But the popular Liberty headmaster is less about touchdown passes than hall passes; focused instead on what he calls his top priority.
"Education. My job is to provide the best possible education I can for these students," said Halloran. "And today's educational environment is different than it was when I was in school; it's different than it was five years ago. That's part of the challenge."
And it's a challenge he is happy to meet. Landing the job as Liberty's go-to guy just three years ago, Halloran has earned a reputation as a straight-shooting administrator and focused individual who is able to keep his eye on the ultimate goal: a successful and content student body.
For the nearly 2,500 undergrads on campus, that's good news indeed.
"I have to say, we've got the best kids and teachers here at Liberty," he said. "Every year it is a different game. But one thing that doesn't change that much are the kids. They're basically the same as they were 50 years ago."
But the job of a principal he says, definitely is not.
"A generation ago we didn't have to worry so much about test scores, APIs (Academic Performance Index) or things like the No Child Left Behind program," said Halloran. "Don't get me wrong. I think it's good to have accountability and I believe that education has improved greatly. But it is a different world today."
As a high school located in the heart of downtown Brentwood, Liberty enjoys a unique relationship with the community. Its celebrations and milestones are also viewed by the community as their successes as well.
A quarter century ago there were no Starbucks or stoplights in Brentwood, and how both the town and school will manage to maintain that relationship and small-town sense of community as the area continues to grow, said Halloran, will be interesting.
"There is a lot of pride here," he said. "I can go down to the Brentwood Cafe and all the old guys are there complaining about whatever, or talking about Brentwood when they were kids. Lots of them went to Liberty. Our Homecoming parade is a big part of the community. I would hope that we can maintain our character and our traditions. I would hate to see that go away for any of us. I don't think I could do what I do anywhere else … I hit the jackpot here."
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