Park Vista hires former NFL Pro Bowler as coach

After one pandemic-shortened season at Coral Springs, former NFL Pro Bowl fullback Leonard Weaver is taking over a new program.

Park Vista has hired Weaver to be the school’s new football coach, athletic director Pam Romero said. Weaver takes over the program after long-time coach Brian Dodds stepped down in March.

“I get to work with some kids; I love the support system there,” Weaver said. “I really enjoyed meeting with them and speaking with them. I love the vision that they have and really about creating an environment for the entire player, not just the football player, academically as well as athletically.” Weaver heads to the Lake Worth school after going 3-3 in his one season with Coral Springs. The Colts earned a spot in the Class 8A Tri-County playoff Silver bracket, where they lost to Boca Raton. Coral Springs won a postseason consolation game against Flanagan after losing in the Tri-County tournament.

“I first learned that the biggest thing for me is the connection with the kids,” Weaver said. “I had a really deep bond with the kids, so it was really great to get to know them outside of football and more personally. That’s my style. I think the bigger thing is knowing how to coach, knowing how to connect with your players on the field, teaching them, being a better teacher and then being a coach of coaches. Those are all things that I’ve definitely learned as a head coach on how to better myself, personally, and the players as well.”

Last season was Weaver’s first as a head coach after spending three years as an assistant coach at Boca Raton and two years as an assistant coach at Monarch.

Before coaching, Weaver attended Satellite High in Satellite Beach and played linebacker and tight end at Carson-Newman College. He spent six seasons in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles and made the 2010 Pro Bowl.

Weaver has large shoes to fill at Park Vista. He takes over a program that went 3-2 last season, earning a spot in the Class 8A Gold bracket before having to forfeit its spot due to COVID-19.

Weaver is only the third coach in the school’s 17-year history. Dodds went 107-47 over 15 seasons and made the state playoffs nine times. He was the 2016 Sun Sentinel Palm Beach large schools coach of the year and is the only threetime recipient of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission’s Sam Budnyk Coach of the Year award (2007 and 2016 at Park Vista; 2002 at Boca Raton).

“I don’t think there’s really a way you can replace a coach Dodds,” Weaver said. “He’s been successful for 15 years. I mean, absolutely successful. He ran a successful program. It’s going to be very tough to try to replace and step in those shoes. But I do believe I am the man for the job, and after speaking with him and getting his blessing, I’m very excited about the opportunity.”