Chesapeake's Coaches on Field, Partners in Life

Many people speak fondly of their high school athletic careers, of a time when they shined in the glory of a town that loved to cheer them on. But for most people, high school uniforms and competitions cease once they graduate.

Not for Rob Elliott and Lisa Freburger. For them,  athletics are alive and strong, despite the fact that they are all grown up.

Both Elliott and Freburger graduated from  many years ago. But today, they coach at the school, raise a family together and give back to the community.

“I think it’s awesome,” Freburger said. “I know for me, with the girls, they stand on the same track as I stood when I cheered there. And I think coaching just makes it all the more special, because it is our alma mater.”

While Elliott and Freburger aren’t married, they have been together for 11 years and are raising five children. Three have graduated from Chesapeake, one currently attends the school and another will enter ninth grade this fall.

Freburger has been coaching Chesapeake varsity cheerleading for seven years, while Elliott spent two years coaching junior varsity football before completing his first season as the head varsity football coach in 2011.

“This is the first year that I took over varsity,” Elliott said. “So this past season was the first time we were all on the track together. It’s very good during the wins, and maybe for Lisa, not so good during the losses. I take them kind of hard.”

While the pair graduated together, they never dated during high school. Freburger was a freshman when Elliott was a senior.

“She knew who I was,” Elliott said.

“No he knew who I was, let’s get real,” Freburger added with a laugh. “But he was a senior when I was a freshman so we didn’t really date. But then at Panthers, the youth organization that I started, Rob was a coach there. So, I kind of did daycare there and watched his daughter, so that’s kind of how we got together.”

Along with their work at Chesapeake, they are president and vice president, respectively, of the youth organization Freburger started. Panthers consist of youth football, cheerleading and wrestling. About 90 percent of this kids who participate end up at Chesapeake High School.

“Panthers is a community organization more than most out there,” said Elliott, the vice president of the club’s Board of Directors.

He coached Panthers football for 11 years, but took a break last fall to focus on the high school varsity team.

One of the couple’s proudest accomplishments is bringing Powder Puff football, where girls play and boys cheer, back to Chesapeake.

“I played it my senior year but it was gone. So we brought it back and that was a lot of fun,” Freburger said. “The boys that cheered were the highlight, and the game and the pep rally was all so fun. The kids still talk about it.”

Freburger taught the boys to cheer, while Elliott coached girls in football.

“I gave the girls the option, ‘Do you really want to learn football or do you just want to run plays?’ And they really wanted to learn football,” he said. “The game was very intense we played against Severna Park. The girls were very much into learning football and we ended up beating Severna Park 12-0. It was a good experience for the girls. The girls and the boys both say now that they appreciate what they each do during the game. It was neat the boys appreciated the cheerleaders.”

When they’re not coaching, Elliott is the president of a telecom supply company and Freburger works for him.

“She has a great boss,” Elliott said jokingly. The two work from home, which gives them more flexibility to go back and forth from the school.

When they talk about Chesapeake athletics, Elliott speaks of a football team he wants to improve.

“I played football there and my senior year was one of only two winning seasons the school has ever had,” Elliott said. “So now I’m going back and coaching, and trying to turn around what has been one of the worst programs in the county. Everyone that has ever played football at Chesapeake is sick of hearing about how bad Chesapeake is. So it is a good challenge to come in and try to turn it around.”

In Elliott’s first season as head coach, the team was 5-5, despite going 3-27 in the previous three years.

Freburger, meanwhile, is not only passionate about her cheerleading squad, but all Cougar athletics.

“I just love the whole atmosphere there. I love all the coaches, the kids, [ []—and it is just an awesome place to be,” she said. “I love Chesapeake athletics; it is so rewarding. The kids come here for team meetings, for sleepovers and they are our kids, too. We do a lot to help kids who need it and it really is just awesome.”