A Virginia High School League Hall of Fame coach is proving that you really can go home again.
Rich Serbay is returning to the sidelines at James Monroe High School as a volunteer assistant coach for the Yellow Jackets’ football team. The move comes just over five years after he was fired from his position as JM’s head coach following 35 seasons at the helm.
Serbay is serving as an assistant offensive line coach, as well as a consultant and a sounding board for Jackets head coach George Coghill. He served in a similar role at Stafford High School over the past three years.
Coghill said he and Serbay stayed in touch, and talk of a potential return was a regular part of that dialogue.
“Since we play Stafford every year, I’d get to see [Serbay] there, and we’d also see each other at 7-on-7 tournaments during the offseason,” Coghill said. “I knew he wanted to come back, and I wanted him back. We also knew we wanted to coach together. So, I felt like it was the right time to do it.”
Like Coghill, JM athletic director Kenton Griffin played and coached for Serbay, so the return was something he fully supported.
“Having Coach Serbay come back and be a part of the program was something that we felt was needed,” Griffin said. “He’s given half his life to JM football and the city of Fredericksburg, so it was only right for him to come back and be a valuable source of knowledge for Coach Coghill and his staff.”
And it’s not just Serbay. The Yellow Jackets are also welcoming back on their staff familiar faces in offensive coordinator Eddie Haynes and offensive line coach George Majors. Both coached with Serbay during his dynastic tenure.
Serbay was hired as the Jackets head coach in 1985. Over the next 35 seasons, he won 266 games and led JM to four state championships (1986, 1987, 1996 and 2008). He also guided the Jackets to three straight state title game appearances from 2011-13.
Serbay ranks 17th on the VHSL’s all-time wins list, and he was inducted into the league’s hall of fame in 2014.
“I’m thrilled to be back and this will be the last stop in my career,” said Serbay, 75. “George is an outstanding young coach and he’s been good to me as a player, assistant coach and a friend.”
The current players on James Monroe’s roster had little-to no knowledge about Serbay before he arrived during preseason workouts. But the legendary coach quickly earned their respect.
“I can see why people talk highly about him,” senior receiver/defensive back Jaylin Morgan said.
Serbay said he isn’t sure how long this will last. He’s battled various health issues over the years, undergoing multiple knee replacements and back surgery. And he’s currently dealing with macular degeneration in his right eye.
“I’m working very hard to get better,” he said. “But you never know how long this train is going to run. So, we’ll see where it goes, and I’ll do everything I can to help the program and to make George an even better coach.”
Regardless of any future uncertainty, Coghill is just happy that Serbay has come home.
“He belongs in orange and black,” he said. “That’s the only rightful way to end his career.”
Managing Editor Joey LoMonaco contributed to this story.
