Ex-Cal Star Jahvid Best Named Head Coach at St. Mary's-Berkeley
Former Cal and NFL running back Jahvid Best was named the head football coach at St. Mary’s High School of Berkeley, which is particularly noteworthy since Best was a record-setting tailback at the Panthers’ archrival, Salesian High school in Richmond, Calif.
“I heard from a few (St. Mary’s) folks who were a little concerned we were hiring a Salesian alum,” St. Mary’s athletic director Casey Filson said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “But given his experience and who Jahvid Best is, those concerns were quickly put to rest. We’re very excited to have Jahvid join the Panther community."
Best expected that response.
“I’ve been hearing it from the other direction,” Best told the Chronicle. “It’s all good. I’m just looking for an opportunity to make my own path to influence young people by passing on the knowledge I gained from football to the next generation. I’m so thankful St. Mary’s has afforded it to me.”
Best was a standout running back for Cal from 2007 through 2009. His best season was his sophomore year in 2008 when he rushed for 1,580 yards and averaged 8.1 yards per carry. He also caught 27 passes for 246 yards that season, when he was a first-team all-conference selection.
He played in only nine games and ran for 867 yards as a junior in 2009, when he missed games because of concussions.
Best was the definition of a big-play offensive weapon.
Here is the most memorable and scariest play of Best's Cal career:
Best turned pro after his junior year and was a first-round pick (30th overall) of the Detroit Lions in the 2010 NFL draft. He played 16 games for Detroit in 2010, including nine starts, and ran for 555 yards and caught 58 passes for 487 yards.
Best started six games in 2011 before he suffered his fourth concussion in three years and never played again.
He was also a standout sprinter, recording a personal best of 10.16 seconds in the 100 meters.
After retiring from the NFL, Best returned to Cal as a student assistant, as seen in this 2014 video
He was later an assistant coach at Salesian for three seasons, ending in 2019.
The Chronicle reported that Filson saw Best on the sideline of St. Mary’s soccer games, where his wife, Rachel Armstrong, coached the girls team. She recently left on maternity leave, having the couple’s first child, daughter Kamiyah, three months ago.
“I was just sitting on the sidelines one day and I didn’t really recognize him,” Filson said, according to the San Jose Mercury News. “I said ‘Hey, how you doing?’ and he introduced himself. A couple days later, his wife came up and said, ‘If there’s ever a head coaching position, he’d be interested.'
“I think the opportunity to run his own program is what attracted him to the position. Jahvid’s made it really clear that his first goal is to get this program up and running.”
Best takes over a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2015, going a combined 18-28 since then.
“I’ll be drawing from all my coaching experience and all my playing experience,” Best said, according to the Mercury News. “I want to pass down the knowledge I have. I feel what made me great as an athlete was my work ethic. … What I want to do with my program is teach the kids how to put the work in and how to be dedicated to the work. I think I’ll be able to pass that on through the whole program, from top to bottom. … I really just want to build my program from the ground up. I’m not too focused on where my coaching career will do. It’s not even about me; it’s just about getting these kids to achieve their goals and their dreams.”
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