Coaching Staff
PAT WARD ’93 HEAD COACH 24TH SEASON
MIKE WARD ’06 DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR/ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH 12TH SEASON
TERRANCE BYRD QUARTERBACKS/ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH 4TH SEASON
ANTWON BAILEY ’08 OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH 4TH SEASON
KENNETH BROOKS ’14 JV LINEBACKERS / VARSITY ASSISTANT SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR 1ST SEASON
BRANDON DOW PASS GAME COORDINATOR 1ST SEASON
SHELDON DUNBAR ASSISTANT COACH / WIDE RECEIVERS / FOOTBALL OPERATIONS 3RD SEASON
TONY GALLEMORE DEFENSIVE LINE COACH 4TH SEASON
PAT GILL JV DEFENSIVE BACKS 1ST SEASON
RASHOD GILLESPIE RUNNING BACKS COACH / DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE RECRUITING 21ST SEASON
JAMES HARPER TIGHT ENDS / H BACKS 1ST SEASON
JAMISON HEDGEPETH LINEBACKERS 4TH SEASON
DEONTE HOLDEN OFFENSIVE LINE 4TH SEASON
MALIK JACKSON RUNNING BACKS 1ST SEASON
DAVID TY JOHNSON JV HEAD COACH / SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO HEAD COACH 11TH SEASON
ED LEE ASSISTANT COACH / WIDE RECEIVERS 7TH SEASON
GARRET MILLER DEFENSIVE BACK 4TH SEASON
PHILLIP RIEHL ASSISTANT DEFENSIVE BACKS & SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR 2ND SEASON
MARCELLUS RILEY, JR. SAFETIES COACH 1ST SEASON
PHIL SAVOY ASSISTANT COACH / WIDE RECEIVERS 20TH SEASON
GEORGE SHIPMAN ’75 OFFENSE AND SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIRECTOR 6TH SEASON
DEANGELO TRAYNHAM JV DEFENSIVE LINE 1ST SEASON
PETER WHITE ’09 OFFENSE 9TH SEASON
PAT WARD ’93
HEAD COACH / 24 SEASONS
Coach Ward ’93 enters his fourth year as head coach of the cadet football program. During his inaugural season, he led the cadets to an 11–0 undefeated season, ranking in the top 25 nationally, as well as securing a WCAC Championship. The following season the Cadets compiled a 8-4 record and captured the WCAC Championship again, this was the first back to back championships in football in 46 years. For the past 23 years Ward has provided coaching support for the cadets and has served as assistant director of athletics for the past 12 years. A 1993 graduate of St. John’s, Ward is a member of St. John’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He comes from a long line of St. John’s graduates, including his grandfather, Robert Cady ’37; uncle, Mike Cady ’69; cousins, Frank Cady ’42 and Ralph Hawkins ’53; and brother Mike Ward ’06, who also coaches for the SJC football program. As a student, Ward anchored a Cadet football team that advanced to the championship game, and was a two-time All-American, two-time All-Met, and two-time All-League player. He was presented with the St. John’s Mush Dubofsky Award, recognizing the player who made the biggest contribution to the football team. Ward went on to enjoy a stellar career at the University of Maryland as a four-year starter, spending one year as a defensive tackle and three years as an offensive guard. The Terps recognized Ward with the prestigious A.V. Williams Award, presented to the football player who demonstrates outstanding sportsmanship. Ward began coaching for St. John’s in 2000 with tremendous success. He’s coached 24 first team all-league linemen, 11 first or second team All-Met linemen, six All-Americans, three NFL players, and was selected as an assistant coach for the 2013 Under Armour All-American Game. In 2012, he established the Ward Line Academy, through which he works with linemen in grades six and higher in a one-on-one setting.
