LeRoy Hayes is literally MR. APHS!!! He attended both Bangs Avenue and Bond Street Grammar Schools and then enrolled in Asbury Park High School, where he starred in football, basketball and track. He accepted a track and football scholarship to Maryland State College and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, graduating in 1973. He immediately started teaching Phys. Ed. and Health at APHS, continuing until 2006 when he transferred to the Bradley School. He returned back to the High School in 2012, where he remains as the In-school Suspension Teacher to this date. He has taught in Asbury Park schools for 42 straight years!!

Mr. Hayes served as an assistant football coach for 26 years and in 1982 became the first black head football coach in Asbury Park history, and second black head coach in the Shore Conference. His 1984 team was undefeated...only the second time in school history. For that, he was named by the Asbury Park Press as the “Coach of the Year”. Many of his players went on to play collegiate football at colleges including the University of Miami, South Carolina, Rutgers, Delaware State, North Carolina A&T, Norfolk State, Hampton University, Montclair State, Kean, Hobart and Hamilton Colleges. Coach Hayes was appointed Head Coach of the Monmouth County squad in the 1984 Monmouth-Ocean County All-star game. His team won 15-13.

From 1973 through 1976 Coach Hayes was Assistant Girls’ Track Coach at APHS. From 1977 through the present he has been the Girls’ Head Coach for 41 years!! His teams have won 2 Monmouth County Championships, one Shore Conference Championship, 12 Sectional crowns and 4 State Championships! He has coached many individual State Champions too numerous to name. In 1987 Coach Hayes was named Star Ledger Coach of the Year and in 1988 the Asbury Park Press Coach of the Year. He is also one of the founders of the Frank Budd Invitational Track Meet.

LeRoy is a member St. Stephen’s A.M.E. Zion Church and is married to Helen Marie Brown. They have four children, Jerry, LaRoya, Tyhesha and Frances; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

LeRoy’s quote is "The only place SUCCESS comes before WORK is in the dictionary."