Monroe hires new football coach amid former coach retiring

Jan. 24 Dave Mifsud accepted the head varsity football coaching position at Monroe High School, after being offered the position just one day prior. 

Coach Mifsud has a long coaching history with a large number of wins. Most recently he was the head coach at Genoa High School in Ohio for a year. He spent 16 years at Dearborn High School, where he was the highest winning coach in their history. Previously, he had spent eight years at Parma Western High School. Within his 25 years of coaching, Coach Misfud has been named regional coach of the year five times; 2001, 2004, 2006, 2010, and 2018. Coach Misfuds’ programs have amassed 156 wins and also qualified for playoffs on 17 different occasions. 

Athletic Director at Monroe, Dr. John Ray, said that he is definitely excited for what this coach can do not only for the program, but also for the kids that will play for him. 

“I hope he brings stability to the program, which will attract players who want to play but haven’t in past years,” Ray said. Misufds’ dedication and competitiveness are something that he said attracted Ray to him. “I’m hoping he can re-energize the kids who play for him. He has had nothing but fantastic programs. He deserved nothing but the best effort from our players.”

Players also seem to be pretty happy with this decision. Sophomore Breylon Richards played with Coach Notario for the first two years of his high school career. He expresses that he is looking for a change and hoping that this coach will bring it. 

“I’m hoping that Misfud can switch things up a little bit. I am expecting him to be able to put all the pieces together so that the team will be able to truly compete against the tougher teams like Bedford, Saline, and Riverview,” Richards said. “I’d also really like to make a solid run in the playoffs this year. Considering this coach’s past programs and experience, I think that we can do it.”

Misfud said he hasn’t studied the roster completely yet, but still believes that this team has what it takes. “I understand they have a good group of juniors to be seniors next year,” Misfud said. “They are hungry, capable, and talented.” 

The community also was a huge factor in his decision, he said. 

“There are a lot of great guys in the community who want to see these kids do well,” he said. “That was a big part of the attractiveness of the job. I want to be very thorough. I want to find the right pieces of the puzzle.”