MIKE WARD ’06
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH / DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR / 12 SEASONS
Prior to joining the St. John’s staff in 2012, Coach Ward started every game (48 total) for all four years at the University of Akron as a guard and a center. He was named team captain his senior year and went on to play for both the Orlando Predators and the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League. A two-time first team All-Conference lineman at St. John’s, Coach Ward received the MushDubofsky Award as a senior, was named the Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year for D.C., was selected as a 2006 All-Met player by The Washington Post, and was chosen as team captain. A two-way player, he achieved the remarkable feat of leading the team in tackles from his defensive line position. During Coach Ward’s six years as the varsity defensive line coach from 2013 to 2019, he coached six first team All-Met defensive lineman (Eric Assoua ’15, Terrell Lewis ’16-Los Angeles Rams, Tyree Johnson ’17, Cam Goode ’18, Tremon Morris-Brash ’19, and Mekhail Sherman ’20). Coach Ward has also worked with 14 Division 1 BCS players (Assoua, Lewis, Johnson, Goode, Cam Spence ’17, Kofi Wardlow ’17, Caleb Okechuckwu ’18, Morris-Brash, Sherman, Greg Hudgins ’20, Tre Williams ’20, Taizse Johnson ’21, and Kenjuan Manuel ’21). In his first year as defensive coordinator, during the 2021 spring Covid season, Ward’s defense gave up 65 total points in a five-game span, or an average of 13 PPG. Coach Ward expects this defense to build upon last year’s success with the return of nine of 11 starters.
TERRENCE BYRD
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH / QUATERBACKS / 4 SEASONS
Coach Byrd has more than 20 years of coaching experience, primarily at the youth and high school level. He is also president of the Maryland Heat, a nationally recognized youth organization. His grassroots foundation has produced some of the top football student–athlete prospects in the country over the last decade, including some of St. John’s most recognized Cadets. Coach Byrd spent 20 years with United Health Care, where he was a senior project manager specializing in transition and process change management, earning several sigma certifications. Byrd values family and is the father of five children (Tyler, Tyreik, Madisyn, Morgyn, and Trentyn), who are his pride and joy. Coach Byrd’s connection with and development of players at the grassroots level has been unmatched to include many league and national titles. A few of Coach Byrd’s most distinguished strengths are mentorship, team building, and his ability to build a family atmosphere founded on discipline, hard work, and determination.
ANTWON BAILEY ’08
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH / OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR / 4 SEASONS
Coach Bailey was a two-time team captain, three-time offensive MVP, first team All-Met, and the D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year. He continued his playing career at Syracuse University and was a team captain and first team All-Big East performer. The all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards for a running back at Syracuse University, Bailey ranks 16th on the SU career rushing record list. After graduating from Syracuse, Bailey signed a free agent contract with the Washington Redskins in April 2012 and participated in all of the offseason sessions, the rookie camp, the training camp, and the preseason games. He was later named to the practice squad. In the summer of 2013, Coach Bailey served as a Bill Walsh–intern for the Buffalo Bills and in the same year, began coaching at St. John’s, taking on the roles of offensive coordinator and running back coach. He then spent three years with the program before moving on to to Sidwell Friends and Fairmont Heights in the same capacity.
KENNETH BROOKS ’14
JV LINEBACKERS / VARSITY ASSISTANT SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR / 1 SEASON
A native of Washington, D.C., Kenneth Brooks is entering his first year as SJC’s JV linebacker and varsity assistant special teams coordinator. He is a 2014 graduate of St. John’s College High School, where he was a three-year starter at linebacker and a three-time All-WCAC player. After high school, he attended Salisbury University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business management and athletic coaching, while also being a four-year football athlete and a leader in the Salisbury community. Since graduating college, Coach Brooks has worked with multiple schools and many athletes in the Washington, D.C., area and brings a wealth of knowledge to our young athletes. Since arriving at St. John’s, he brings energy and passion while complementing a talented and knowledgeable staff in our pursuit to help develop, shape, and grow the young men on our team.
SHELDON DUNBAR
ASSISTANT COACH / WIDE RECEIVERS / FOOTBALL OPERATIONS / 3 SEASONS
Coach Dunbar was raised in Washington, D.C., and Prince Georges County. An alumnus of Largo High School and a member of the 1995 Maryland State championship team, Coach Dunbar attended Bethune Cookman College (Fla.), earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education and criminal justice. After a successful playing career for Bethune Cookman Football, Dunbar played for the Daytona Speedy Semi-Pro football team, then started coaching youth football with the PG Stags AAU football team as head coach and director of football operations/vice president of football league, where he won several championships and Coach of Year awards. Coach Dunbar later went on to Parkdale High School in Riverdale, where he was the assistant coach from 2007 to 2011, serving as running back and special teams coach, and from 2013 to 2015, was an assistant coach at DeMatha Catholic High School.
