SAC Commissioner Leads Young Men to Victory by Tackling Intolerance

Fifteen years ago, John Zowitoski saw a need and stepped up. Now, as the commissioner of a youth football club in Severn, the 49-year-old is changing the perception of the town by how he leads and teaches young men about life.

Severn is in all of Maryland, Zowitoski said, and with that, come sometimes negative and uninformed misconceptions. 

According to the , the town of roughly 45,000 is home to about 17 percent of Anne Arundel County’s black population and 10 percent of its Latino population.

“We do have this racial divide that sometimes occurs in our community, but not everyone shares those same negative feelings,” Zowitoski said. “We’re here to help build a community, not break it down.”

As commissioner of , Zowitoski is a 15-year veteran of the football league. He started coaching when his children played football for the Severn Seminoles and he’s become the heart and soul behind the various teams ever since. Ranging from 4-year-old linebackers to 13-year-old quarterbacks, Zowitoski knows all 200 of the kids’ names by heart.

With coaching football gives men like Zowitoski an early chance at instilling core values like responsibility, tolerance and leading by example.

“I tell you one thing, kids lack role models,” Zowitoski said. “[The kids] tend to gravitate to superstars on the television but they sometimes aren’t the best role models. I know what it takes to interact with young men. The lessons I teach are more than just about the game of football.”

On an average Saturday, Zowitoski arrives at the football field at around 9 a.m. and stays until almost 10 p.m. until the last tackle has been made. During that time, he not only goes through his checkpoints of responsibilities, he also sits down with kids and asks about their lives. That’s where he feels the true reward for his work.

“You have to build trust with these kids, that way you can give them advice about more than just football.” Zowitoski said. “Getting to hear about growth—to see parents who tell me their kids are working hard in school and go on to be successful in life—it’s the greatest thing in the world.”

Latonja McLendon, a local mother whose two children played for the SAC, said the community is unlike any other in the county.

“I have seen families leave and try other associations, then return to SAC simply for the family atmosphere,” she said.

The young men of the SAC compete against various teams from throughout the county and that’s where the true benefit of character building comes to life, Zowitoski said.

“John is a very caring person who knows each and every player on all the teams,” McLendon said. “When issues arise, he is always available to discuss and settle disputes as quickly as possible.”

Due to its racially diverse pool of families, community is key to the success.

“My kids are shocked sometimes as to how diversity isn’t embraced as it is here in Severn,” Zowitoski said. “We are all flesh and bone, when we cut our fingers, we all bleed red. I always tell the boys that we measure them by the quality of their deeds and not the color of their skin.”

“Being that I am biracial, I have had the chance to see how others' views can impose great disparity among an association,” McLendon said. “Here in Anne Arundel County, racism is still very rampant and luckily our children do not react to it but simply play football.”  

When the mosaic of ethnicities come together to support the SAC on Thursdays, Saturdays or Sundays, that’s when Zowitoski is proudest. 

“People come from all around the county with misconceptions because rumors aren’t always the best, but they walk away knowing this is a real community with real people and a real sense of family,” Zowitoski said.

“It helps us break down some walls in places where the walls are still up.”