Around campus, Brian St. Pierre could be considered something of a celebrity. Of course, he would dismiss that notion out of hand.
He enjoyed an All-American Hall of Fame career at Boston College before playing quarterback in the NFL for three different franchises, but Coach St. Pierre has made a name for himself at the Prep as a coach—in spite of a stellar career as a player here. A 2008 St. John’s Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Coach St. Pierre carries himself with a quiet humility, despite his accolades.
It’s this grace that he wants his athletes to develop from the second they first step onto the field. “Ultimately, this is a developmental program,” he says. “The guys are here to learn, to grow, and get better. The sport of football really lends itself to that. The difference in ability between a freshman player and a senior is stark, but there’s a maturation throughout that process.”
With St. Pierre’s return to the Prep in 2014, the football team experienced some rapid maturation itself. The opening of the Leo and Joan Mahoney Wellness Center in 2017 coincided with the program’s rise to perennial powerhouse status as Coach St. Pierre focused on players building strength, resilience, and, most of all, camaraderie with the new facility as home base. Much of his style of coaching is, of course, informed by his own experience as a player. “I knew what I liked and what I didn’t like from my coaches, and, pretty universally, the coaches I enjoyed working with had one thing in common: respect.”
Respect is more than a word for Brian St. Pierre. It’s an ethos that defines successful leadership. “Respect goes both ways,” he says. “I try to take an interest in who my players are off the field just as much as who they are on the field. In return, that respect is shown with hard work on the field.”
Coach St. Pierre has an honesty that is infectious for his players. His philosophy is to meet his players where they are. More than anything, he keeps it “real.” “The drive that the coaches instill in us by setting things up so that if we want it, we can go out and take it—it’s amazing,” says sophomore and starting right tackle Will Figulski. “Honestly, a huge amount of our success comes down to coaching. One of the big things about St. John’s Prep football is that you have to want to be playing December football. Coach Saint sets that tone. But the development aspect with all the coaches we have is incredible.”
“What I tell my team is this,” says St. Pierre. “‘Football isn’t going to be with you your whole life. But what stays is the lessons. You learn teamwork, grit, and resilience.’”
Being among the fewer than one percent of high school players who ultimately reach the NFL, St. Pierre was drafted in the fifth round of the pro draft in 2003. During his career in the NFL, he spent time with four teams, and when it came time to retire, he knew coaching was the next step.
“I tried out radio and TV at first after I stopped playing,” he said, “but it didn’t fill my bucket. I still had that competitive drive to me, and it was important that I nourished it, which is why I took the step to coaching.”
But he didn’t want to coach just anywhere. He knew he wanted to go back to where it all started for him: back at the Prep. “I grew up on the sidelines here. My dad was the team doctor way back when, and that was where I first fell in love with the game. “This place is special. What we do here is special,” he adds.“I came back because I knew this is where I’d make the most impact.”
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