Before Brian Fleury ever took over as offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, he was already running a football operation in Maryland that people around him figured would go somewhere.
Back in 1997, Fleury led Seneca Valley to a 13-0 season and a Maryland Class 4A state championship. As a senior, he threw for 2,025 yards and 26 touchdowns, then capped the year by going 11 of 20 for 190 yards and four touchdowns in a 33-13 win over Suitland at Byrd Stadium. Seneca Valley’s title was the school’s ninth, part of a program that now owns a state-record 12 Maryland championships.
Those who watched Fleury in Montgomery County say the signs were there early.
“It was unbelievable,” Quince Orchard head coach John Kelley said. “It was a fun ride.”
Kelley knew Fleury well. He played tight end on that 1997 championship team, caught passes from him, and later stayed close to him through college and beyond. The two also played together and were college roommates at Towson University, and both later served as graduate assistants at the University of Maryland.
Fleury’s path into coaching started in 2003, when he began as an intern and graduate assistant at Maryland. He later had stops at Sacred Heart University and Towson before moving into the NFL.
“I come from a coaching family. I was raised in large part by my stepfather who is a very successful high school coach,” said Fleury.
That stepfather, Terry Changuris, was honored by the DC Touchdown Club this year when he was named to the 2026 Circle of Legends. During his 16 years leading Seneca Valley, Changuris put together a 158-31 record and won seven state championships.
Fleury grew up a Washington Redskins fan, but his career eventually carried him to the league he watched from afar. He worked with the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers before joining Seattle.
People around Seneca Valley still point to the same traits they saw years ago: the way Fleury processed the game, handled pressure and stayed glued to the details. Former Gaithersburg coach Kreg Kephart remembered his knack for reading defenses and checking out of bad plays. Changuris said his quarterback was always around the coaches on Sundays, listening in on meetings.
Changuris has also released a book about the Seneca Valley football dynasty, “The Winning Formula: The Seneca Valley High School Football Program,” written with former Seneca Valley Athletic Director Raymond F. Sacramo.
“We cover the Al Thomas years and when I took over in 1988,” Changuris explained.
Paint Branch head coach Michael Nesmith, another former Seneca Valley player and assistant coach, summed up Fleury’s climb in a Facebook post.
“From Seneca Valley to Maryland, to Towson, to Sacred Heart, back to Towson, to the Bills, to the Browns, to the Dolphins, the 49ers and now the Seahawks as OC...” Nesmith wrote.
“What a journey. Proud of you, B!
Rooting for you! #GoHawks”
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