Football

Greenhill School chooses new head coach with a storied football legacy

After conducting a national search which included both assistant and head coaches from the high school and college level, Greenhill School has named Jeff Hollway its new head football coach.  
 
Coach Hollway joined the Greenhill staff in 2005, serving as head boys’ lacrosse coach, assistant football coach and physical education instructor.  In 2009, he was named the Texas High School Lacrosse League Coach of the Year.  
 
“I’m very excited at having Jeff as Greenhill’s head football coach.  He has great knowledge of the game and is a wonderful role model for our students.  Most importantly, our returning players are extremely excited and looking forward to a fresh start for our program,” said Head of School Scott Griggs.  
 
A 2003 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, where he was a four-year letter winner in football and three-year letter winner in lacrosse, Coach Hollway was named to the NCAA Division III All American team in football for two years and earned All North Coast Athletic Conference recognition for three years in football and once in lacrosse.  He also served as team captain in football his senior year.
 
“Jeff has already proven to be knowledgeable in the mechanics and fundamentals, savvy in the strategy and philosophy, popular in relationships with players and coaches…yet all the while capable of keeping athletics within the context of the overall Greenhill School education and experience,” said Earl Dorber, Head of Athletics and Physical Education.  
 
Coach Hollway comes from a long line of football coaches in his family.  His great grandfather, Lou, became Ann Arbor, Michigan’s first Athletic Director in 1922.  His grandfather, Bob, coached at both the collegiate and professional levels, including serving as head coach of the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals.  Coach Hollway’s father, Mike, has been the head football coach at Ohio Wesleyan for the past 23 years and holds the record for most wins in school history.
 
Coach Hollway views his role as football coach as a dual one. "My first objective is to win: guide the team and give the players the opportunity to be successful. But we also have a responsibility to each individual that goes beyond the football field," he said. "Our greatest measure of success is the outcome of the quality of life -- both personal and professional -- our players enjoy after they leave us."
 
To Greenhill’s football program Coach Hollway brings a simplified offensive system.  He says it is designed to maximize both the running and passing game while optimizing flexibility.  Crucial to this approach is understanding the opponent’s defense and determining what offensive plays will have the greatest advantage.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, he plans to implement an aggressive strategy emphasizing turnover production and scoring.  To do that, his players will need to be smart, able to recognize their opponents’ offensive tendencies and react quickly to formations. “The more prepared and familiar we are with our opponents, the more effective our defense will be on game day,” Coach Hollway explained.
 
As important as his game plans are, he believes his relationship with Greenhill athletes over the last few year’s will ease the transition into next season.  “Greenhill football players know me, they know my expectations. We don’t have to start over, we can build from where we have been, and be proud of our future,” he says.