Anthony Merola was an outstanding and very influential coach from the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. He coached several sports including, football, girls basketball, wrestling, and cheerleading. His greatest accomplishments came on the football field. After graduating from Brockport State College, he began his football coaching career as the freshman coach in Mt. Morris in 1956. He held that position for 2 years before moving to the Assistant Varsity coaching position in 1958. In his only year with that title, he helped lead the Blue Devils to a 6-1 record and Co-champions of the Livingston County league. After this season, he moved into the head coaching role, which was a position he held for the next five years. The most memorable season came in 1962 in which the team finished a perfect 7-0 in route to another Livingston County Championship. This season was the only time in school history that our football team finished undefeated. At the end of the 1962 season, he was named Livingston County Football Coach of the Year. The 1961 season was also a successful one where the team finished 5-2 which was good for a 2nd place finish in the league. During his stint as football coach, he coached current Mt. Morris Hall of Famers Bucky Bartolotti, Ron Gervase, Rich Martello, Bob Privitera, and Sam Trippi. All that played for him remember him for his toughness and his ability to motivate the players. He was also a very important person in the sport of wrestling. In 1960, he started the very first wrestling team in Mt. Morris School history. He coached 25 boys in 6 matches that year. The following year in 1961, he entered our school into the Livingston County league for the very first time. These efforts led him to become a member of the Mt. Morris wrestling Hall of Fame that was established in 1985. After his coaching days in Mt. Morris, he coached in Monroe County where he was an Assistant Coach for 20 years and an Assistant Coach for 18 years between Cardinal Mooney and Fairport High Schools. In these roles, his teams won 11 County Titles, 8 Sectional Titles, and 1 City-Catholic championship. In 38 years of high school football, his teams had 32 winning seasons and over 200 victories. He is also a member of the Caledonia Hall of Fame, where he was an outstanding athlete while in high school himself.