The562’s coverage of football in 2024-25 is sponsored by The Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase.
With the numbers Anthony League is putting up this season, he’s certainly placed himself among the best running backs in the CIF-Southern Section. If he continues that same production for the next two months, he may be remembered as one of the best to ever put on a Millikan jersey.
But in reality, he’s just trying to be the best athlete in his own family.
Following in the footsteps of both his parents, and older sister Aniyah, Anthony is continuing the League Family legacy of athletic success.
The Leagues of Extraordinary Athletes
Anthony’s parents were high school sweethearts at Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, where they both ran track. His dad, Will, was also a star running back on the football team while his mom, TaShara, was a standout basketball player.
So it’s no surprise that the athletic power couple saw both their kids earn high-profile athletic scholarships, with Aniyah playing soccer at Michigan and Anthony headed to Cal after this season.
“I didn’t do anything but be a glorified Uber driver,” said Will with a laugh. “They work hard. We’ve helped build a foundation for them and taught them some structure and accountability and let them flourish in their own space. I’m very proud of what I’ve seen my son and my daughter become. They’re simply amazing people, they’re always looking out for others. You can’t ask for anything more when you talk about your kids.”
When asked about his sister, Anthony was quick to point out that Aniyah has been starting since she was a freshman. In fact, the junior defender has already started 44 games for the Wolverines and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection last season.
TaShara also makes sure to remind her son about the jumps records she set at Rancho Verde, before she joined the track & field team at Long Beach State. Growing up in that environment was bound to make Anthony a competitor, and keep him focused on earning a college scholarship.
“It’s great to be in a family that’s seen college and been D1, especially my sister at Michigan. Michigan is one of the top schools in the nation,” said Anthony, brimming with pride. “Looking up to her makes me hungrier to get there, to get to the same spot as my sister. Because I want me and my family to be stress-free.”
As a football player, and specifically as a running back, Anthony was able to take inspiration from his dad’s old highlights. The562.org wasn’t around back then, and neither were YouTube or Instagram, but with a little bit of Gen X technology, Anthony was able to watch Will in his glory days.
“It was on the…VHS, I believe?,” pondered League, making one interviewer feel old for a minute. “I saw him playing. and I was inspired.”
Little League
The first time Anthony League took the football field, it was as an offensive lineman. At age 6 or 7, he spent his entire first season of Pop Warner playing center. He would eventually branch out to playing defensive line, then linebacker, until he finally asked his dad if he could try his old position.
“I was like, ‘Hey Dad, can I play running back?,’” Anthony recalled. “He was like, ‘Yeah, go and try it out in practice.’ Then I started playing it more and more and I started liking it more and more. My goal as a kid was to score a touchdown, because it was like a giant achievement for me. It felt like everybody’s celebrating you.”
League loved scoring touchdowns, but he also hated being such a good youth player. The trouble was, he was too good on both sides of the ball and was asked to play every snap.
“I hated it because I didn’t come off the field when I was younger and I was very tired,” League said with a grin. “Especially as a small kid, you don’t have a lot of energy to go both ways.”
Anthony is certainly not a small kid anymore. Listed at 6-1, 205, he’s got great size to be a physical, bruising runner, but he’s also maintained his quickness and breakaway speed. He’s as likely to juke past a defender as he is to lower his shoulder or deliver a punishing stuff arm.
As his body has developed, League has put in the extra work to stay at the top of his game, even training with former NFL running back Sirr Parker, who was a standout runner at Texas A&M. That work has helped Anthony flourish in his senior season at Millikan.
“He was able to really dial into what needs to be done and how to move that bigger body of his as he’s growing and getting stronger,” Will explained. “Then his mom started getting him to some yoga classes and then he started running track. You know, he played baseball up until his junior year, then he went into track for the first time.”
It’s probably a safe bet that Anthony could have found success in any sport he chose to pursue, but Cal fans should be excited that he’s sticking with football and will be up in Berkeley soon.
The Cal League
When Anthony made his commitment to Cal back in May of this year, he called it a “dream come true.” Nothing has changed since then, and he remains eager to be a Golden Bear. The program is currently having a terrific debut season in the ACC, even hosting ESPN’s College GameDay last weekend for the first time in program history.
But League isn’t influenced by the recent success of the program. He’s got a long-term vision and has his eyes set on the future.
“As a kid, I always wanted to play college football and hopefully make it to the NFL,” Anthony said. “Going to a running back college with guys like Marshawn Lynch, Shane Vereen, all those great backs, and under a great running back coach, Coach AT, and Coach Wilcox, I feel like I’m in a great spot for them to put me there. They set out a plan for me, and I’m ready to go up there so I can make my dreams come true.”
Anthony’s commitment to Cal continues an impressive streak for Millikan sending players to Power 4 programs, something they’ve done for five years running. But his value to this year’s Millikan team goes beyond the talent he brings to the field or the stars beside his name.
League was given the role of team captain in his lone season with the Rams, and Millikan head coach Romeo Pellum says that’s a role League takes very seriously–leading his team in a number of different ways.
“He’s a coach’s dream,” said Pellum. “That’s why us as coaches named him captain. We’ve never done that since I’ve been at Millikan, but I haven’t had a player like him since I’ve been at Millikan. He checks every single box. He shows up early, he works hard, he wins every sprint, he goes hard in the weight room, he leads by example, and he has a 3.9 GPA. You don’t find kids like that.
“Cal’s getting a good one.”
Moore League
League transferred to Millikan after his junior season at Los Alamitos High, and has helped transform the Rams’ offense. Running behind a terrific offensive line, League is averaging an impressive 9.15 yards per carry this season, with 15 touchdowns on the ground and two more as a receiver, racking up 17 scores through just seven games. He’s made sure to show his appreciation for his linemen, and also credits the Millikan coaching staff for helping him put up the best numbers of his career.
As he prepares for the biggest game of Millikan’s season against Long Beach Poly on Friday night, he’s motivated to reach an important milestone that’s eluded him as a high school player. As a junior at Los Al, League finished just five yards shy of a 1,000-yard season. He said he was heartbroken to get so close to that personal goal, but it helped motivate him during track season and spring workouts at Millikan.
He’s currently just 85 yards shy of that milestone, and would love to reach it this week on a big stage.
“I’m trying not to be a big stats guy, but this would be my first year hitting 1,000 yards,” League explained. “When my dad talked to me about playing running back, it motivated me to try to be better than him. I feel like I’m getting closer and closer to him, and each week I get better and better trying to outwork my dad when he was younger.”
Oddly enough, the first touchdown Anthony ever scored was against the Long Beach Poly Pop Warner team. Now a decade later, League and his teammates are looking to hand the Jackrabbits their first Moore League loss since 2009–which also came at DeHaven Stadium.
With his family’s legacy behind him and a bright future ahead, Anthony League continues to pursue his dreams on the football field. And as we’ve all witnessed this season, he is one tough man to stop.
“This Poly game on Friday is probably the biggest game of the year, at least until the playoffs,” said League. “I just want to execute. I want my team to execute. And we’re all gonna dominate the way we can.”
