A.C. Schiro Memorial Highway: Merryville High School Coach to Sheriff Deputy

Being a high school coach takes commitment and time. People look up to you and will never forget you.

A.C. “Coach” Schiro was born January 21st 1927 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He graduated from Baton Rouge High School and went to college at Louisiana Tech University. He received his masters degree from McNeese State University. He moved to Merryville in 1949 after finishing college and began teaching and coaching at Merryville High School. He retired in 1979 after serving as a teacher, head football coach, and principal.

As a football coach at Merryville High School, Coach Schiro’s team won the district title twice. His team's first district title was in 1954 and the second was in 1963. His teams were also district runner-up four times. Those years were 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960. The Merryville class of 1954 credits their head coach on their class website. He served as head football coach of the Merryville Panthers from 1949 up until the late 1960's. After coaching, he became the principal of Merryville High School until his retirement in 1979.

After retirement from the public school system, Coach Schiro became Deputy Schiro for the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office from 1980 to 1997. Even though he was not from the Beauregard area, he was deeply involved with the community. He lived for a few short years after retiring from the Sheriff's Office. He died on March 27th 2001 at the age of 74.

Shortly after his passing, the Louisiana DOTD dedicated a section of Louisiana Highway 110 in Merryville to A.C. “Coach” Schiro. The section of the road passes in front of Merryville High School and stretches for one mile. For his years of dedication to this small town high school, Senator James David Cain proposed that the highway should be dedicated to him. It was finally passed and on Monday October 29th 2001, a ceremony was conducted to honor Coach Schiro. Officially naming the highway that passes in front of Merryville High School as “A.C. Schiro Memorial Highway”.

"I had a foul shot coming and I made that, also. I heard Coach Schiro let out a triumphant yell, because he spent lots of time with me in my basketball training" - George Edward Dewey Merryville Class of 1954.