Alumnus Andy Bonheyo featured as “Person of the Week” on “World News with Charles Gibson”

Every Friday, “World News with Charles Gibson” features a “Person of the Week,” someone who has made a difference to the world or the country or a community. On October 2, that person was Andy Bonheyo, a 1985 graduate of Gallaudet. Bonheyo’s profile was broadcast on ABC stations across the country.

Bonheyo recently earned national attention when he was selected to attend the National Football League’s summer coaching summit. Each year, the NFL invites 50 of the best high school football coaches in the country-one from each state-to Canton, Ohio for the three-day summit, where they meet current and former NFL coaches, scouts, and players. Bonheyo, who is the athletic director at the Maryland School for the Deaf, Frederick, and coaches football and track and field, was asked to attend representing the state of Maryland.

“Bonheyo has been coaching high school football for more than 20 years with an impressive 169-48 record,” an ABC news release said. “But what sets Bonheyo apart is not just his record, it’s that he’s deaf and so are his players. And that impressive record is not just against other deaf teams but against hearing teams as well.”

One of the ideas that drives Bonheyo, the press release states, is that athletics goes a long way in giving students with disabilities confidence, as well as valuable experience. It’s a lesson not lost on his son, the first deaf football player to receive a football scholarship to a Division I school.