Gerald Anthony’s life journey
has been a remarkable one
By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communications Specialist
Gerald Anthony grew up in Washington, D. C. — not the postcard version, with its iconic landmarks and pearly domes, but the hardscrabble D.C. with catastrophically high crime rates and housing projects.
“D.C. was wild,” he said. “You could walk outside of my front door and get a contact high from marijuana. The police didn’t even come through there, and when they did, they brought the SWAT team. … When I visit home now, it’s not much better.”
Anthony was the oldest of nine children. His father, a barber, died when Anthony was in the 10th grade. He helped his mother take care of the younger children, kept his grades up and played baseball, basketball and football. The same year his father died, he switched from playing football for his high school to playing for the semi-pro Eastgate Bears, which he kept up until he graduated from high school. “It was fun, but when they found out you were a high school guy, you had a target on you,” said Anthony, who played on the offensive line.
He describes baseball as his first love. In fact, baseball provided his ticket out when he was offered a scholarship to play at Texas College in Tyler. “I had just lost my brother in a stabbing,” said Anthony. “I felt like I should stay. But my mother said, ‘If you don’t leave now, you’ll never leave.” So he went.
For the next four years, Anthony played baseball for Texas College. Primarily a pitcher and catcher, his coaches discovered Anthony was capable of playing all eight positions well, and he batted a .330. But excelling on the field was never enough for him. Among his eight siblings, Anthony was the only one to graduate from college. He did so cum laude (with honors) and then went on to earn a master’s degree in education.
Anthony’s first teaching and coaching job was in Chapel Hill in 1978. Over the years, he has also been an athletic director and a vice principal. He came to Athens from John Tyler High School six years ago. He teaches five science classes (by all accounts, very well), is the head boys basketball coach and the cross country coach for both boys and girls.
Athens High School Principal Jami Ivey calls Anthony’s classroom management style exceptional and notes that he has a talent for reaching all of his students. “When I’m having a tough day, I like to go sit in his classroom and watch him teach and interact with our students,” she said. “He is a great teacher.”
Feb. 3, 2015, was a landmark day in Anthony’s career. He won his 200th game as Athens High School’s head basketball coach. “I didn’t realize it until after we played and someone told me,” he said. “I never thought I’d get a chance to win that many games. You have to be at a good place, where you’ve got good kids and support. That’s why I’ve stayed here. I’m glad I won my 200th game here.”
The team went on to win the bi-district championship this season, and that was after losing four starters and his top four subs to graduation last year. “Our game is pressure — in-your-face defense, running the floor and attacking the basketball at both ends.”
While he brings pressure to the court, he rarely has the appearance of being under it himself. Anthony’s style of coaching is calm. He doesn’t yell; he doesn’t curse. “I treat my kids like they’re mine. I’ve been a counselor. I’ve been dad. I tell them, ‘If I’ve got it, you can get it.’”
“Coach Anthony is an excellent role model, not only for our students and student athletes, but also for young educators,” said AISD Athletic Director Paul Essary. “He is the ultimate team player.”
Anthony and his wife, Beverly, who teaches business at John Tyler High School, have two grown children: Gerron, who plays football on the offensive line for Emporia State University in Kansas, and Kesila, a nurse in Flint, Texas.
Just as he wants the best for his own children, so he does for his school kids. “I talk to them every day about taking care of business,” said Anthony. “I tell them athletics is fun, but then I give them the statistics of how many kids get to play pro ball … and tell them, ‘You’ve got to take care of your books. Meet your responsibilities and keep your nose clean. If you don’t have the grades, none of this is going to matter. Dreams are great, but you have to have a foundation to build on.’”