‘A legacy of love': Longtime Lawrence volleyball coach Tony Hajjar remembered as inspiration to many
We have heavy hearts in Methuen, The Valley, and beyond today with the passing of long time Lawrence coach and referee Tony Hajjar. Make no mistake about it the volleyball world in the MVC and Massachusetts lost a Titan today.
— Rangers Volleyball (@RangersVBall)
In 2018, Valdez and current Lawrence coach Hector Sanchez were in their first years at the helm, and they met in the North sectional championship. It was a special moment for each, who said they would not have been coaches if not for Hajjar.
Advertisement
'What I saw, the way that he was with all his athletes . . . That inspired me to be a coach,' Sanchez said. 'I wanted to be not even half of a person and a coach that he was. That's what I wanted to be. I knew I had big shoes to fill when I took over. Seeing him be happy I took over, it was a dream.'
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Two disciples of longtime Lawrence coach Tony Hajjar, Hector Sanchez (left) and Edgar Valdez (right) faced off in the 2019 North sectional with their mentor looking on.
Courtesy
Hajjar is from Côte D'Ivoire, and started working at George's Bakery in Lawrence when he moved as a kid.
Around when he took over the high school program, he started the Nor'east Volleyball Club, now called the EliteZ Club and run by his son, TJ.
'He's self-made,' said Dan Young, Andover's girls' volleyball coach, who coached with Hajjar at the club and during the 2005 championship season. 'Tony is an American success story in a lot of ways, but it has all to do with who Tony was as a person. Good fortune continued to find Tony and his family and it's a direct relationship with how he treated people.'
Advertisement
Tony Hajjar impacted hundreds of Lawrence volleyball players during his 18 years as head coach.
Courtesy Dan Young
Young found over the past few days just how many people had a similar relationship with Hajjar.
'I can't say enough about his entire family,' Young said. 'When you get in with Tony, you get in with Tony 100 percent. It's immediate fatherly love. It's unconditional. He's there for you night and day.'
Hajjar was known for keeping kids out of trouble, giving them something to do after school, and becoming a long-term part of their lives.
'He just gave us hope for a better life, not just what we saw in the city,' Sanchez said. 'That trust that he put into us to become better men. He wanted to create a family of volleyball players and students. A legacy of love. We can do better. He wanted us to be better.
'That's what he teaches us in the game and in life. Kids who come from a low income city, there's more for us.'
Tony Hajjar was knock for making the game fun during his two-plus decades coaching volleyball at Lawrence High.
Courtesy Dan Young
AJ Traub can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Kenya's Amon Kemboi, Ethiopia's Melknat Wudu Sharew win Falmouth Road Race titles
On the women's side, Melknat Wudu Sharew of Ethiopia bested the field with a winning time of 36:03, just ahead of American Emma Grace Hurley, who finished as the runner-up in 36:04, a 21-second improvement from her fourth-place run one year ago. Advertisement Hurley held a one-second edge at the 5k mark, and the pair was neck and neck at 10k before Sharew turned on the jets in the final moments to win by one second. Edna Kiplagat of Kenya, the 2021 Falmouth champion and a two-time Boston Marathon champion (2017, 2021), finished fourth in 36:35. Zouhair Talbi was the top American on the men's side, finishing fifth in 32 minutes flat. The winners in the men's and women's elite fields each received $10,000 of the total $94,000 purse, while the top American finishers each received an additional $3,000. More than 11,000 runners participated in the race. Emma Healy can be reached at
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Colby Thomas crushes two-run homer to give Athletics early lead vs. Angels
Colby Thomas' two-run home run in the first inning gave the Athletics the early lead against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday at Sutter Health Park. Colby Thomas crushes two-run homer to give Athletics early lead vs. Angels originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Dennis Schröder praised Nikola Jokić for prioritizing family amid his greatness
To a hyper-competitive American audience, Nikola Jokić appearing not to prioritize his status as the best basketball player in the world can be jarring at worst and amusing at best. We don't often see professional athletes like the Denver Nuggets superstar center, who, despite his dominance, isn't necessarily placing his basketball greatness on a pedestal the way you might expect. Just like Scottie Scheffler and golf, Jokić has a much healthier relationship with the athletic talent that made him world famous. As Jokić tries to lead his native Serbia to its first men's EuroBasket title in nearly a quarter-century, this dynamic seems to be refreshing to some of his peers. Namely, Germany's (and the Sacramento Kings') Dennis Schröder. Before Germany took on Serbia in a EuroBasket exhibition on Saturday, Schröder beamed with respect for Jokić. He marveled at how "the best player in the world" wants to be remembered for being a father first, and everything else second. Perhaps that's what makes Jokić so special in the first place: More from BasketNews: "I find it fascinating that basketball really only comes second or third in his [Jokić's] life," Schroder said. He enjoys spending time with his family and his horses. He lives for the things that matter to him. He says he doesn't want to be remembered in the books for basketball, but for how good he is as a father. But as a player, he's the best in the world." It doesn't get any more real than that. While we sometimes laugh about how Jokić does (or doesn't) seemingly care about his job, it's worth remembering that those are only appearances from the surface. And even if basketball might be a secondary or tertiary focus to him, we should probably commend him for having his priorities in order, even with all of his fame and success. Above all, Jokić seems to have a really good head on his shoulders.
