In 2012, Jesuit High School had the opportunity to hire a new head coach for the Varsity Football team.  After much debate and deliberation, the Jesuit Athletic Department decided to bring in Coach Marlon Blanton to carry the future of the football team.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Blanton was one of the elite running backs in the state.  At De la Salle, one of the best programs in the country, Coach Blanton received All-Bay Athletic league and All-Bay Area accolades for his success on the football field. After finishing high school, having been a three-year starting running back in the De la Salle program, he accepted a scholarship to play football at St. Mary’s College in Moraga.

In his two years playing football at St. Mary’s College, Coach Blanton rushed for 1400 yards, up until a knee injury took him out of the game.  Although he was done playing football, his strong performance during his time as an athlete translated into a flourishing coaching career.

After graduating from St. Mary’s in 1996, Coach Blanton went on to be an assistant coach at De La Salle for 7 years, while simultaneously acting as the head coach at St. Patrick – St. Vincent High School in Vallejo, coaching the SPSV Bruins to the North Coast Section Division IV title in 2006, and three Bay Shore Athletic League titles in 2004, 2006, and 2007.

Then, Coach Blanton came to Jesuit High School to take up the position of head coach for the football team.  Besides all of his years of experience, Coach’s attitude of learning from everything that happens on the football field, including what the opponents do, along with his philosophy of giving maximum effort every day, shows a promising future for the Jesuit High School football program.  Everything he does with the team, Blanton says, is “getting [the team] better for the start of league.”

Although the loss against De La Salle might seem discouraging to some, Coach Blanton takes it more as an opportunity to learn from the experience.  Since De La Salle is the fifth ranked team in the nation, it is important for the players to learn from their opponents.  He says that Jesuit will, “have to get better if we want to compete with superior competition.”

With the season now in full swing, Coach Blanton is eager to have another successful campaign.  With the continued support of the students at Jesuit High School, the team is sure to continue their strong performance under Coach Blanton.  He reminds the Jesuit community to, “Keep supporting us, and we will keep doing the best that we can to represent Jesuit High School.”