JAMES HARPER
TIGHT ENDS / H BACKS / 1 SEASON
James Harper joins the Cadets for his first season coaching the H-back and tight ends. He is the co-founder of 1 Percent Services, which specializes in training and mentoring young athletes throughout the metropolitan area. Coach Jay, as he is commonly referred to by student-athletes, is a decorated member of the U.S. Army where he served for seven years in the infantry and two tours in Afghanistan. Growing up in the metropolitan area, he played for the Marshall Heights youth program, after which he continued his career at Gwynn Park High School, and finished at Thomas Stone High School. Coach Jay is the son of HD Woodson and Legendary Coach Robert Crawford and is the nephew of Dave Davis ’90.
JAMISON HEDGEPETH
LINEBACKERS / 4 SEASONS
Coach Hedgepeth begins his fourth season at St. John’s as linebacker coach. Prior to SJC, Hedgepeth coached linebackers at Eastern High School (D.C.) where he coached Mike Terry to All-County first team honors. As a collegiate, Hedgepeth was a four-year letterman for North Carolina A&T and amassed 180 tackles, 22 TFL, and 5 Sacks over 4 starts. A native of Fort Washington, Hedgepeth played under Maryland State Hall of Fame Coach George Earley for three seasons and was an honorable mention All-County player.
BRANDON DOW
PASS GAME COORDINATOR / 1 SEASON
Coach Dow is entering his first season as part of St. John’s football staff, serving as the defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator. Prior to joining the Cadets, Dow was the pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach for Virginia State University. He led his unit with 17 interceptions—second in the conference and 10th in the nation. Dow earned his first Division II All-American at cornerback and was part of the Elizabeth City State coaching staff, where he also coached defensive backs. He has won five DCIAA championships and one DCSAA State title as the defensive coordinator at H.D. Woodson STEM High School in Washington, D.C. During his time at Woodson, Dow produced 16 NCAA Division I defensive players, one Gatorade All-American, and three current NFL players. As a player, he completed his playing career at Winston-Salem State University, where he also received his bachelor’s degree in business finance. He also holds a master’s degree in business administration from Walden University. Coach Dow is the father of two children, Langston Mooney and Niko Dow.
TONY GALLEMORE
DEFENSIVE LINE COACH / 4 SEASONS
Coach Tony Gallemore is entering his fourth season as defensive line coach at St. John’s. Prior to SJC, he coached eight seasons in the WCAC at DeMatha Catholic High School, where he won four WCAC championships and had the opportunity to coach and mentor great young men and football players including Deonte Holden (CFL: Edmonton Oilers) and Chase Young (NFL: Washington Football Team). A native of New Jersey and a graduate of Virginia State University, Gallemore also serves as a school leader for a D.C. public
PAT GILL
JV DEFENSIVE BACKS / 1 SEASON
Patrick Gill is beginning his first year as SJC’s defensive back coach for the Cadets. He was born in the Bronx and raised in Greenville, S.C., where he graduated from Southside High School. During his high school career, he played offense and defense as a receiver and defensive back, lettering in the sport. After high school, Coach Gill attended Grambling State University in Louisiana, where he continued his athletic career. After earning his bachelor’s degree in design engineering and technology, he earned his MBA from Averett University (Va.), and an executive certification in cybersecurity from Harvard University. During this time, he met his wife, Celena, and they have four children Nai, Collin, Ryan, and Austin. Coach Gill and his family moved to the Washington, D.C., area where he continued his football career by playing a short stint with the Washington, D.C., arena league (D.C. Armor). Prior to joining St. John’s, he coached for the Fort Washington Cannons, Spirit of Faith Warriors, Charles County Spartans, and the Maryland Heat Staff. Coach Gill wants his players to know he always has their best interests at heart and that his aim is to lead them to be positive contributors to society as men of faith with good character.
MALIK JACKSON
RUNNING BACKS / 1 SEASON
Malik Jackson was born and raised in the Washington, D.C., area. He attended Archbishop Carroll High School, where he was an All-Conference running back and track runner. After his successful high school career, Jackson went on to play Division 1 football at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. The Running Back Lab is owned and operated by Malik Jackson, Jr.
