CElEbRAtiNG LEGAciES - St. Pius X Catholic High School

In addition to his coaching, Maloof was an outstanding educator as evidenced by being awarded the Papal Medal, Benemerenti (well-merited)
by Pope John Paul II in 1982. It is one of the highest honors conferred by the Catholic Church. The medal was awarded for his achievement in
education, and he was named Man of the Year by the Archdiocese of Atlanta in 1983.
David Buechner, Director of Development, spoke of Maloof’s indelible impact, saying, “Coach Maloof played many roles in his life, and he
played all of them extraordinarily well. To me he was a friend and a father figure. Coach Maloof was a huge character, a man carved out of a
giant mountain that will endure in the hearts and memories of the thousands whom he touched. He was, and will always be, larger than life.”
In Memoriam
~ Words from the homily of Msgr. Richard Lopez for George B. Maloof
It was about eight days before
George went to God, that I
dropped by to visit him. As Coach
Kelly said, “He was George to
the very end!” Reduced so badly
by the cancer, he still had that
indestructible Lebanese habit of
hospitality and humor. I told him
that about 25 years ago Coach
Kelly had come to me and said the
school needed a freshmen soccer
coach. I said to him I did not know how to play soccer, and he said that
did not matter. He is a hard man to say no to…so I got a book, hit the
stadium and made sure there were 11 men on the field. All went well,
I was telling Coach Maloof, until the first game. We arrived at some
place way out in Rockdale County. I had no idea what I was doing, so
I did the only thing I could think of. In front of the wide eyed, stunned
view of the opposing public school team, I had all 11 guys kneel down,
and I sprinkled them with Holy Water. I had in mind I was like one of
my Spanish ancestors blessing the crusaders before they defeated the
Moors at the gates of Granada. Drenched in holy water, with courage
in their hearts and fury in their eyes, my boys stormed out into the
fields of Rockdale county. We lost 11 to zero. On the way home one
of the boys picked up the Holy Water bottle and mused: “perhaps next
time we should drink it.” I told Coach Maloof we lost five games and
won one! But then that original “Golden lion in winter”—the Coach
of Coaches—almost rose up out of his bed, grabbed my hand and said
with that unforgettable voice: “Father it doesn’t matter if they lost. Did
they play their best? That is what matters.” I confess I felt a thrill pass
through my bones, remembering what he had said to so many generations
of his boys: “Do the best with your God given ability and you
will never be a loser.”
The Friday before he died, George’s daughter Kathy called the school
and said that her dad had slipped into a coma. I ran over to the house on
my lunch hour from Pius, praying that he could at least hear me say good
bye and God be with you, even if he could not respond. I went over to
his bed, touched his arm and said “Coach.” The man who was supposed
to be in a coma, woke up, embraced me, kissed me and said: “Father I
love you!” I wanted him to hear the gospel in his final moments, and I
could see he was struggling to maintain consciousness. I read today’s
gospel, when Thomas says to Jesus: “Lord we do not know where you
are going, and Jesus said to him…” And before I could finish, Coach
Maloof’s final words to me were: “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
The last words I heard him say were the key to his salvation.
Oh my friends in Christ, in a more sane age we used to pray for a
holy death. I have seen a holy death in George Maloof, and I am not
ashamed to say I cried on the way home—tears of joy and pride to be
witness to such an end, that was such a beginning! I thought of those
early Christian martyrs who while being slain by the Romans would
dip their hands in the blood of their wounds and write on the sand of
the area as their final act, “Credo,” I believe! Knowing that faith in
Jesus Christ made them conquerors of death. Cancer may have won a
game over George Maloof, but George and Christ had a winning season
from death into life.
No one could say that George’s life was free from pain, sorrow or
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