Loyola has hired Brant Hall, the Dons' offensive coordinator for the last nine seasons, as its new head football coach.
Hall will succeed Brian Abbott who stepped down in January after 10 years, four Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference titles and six wins over Calvert Hall in the Turkey Bowl.
The Dons starting quarterback from 1995-1997, Hall went on to play at Lehigh, where he started for two years and was a two-time All-Patriot League quarterback.
"Loyola means a lot to me," said Hall, who was named the All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year in 1997. "It's my alma mater and I'm just looking forward to re-establishing the program and earning the respect back that I believe our program deserves."
The Dons won their last A Conference title in 2008 with an 11-0 season capped off by a 35-0 win of Calvert Hall on Thanksgiving Day. But last season they fell to 4-6 overall and 1-4 in the conference, missing out on the first-ever A Conference playoffs.
Athletic director Michael Keeney, who announced Hall's appointment Thursday, said that although the position was never advertised, he had 15 applicants for the job.
"Brant certainly knows Loyola and the way we do things here. He loves the place," Keeney said. "He's been working here since he graduated. We had 15 qualified applicants and we whittled it down and whittled it down and the committee felt that he was the best candidate and we were lucky he was right here in the house to begin with. That was not a criteria. We were charged with going and getting the best coach and it turned out he was right here with us. We're quite excited."
Hall, 31, works in the admissions department at Loyola. He played for legendary coach Joe Brune and returned to Loyola as an assistant coach the second year of Abbott's tenure.
"Leadership is something that I take away from Brian and Coach Brune," Hall said. "Being somebody the kids can follow and believe in and trust is important in building any program. And also just emotion and passion. The love for the game is something that I think you have to get over to your kids and that way they can play with that same emotion and passion. Win, lose or draw, you let your kids know you believe in them and that you're there for them. That makes a world of difference for a kid."
As for any tweaks he willl make in the Dons' game plan, Hall said it's too soon to tell.
"I just got the word about two hours ago," he said when contacted Thursday afternoon, "so it's all still sinking in, but from now on, we're going to be rockin' and rollin.'"
In a statement released by the school, Loyola principal Anthony Day said: "Brant is a true man for others who has proven himself to be well respected by students, players, and faculty alike."