When I got word Tuesday Bridgeport High School football Coach John Cole was stepping down from his head coaching position, I was surprised. After I thought about it for a day, I realized I probably should not have been.

 

John Cole never wanted to be head coach. Seriously. He was comfortable being an assistant coach and just as he proved when taking over the reins of the program in 2017, he was a very good assistant coach.

 

Cole actually was in his third season as head coach if you want to get technical. He spent his first year as the top man on the Tribe sideline as interim coach.

 

It was Cole taking over the summer of the 2017 season when former Coach Josh Nicewarner’s tenure ended. There was not time to do a job posting and hiring in a correct manner with summer practice set to start and the season in the “weeks away” mode.

 

The administration at the time had a decision to make. The decision was to name John Cole the interim coach. The only problem is John Cole had to accept.

 

An outsider would figure anyone who had been an assistant coach for 20 years would jump on it. Those closest to the program, those who knew Cole, knew it was not a slam dunk. And that had nothing to do with his coaching ability.

 

John Cole loved his role as an assistant coach. As it turned out, he loved the BHS football program more.

 

Knowing the program was in a period of flux – and chaos – Cole did something he never did when he had the chance before to even apply for the head job, and he took the interim tag.

 

Again, the decision may seem obvious. Cole did something he was not necessarily wanting to do but did it anyway.

 

Make no mistake, John Cole was the right choice at the right time. In essence, he was the right coach. As he talked about stepping down this week, he admitted it was just that. No one – as a former player, lifelong resident, and a 20-year assistant – knew the program inside and out better than him.

 

“I had no aspiration to ever be the head coach, but we were in a really difficult and quick transition. I wanted to be sure the direction would stay the same from what makes the program special,” said Cole, who laughed and added, “I wanted to make sure this team would still run the football.”

 

The team did run the football. The team also continued its unparalleled run of success.

 

Cole’s four seasons, partially interrupted this year due to COVID-19, concluded with a 43-6 mark. The team went 8-1 this year in the move back to Class AAA where the team proved it could again be competitive at the highest level.

 

His four years also included the 2019 Class AA state championship. It was a state championship few outside Bridgeport felt the Indians had a shot of winning. Yet, the team won 21-14 in an old-fashioned, grind-it-out offensive attack that would have made his old coach and first varsity boss, the late Wayne Jamison, smile.

 

Cole only coached one season with Jamison, and that was when Cole was a member of the BHS freshman football staff. He joined on as an assistant coach for the first time with Bruce Carey in 1997. Carey frequently sang the praises of Cole and called him a perfect assistant.

 

In many ways, some I am probably not aware of, Cole was the perfect assistant. No coach had to worry about John Cole ever going behind their back to a parent, fan, or anyone else and criticize what was being done. Cole respected the game, respected the BHS program, too much to do that.

 

What it boils down to is all John Cole really ever wanted to do was coach, and coach at his alma mater. His assistant job allowed him to coach. While he did plenty of that as head coach, he also became the facilitator, the fundraiser, the problem solver, and so much more.

 

Assistants all do some of those things to a varying degree, but the head coach delegates and is responsible for so much more – like dealing with the pesky media. John Cole would probably tell you he would rather not deal with the media, but he knew as head coach it was his obligation. I do not recall a time in his brief stint as the head man not returning a call, not answering a question or, for that matter, not taking time to meet with the media after games.

 

I can also tell you something else. He treated the media with respect, including some young writers who looked like they could probably suit up and play. Cole treated them with kindness because it is who he is, and it also was what best represented the job he never lobbied for.

 

I will certainly miss Cole. We have talked regularly over the last four years. The conversations are 20 percent high school football and about 80 percent other sports, our personal lives, and often time take a Seinfeld turn in that the conversations generally are about nothing.

 

The good news is that I think I will be able to continue those conversations to some level. John Cole may not be coming back as head coach, but if the new coach wants him as an assistant, he will be back on the sidelines in 2021 – and probably a little longer.

 

“I still love the program so I would not rule anything out,” said Cole about coming back. “I could be an assistant, a volunteer assistant, or whatever is needed if the new coach would want me. If so, how long I stay will just depend on how things go the next couple of years. I do know I still love football, and still love coaching it.

 

“I was an assistant for 20 years, and going back to an assistant is no problem,” he continued. “I think I can still contribute and if it is best for the program and the new coach agrees, then you may see me again.”

 

As the comments show, there was one other thing that set Cole apart from so many others – ego. Rather, the lack thereof. Sure, he wanted to win. He wanted to be successful but saying the game he coached and the team he led was never about him was never lip service.

 

It was John Cole being who he is. He was simply Coach Cole. He is comfortable with that tag whether it has an assistant in front of it or not.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Coach John Cole celebrating a big play from a prior season, while he's shown directing lineman Devin Hill in a Class AA semifinal at Bluefield in 2018 in the second photo. In the third picture, Cole shouts encouragement to his team on the field. Below, Cole is shown doing post-game interviews following a win this year against Morgantown. All photos by Ben Queen Photography.