Tag Archives: Teacher Athletes

New York’s Joe Lamas: Educator and Former NFL Player

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Many former athletes go on to successful careers as educators and coaches. This is the case with Joseph Francis Lamas, a New York teacher who formerly had been a player in the National Football League (NFL).

Joe Lamas was born on January 10, 1916, in Havana, Cuba. As a young man, he attended Straubenmuller Textile High School in New York City, New York. Following his high school graduation, Joe enrolled at Mount St. Mary’s University, a private Catholic institution of higher learning located in Emmitsburg, Maryland. There he played college football.

Following his education at Mount St. Mary’s, Joe played one season in the NFL. In the 1942 season, he played on the offensive line with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he started in eight games. During the game against the Detroit Lions on November 8, the 5’10”, 216-pound guard scored a spectacular 29-yard fumble recovery touchdown, leading his team to a 34-7 victory. Joe is also a United States veteran. When the 1942 football season ended, he served in the military during World War II.

In 1952, Joe accepted a teaching position at Iona Preparatory School, a private Roman Catholic boys’ school located in New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York. He was also the school’s assistant football coach for five years, and then he was named the head coach in 1957. He held this job until 1961. During his years at Iona, the former football player also coached baseball and worked as the school’s athletic director, and he also taught courses in Latin, history, and health. This accomplished educator retired from teaching and coaching in 1979.

Joe was 80 years old when he passed away on April 22, 1996, in Manhasset, New York. To learn more about him, you can click on SportsLifer Weblog.

Joseph Lamas: a chalkboard champion, certainly.

Chalkboard Champion Bryan Still: From NFL to Virginia Classroom

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There are many fine examples of professional athletes who go on to successful careers in the classroom. One such athlete is Bryan Andrei Still, a physical education teacher from Virginia who was a former professional football player.

Bryan was born on June 3, 1974, in Newport News, Virginia. As a youth, he attended Huguenot High School in Richmond, Virginia. Upon his high school graduation, Bryan enrolled at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University located in Blacksburg, Virginia. There the 5’11”, 174-pound wide receiver played college football. In fact, this outstanding athlete went with the Virginia Tech Hokies to the Nokia Sugar Bowl, where the team came from behind to defeat Texas 28-10. Bryan garnered the coveted Most Valuable Player Award for that game. You can read more about this spectacular victory by clicking on this link: HokieSports.com.

After college, Bryan was drafted into the National Football League (NFL). He played first for the San Diego Chargers (1996-1999), then the Atlanta Falcons (1999), and finally the Dallas Cowboys (1999). In total, Bryan played 52 games in the NFL. To examine Bryan’s statistics, you can check them out on NFL.com.

Currently, Bryan teaches physical education and health education at Cosby High School, a public school located in Midlothian, Virginia. He also coaches track and field there.

Charge on, Brian Still!

New Jersey’s Zack Valentine: Coach, Phys Ed Teacher, and Former Pro Football Player

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I love to share stories about former professional athletes who have enriched the lives of young people as teachers and coaches. One example of this is Zack Valentine, a former pro football player who became a leading high school football coach and physical education teacher in New Jersey.

Zack was born May 29, 1957, in Edenton, North Carolina. As a youngster, he attended home town John A. Holmes High School in the Edenton-Chowan School District. After his high school graduation, Zack attended nearby East Carolina University.

After college, Zack played pro football for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1979-1981), and the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1982 season. With the Steelers, the 6’2″, 220-pound linebacker garnered a coveted Super Bowl ring in 1979.

After Zack concluded his pro football career, he accepted a position as a physical education teacher at Woodbury High School in Gloucester, New Jersey. He also served as the head football coach for the Thundering Herd for 11 seasons. During his tenure, he led his team to a 10-2 record (2012) and three trips to the South Jersey Group 1 Final, including one championship in 2009. That year, the Gloucester Times named the victorious coach their Football Coach of the Year. Overall, Zack’s record was 82 wins and 37 losses. Only one other coach in Woodbury High history has logged more wins.

As a coach, Zack is known for his focus on more than what his players accomplish on the field; he is immeasurably concerned about what they also accomplish in their academics and in their personal lives. “He’s been a great coach to these kids,” says Woodbury’s Athletic Director Grant Shivers, “and sometimes I don’t think our kids always understand how lucky they are to have a coach like him.”

Read more about this amazing physical education teacher and coach at Zack Valentine and this article, 2009 Football Coach of the Year, in the Gloucester Times.

 

Jerilyn Britz: The high school teacher and celebrated pro golfer

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Many times successful classroom teachers also distinguish themselves as gifted athletes. This is the case with Jerilyn Britz, a Minnesota educator who is also a two-time winner on the tour of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).

Jerilyn was born on January 1, 1943, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University in Mankato, and her master’s degree from the University of New Mexico.

Following her college graduation, Jerilyn taught physical education at a high school in St. Anthony Village in Ramsey County for five years. She also taught at the college level for three years.

Jerilyn started playing golf at the age of 17 on a tiny nine-hole course in Luverne, Minneapolis. By the time she turned 30, she decided to leave the teaching profession and become a professional golfer. Astonishingly, Jerilyn qualified for the LPGA Tour on her first attempt. She garnered first place at the US Women’s Open in 1979. The following year she captured the title at the Mary Kay Classic held in Texas. Jerilyn also placed second in the LPGA Championship in 1981. She retired from golf in 1999.

For her achievements on the golf course, Jerilyn has been inducted into the Minnesota State Maverick Athletic Hall of Fame, she has been named a member of the Mankato State College Athletic Hall of Fame, and she has been inducted into the Rock County Historical Society Hall of Fame.

Tidye Pickett: The Chicago school teacher who became the first African American woman to represent the US in the Olympics

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tidyepickettThere are many examples throughout American history of talented educators who have also distinguished themselves in the field of sports. One such example is the remarkable Tidye Pickett.

Theodora Anne Pickett was born on November 13, 1914, in Chicago, Illinois. Known by everyone as Tidye, she was the second of two children born to Louis and Sarah Pickett.

As a teenager, Tidye took up running. She quickly established a reputation as a high school track star at her alma mater, Englewood High School in Chicago. She was one of two African American women selected to represent the United States women’s track team in the 1932 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles. She was scheduled to serve as part of an eight-woman relay team and as an alternate sprinter in the 80-meter hurdles, the broad jump, and the 100-meter sprint, but did not actually compete in those games. When the 1936 games rolled around, Tidye was again selected to represent the US. A foot injury prevented Tidye from medaling in those games; however, she did earn the distinction of being the first African American woman to compete in an Olympic Games.

Tidye earned her bachelor’s degree from Pestalozzi Froebel Teachers College in Chicago and her master’s degree in education from Northern Illlinois University in August, 1956. Following her college graduation, Tidye accepted a position as a teacher at Cottage Grove Elementary in East Chicago Heights. She taught there for just one year, and then the talented educator was promoted to the position of principal of Woodlawn School in the same district. She remained in that position for 23 years until her retirement in 1980. In recognition for her many years of distinguished service, the district renamed her school Tidy A. Pickett School.

This amazing chalkboard champion passed away on November 17, 1986, at the age of 72.