The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Coach teaches life lessons through sports
Track and wrestling coach now entering his fourth year
By Dave Merchant, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: August 14, 2008
Anthony Munoz, 34, is entering into his fourth year of teaching at Belleville High School but one thing that becomes very apparent when talking with him is his love of sports and his love to coach sports outside of the classroom.
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He teaches American History to sophomores at BHS and World History to freshmen but he also teaches lessons in life to students outside of the classroom.
Wrestling proved to be the sport in high school that Munoz loved the best and he even earned a state wrestling title championship in Kansas as a senior. He did play football and run track until his senior year when he decided to concentrate on grappling fulltime.
After high school graduation he found his way to Eastern Michigan University where he went to school and wrestled for a few years.
"My parents went to EMU," Munoz said. "My mom grew up in Belleville and was baptized at St. Anthony's. I still live in my grandparent's house and I can remember falling into Belleville Lake when I was five years old."
He said that when he was a freshman in high school he knew he wanted to be a teacher.
"Science was not my favorite subject but oddly enough it was my science teacher that made me want to be a teacher," he said. "I saw how much he loved his job and how much he stayed at school (teaching and coaching) and it made me want to do that for a living."
Munoz hung up the headgear in college after his sophomore year.
"After a couple injuries it turned into more of a job," he said. "It took the fun out of it."
After his schooling was done, he taught for a couple years at a charter school in Detroit before getting a chance to interview and work for Van Buren Schools. He is currently in the masters' program in Ashland, Ohio.
"I love the program I am in (American History and government)," he said. "It is designed around teaching and I am able to do it in the summer."
Munoz said that aside from teaching he loves coaching just as much. He admits he still likes to get on the mat and show the high school grapplers' moves that he and head coach Mike Sherman have learned over the years.
"Wrestling is an intense sport," he said. "You have to practice six times a week and make weight twice a week."
He said the weights are usually pretty set on the team by mid-January.
"Coaches help the kids out and have to show moves and prepare the guys for the post season," he said. "There is also a lot of shuffling (or bumping) that coaches can do in the meets."
Munoz also enjoyed coaching the girls' track team at the high school last year.
"There is not as much to do in track as in wrestling," he said. "You take the fastest time or the farthest throw and that is the person who runs varsity."
He said you do not get a lot of wrestlers who cross over and run track. Next season he would like to be an assistant track coach and would like to still work with the program but isn't quite sure right now where that will be because of retirement from track of longtime coach George Devore.
He tells his girlfriend that as long as he teaches he will always be coaching so it is a love affair with both teaching and coaching that keeps him going.
Munoz is very philosophical about coaching.
"I know my time era has passed," he said. "I just want to give back to the kids. I love wrestling with the guys and the cumulative challenge. I like to find that medium and build across it."
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