditioning coach for all sports at The Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, before moving to Baltimore.
His soon-to-be wife, Leah, took a position at Loyola Maryland and she liked it, so they settled in North Baltimore two years ago when they married.
Although he said he's still learning the dynamics of high school football in Baltimore, he's already invested in the traditions he'll carry on as the Dons coach.
“One of the things I've noticed in living here in Baltimore is that people take great pride in their schools,” Zehyoue said. “There are a lot of people who take great joy in having been associated in some way with Loyola Blakefield, and for me, I'm humbled to be the leader and the caretaker of the program, because something like the Turkey Bowl brings so many people so much joy and I don't take that lightly. One of the things that makes me most excited is that I feel like I'm taking care of something that's very precious to a large number of people, myself included now.”
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