St. Pius head football coach, George B. Maloof who has led his team to taking top grid honors, took time out this week-end to chat with The Bulletin. Time out from the pressing queries of students of St. Pius, the whirlwind of activity stirred by his victories, and an ailing son.

His son, Kevin, 9, is in DeKalb General Hospital suffering broken legs following an accident in which a car rolled over the boy. Luckily, Kevin will be all right his father said.

“We are all very grateful that Kevin will be okay,” Coach Maloof said.

The remark and thought about his son came while many men in Maloof’s position would be thinking about his work. Because when he made the remark, his team was on the way to taking top grid honors in Georgia.

But Coach Maloof is that kind of man. Although his interest in his work as head football coach at St. Pius is great, he still finds plenty of time for the other important matters in his life.

The 35-year-old coach and Air Force veteran lives with his wife, Edna Joseph, and their children Kevin, Karen, 8, Kathy, 7, and Keith, 3, in Chamblee.

Maloof is a fast talker, his hands gesturing slightly to accompany his points. When he says something you get the idea that he knows what he’s talking about.

Right now, Maloof is at a peak in his coaching and teaching career. Yet, he talks about it modestly and with respect to those who have helped him along the way.

“For what little I’ve accomplished I can’t take much credit,” he said. “There have been so many fine people who have helped me.” The road to success for Maloof has been a long one. It got a real start back in June of 1949 when he graduated from Marist. He was named the most valuable player at the high school and most valuable athlete.

It was in this time that he was also named the first Georgia high school player to make All-American. The Touchdown Club here voted him the most valuable lineman also.

Following his graduation by Marist, he began school at Georgia Tech where he played fullback on the varsity for three years.

“I guess my greatest thrill was the day I scored four touchdowns against the University of Georgia while playing for Tech,” he said.

At the close of 1951, Tech was chosen to play in the Orange Bowl and on Jan. 1, 1952 Maloof had the privilege of playing on the team that beat a great Baylor University team by a score of 17-14.

Maloof graduated in Industrial Management at Tech and then went into the Air Force for two years as a second lieutenant.

The coach, recognized in Georgia as one of the finest gives a lot of credit for his success to his wife, Edna. He met her at a Cedar Club function. They dated three years before being married.

“We’ll be celebrating our tenth anniversary this coming Thanksgiving Day,” he said, “I wouldn’t have done this if it hadn’t of been for Edna.” He said, “She has been a great aid and inspiration during my coaching career.”

Smiling, he said, “It takes a pretty good person to meet you with a smile when you get home late for supper after a long afternoon out on the field.”

The family attends Holy Cross Parish and the children go to Our Lady of the Assumption School.

Maloof has been associated during his life with the same kind of champion he is. At Georgia Tech, he played alongside Ray Bek, Lamar Wheat, George Morris and Leon Hardeman, all All-Americans. Maloof himself was given an honorable mention by the Southeastern Conference during his playing days at Tech.

He has been coach at St. Pius since the school opened in 1958. Before that he was assistant coach at Smith High School for a year and assistant coach to the late Boots Payne at Marist, his alma mater. He served Marist two years before joining Pius.

Maloof is proud of his record at St. Pius. The varsity has run up a record of 57 wins, 13 losses and six ties. There are few teams in the state with such a tally.

The coach singled out the men he felt that have inspired him most. They are Boots Payne, Shorty Doyle, and Bobby Dodd.

On what athletics can mean to a young person today Maloof said, “America is a country of competition. Athletics on a proper level can give the greatest aid to a young person possible.”

He said, “You’ve got to work for anything that’s really worth something to you. A young person learns this in athletics. They learn to pay the price. When you work for something you appreciate it.”

“Athletics can have an immeasurable impact on a person’s life. If he learns to work and pay the price on the field, he’ll take that lesson into life with him.” About his prize winning football team he said, “This team has gotten as far as it has on excellent leadership, maturity and the backing of the student body and cheerleaders and the cooperation of Father Cotter, the faculty and the hard, hard work of the greatest assistant coach in the state of Georgia.”