Coach Tahj Valentine ‘18 joined the MBS community last fall, this time not as a student, but as the Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging and a member of the varsity football coaching staff.
As a student, Valentine continued his family legacy and attended MBS while playing for the football team throughout high school career. He continued in the footsteps of his father’s (class of ‘89) and his brother’s (class of ‘13) position as a running back. Valentine graduated from MBS in 2018 and furthered his academic and athletic career at Stonehill College. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2022 and played as a running back for the Stonehill College football team.
In May 2023, Valentine became the head coach of the MBS varsity football team and has already started to motivate the team with his big aspirations.
Since Valentine’s high school football career, the motivation and strategy behind football has changed. When he was a player, the motivation was as simple as getting to play on the field with teammates. Now, the players’ motivation is more dependent on the results of the games. However, the biggest change is the strategy of the game. Back when Valentine was a player, the strategy was size and strength. “In the modern world, football is all about strategy and tactics and less so about who has the bigger guys. If you can out-think the other team, then you can win,” he said.
Coaching the team Valentine once played for, he can take his experience as a player and a coach and contribute unique values to the team such as creating a new and positive culture. Valentine said, “mindset, behavior, and strength” is their philosophy behind having a strong team. He believes that a focused mindset, dedicated behavior on the field and in the classroom, and both physical and mental strength will guide the team towards success. Having once been in their shoes, student-athletes can also “buy into him” more as their coach.
Valentine said that it “feels incredible” to be able to come back and coach for the team he once played for. He continued, saying that it “means the world” to be given the opportunity to return to MBS and share the information he learned while being a student-athlete at MBS and in college. “Being able to come back and help students navigate their journey is phenomenal,” he said.
Valentine wants to build the program more and more every year and has big goals for the long term with the team. This year, Valentine’s goal was to “put some respect on the team’s name.” In the future, Valentine wants to not only further the team’s success through wins but also further the reputation of the team.
Valentine’s biggest piece of advice he would give to his younger self is “remember the vision, trust the process.” He believes that this would have helped the less patient and younger version of himself navigate through not only football but his high school career.
