Few high school teachers can boast that a former student of theirs racked up more than 4,300 passing yards in the 2024 NFL season. Or, won the Super Bowl his first year on an NFL team. But, South Broward High School’s teachers Josh Shapiro and Christopher Hay can.
Hay coached Geno Smith, the starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks who won the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2022 racked up 4,320 yards, making him the fourth highest in passing yards for the 2024 season. He was coached by Hay in Miramar High.
“Coaching him was fantastic,” he said. “He was a great player, I had to get to know him on a personal level because football is not about current relationships, but more about the relationships after”.
He’s not alone, AP Government teacher Mr. Joshua Shapiro is also a football coach. In 2015, while coaching at SBHS, he worked with Marquise Brown. Brown is a wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs who had a reception percentage of 60% last season. He saw potential in him but the idea of him playing in the NFL was far from what he expected.
“He was one of the most talented receivers I know,” said Shapiro, with a framed painting of Marquise Brown displayed behind his desk.
Hay has been coaching for nearly 20 years and teaching for 18. After graduating from FAU with a degree in criminology and education, he began teaching at Miramar High, then transferred to SBHS in 2020. He emphasizes a connection between teaching and coaching.
“It doesn’t matter if you call me Mr. Hay or Coach Hay. I’m here to teach and coach, and that’s what I love to do.”
Conversely, Shapiro graduated from FIU with a political science degree. Although Shapiro has been coaching for a longer time than Hay, they both kicked off their careers in teaching before moving into coaching. He spent more than a decade as a head coach and also served as an athletic director, but he still coaches at a private school. Interestingly, Shapiro and Hay were once rival coaches, with Hay at Miramar High and Shapiro at Everglades High.
And, Hay and Shapiro aren’t the only examples of coaches that teach history at SBHS. Mr Ismael Sierra, who teaches U.S. and African American History is also an assitant football coach. He’s had that role for the past two years and his students love him. SBHS Junior, Drake Capell, praises Sierra’s teaching style, describing him as a teacher that focuses on making sure his students understand the material.
“He’s a good teacher that always makes sure things are clear,” he said. “He really respects us”.
SBHS junior Jeremiah Jadotte couldn’t agree more. He’s also a student of Sierra.
“You know how some teachers will just read from a book, he would give real life examples, he would make it relatable to you” said Jadotte.
Not only is Jadotte a student, he’s also the cornerback in South Broward’s varsity football team and Sierra’s nephew. He had a personal connection with Sierra way before coming to SBHS.
“I came to SBHS on my own but I’d play football with Sierra a lot when I was younger,” said Jadotte.
Capell makes a straightforward point, what matters most is the teacher’s ability to teach effectively, not whether they’re coaching on the side. As long as they’re qualified and dedicated, students like Capell believe they can do well in both roles without compromising anything.
“If they know what they’re doing, why not let them do both?” he said. “If I were in charge of hiring teachers, I’d give them a test or something to see where they’re at, but it doesn’t matter if they’re a coach or a regular teacher”.
