Some of Walt Whitman High School’s most accomplished football alumni returned ahead of the Vikings’ Week 1 matchup against the Kennedy Cavaliers, offering encouragement and sharing their experience as the program begins a new era under head coach Patrick Galloway. Whitman went on to win the season opener, 46-0.
Minutes before kickoff, the former players gathered in the locker room to fire up the team. Leading the group was Ryan Kuehl, a Whitman All-American who earned All-ACC recognition at the University of Virginia before spending 12 years in the NFL, including time with Washington, and becoming a Super Bowl champion.
The visit brought together alumni whose accomplishments span decades of Whitman football, connecting the current roster with players who helped shape the program’s history.
Among those returning were Ed Lee and Mike Manatos, both captains of Whitman’s 1985 team. Lee went on to become a four-year starter at Georgetown and earn defensive MVP honors. Manatos played quarterback for a championship team at Princeton and was the first of four Manatos brothers to serve as Whitman captains, with the family holding captaincy roles in 1985, 1986, 1997 and 1998.
Tom Manatos, a captain of Whitman’s 1997 team who went on to play football at Cornell, also returned. Joining them was Carl Erlich, an All-State selection and captain of Whitman’s first undefeated team in 2003. Erlich later served as a team captain at Harvard, earned All-Ivy honors and played professionally in Spain.
The group also included three members of Whitman’s 1988 team, which finished 9-1 and reached the state quarterfinals: Kuehl, three-sport athlete Andy Eichberg and All-County quarterback Pat Denny. Eichberg competed in football, baseball and basketball, while Denny went on to play college football and coach at the high school level for 10 years.
Their return comes as Galloway takes over the program with a new coaching staff. The Texas native most recently served as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Walter Johnson High School.
Before coaching at Walter Johnson, Galloway spent four seasons on the Gettysburg College staff, overseeing the offensive line and managing the program’s social media presence. His college coaching experience also includes stops at Tiffin University, Ohio Northern University and Albright University. Galloway is a 2016 graduate of Beloit College, where he was a three-year starter on the offensive line.
Information by Mike Manatos, photographer by Dana Manatos
