St. Anne’s-Belfield School made a splashy hire for its football program this spring, tapping one-time UVA and Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller to replace former head coach Joe Sandoe.
Miller, whose career as a Cavalier earned him a first-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2005, was named to the NFL team’s Hall of Honor in 2022. His 11 years with the Steelers included two Pro Bowl selections, two Super Bowl championships, the most regular season games played by a tight end in team history (168), 592 receptions, 6,569 receiving yards, and 45 touchdowns.
“Heath comes from a tremendous football background, and when Joe decided to leave us, we knew we were not going to do a national search for a coach,” STAB Athletic Director Seth Kushkin says. “We wanted to hire someone that has been a part of our community.”
Miller has four children enrolled at STAB, including a rising high-school freshman who intends to play football in the fall. Miller’s coaching experience is limited to working with his oldest son at various levels as he’s grown, so when Kushkin and his team reached out to the former UVA star, the initial conversation was far-reaching. How could Miller best support the Saints football team?
Eventually, all parties settled on a head coaching role—with considerable support from a staff of experienced high-school-level coaches. Topping the list is Associate Head Coach Patrick Blake, son of the Saints’ head football coach immediately prior to Sandoe. John Blake coached the team for a quarter decade, going 175-75 from 1997 to 2022, winning six state titles, and sending three players to the NFL. Also on staff are Joe Hall, a former All-ACC defensive lineman for UVA, Kevin Badke, Joe Reed, Chris Peace, and Jared Passmore.
“Heath has built a tremendous staff around him, and that is really what we are excited about,” Kushkin says, adding via email that Miller “does not want the story to be about him.”
Will Miller’s success as a player translate to success as a head coach? Kushkin says the first step is to define success. Sure, it would be nice for the Saints to reascend to the highest level of Division 2 Virginia football and win more state titles. At the end of Blake’s tenure, the team suffered through some lean years. COVID essentially canceled the team’s 2020-2021 season, and Blake’s final season saw the team at 2-7. In Sandoe’s first year, the Saints won only one game, but a resurgent 6-3 record followed before Sandoe was attracted back to his home in Atlanta for another coaching job.
The other way to define success, according to Kushkin, is by the experiences of STAB’s student-athletes.
“Heath wants to provide the opportunity for young men who play football to learn all of the pieces: the hard work, the leadership, the growth opportunities that come from competing in this game,” Kushkin says. “He loves being a dad and being a part of this community, and he wants to impact and help young men through football in the same way that he was.”