For more than 50 years, every time Loyola College Prep has named a new football coach, it has been someone who has previously served on the staff. So it is no surprise that when the Flyers begin the 2024 football season, there will be a new -- but familiar -- face as head coach
John Sella, who has been an assistant coach of the Flyers for eight years, will be taking over for Mike Greene, who will continue to serve as the school’s Vice Principal of Discipline.
“I am honored to become the next head coach at a school that has such an outstanding legacy of great leaders,” Sella said. “Being able to serve under Coach Greene for the last three years has certainly prepared me for the challenge. I couldn’t have asked for a better example to learn from.
This was Greene’s second stint as head coach at Loyola. He originally was head coach from 1993-97 and led the Flyers to the state finals in 1994. After coaching at three other local schools, he returned to Loyola as assistant principal in the 2018-19 school year.
Greene became head coach again in 2021 and took the Flyers to playoff berths in all three seasons. He has a record of 48-41 in eight seasons at Loyola and is No. 5 on the list of winningest coaches in Caddo-Bossier history.
“I wanted to leave the program in good shape for Coach Sella so it could continue to grow under his leadership,” said Greene. “He has prepared himself well and I know it will be in great hands.”
Sella, 37, has spent 13 years as an assistant coach and the last eight at Loyola. He was offensive coordinator for the Flyers from 2019-22 and was assistant head coach in 2023.
A 2004 Captain Shreve graduate, Sella also coached for the Gators from 2011 to 2015 before coming to Loyola in 2016.
“The transition from Mike to John is really going to be a benefit everyone involved in our program,” Loyola principal John LeBlanc said. “Mike was the perfect person to have in charge as John prepared to take over. The timing on this couldn’t be better and that’s a testimony to these two outstanding leaders.”
Having a Flyer assistant take over as head coach is certainly nothing new. The last 14 coaching changes at the school have involved promoting an assistant coach or a former head coach.
Sella becomes the 21st head coach in the school’s history. He also has head coaching experience with the school’s lacrosse team.
Sella is married to Emmye Allen Sella who is the Junior Counselor at Captain Shreve. Together they have two boys Beau (3) and Cooper (1).