“At the end of the game, I just told him [Zac] I loved him and that I was so proud to be his dad and to call him my son.” Coach Mike Coe to Zac after the state championship game on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019. It would be Zac’s final high school game as a player.
Mike and Zac Coe: Madison’s father and son coaching duo
Photography by Emerald Greene Parsons, Gina Rutherford and Cheltsie Holbrook Story by Rick Patrick Staff Writer When young Zac Coe was in the ninth grade at Madison County High School, he decided he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and coach football. “I tried to talk him out of it,” laughs the older Mike Coe, Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Madison County High School (MCHS). Fortunately, Zac seems to have inherited his father’s strong will, which some may call stubbornness, and was not dissuaded. Now, the father and son pair can be seen on the sidelines under the Friday Night Lights of Boot Hill Stadium, although Zac spends much of his time during games observing from the coach’s area of the press box. Mike has helped establish one of the most successful football programs in 44
The Front Porch
North Florida at MCHS, with several state titles, including a run of three straight state championships from 2017-2019. Despite his joking protestations toward Zac, Mike has a great love for coaching and for the young athletes with whom he works. “It’s one of the most rewarding professions you can undertake,” said Mike. “I don’t mean in terms of money, because you’re not going to get rich, but in terms of the positive impact you can have on lives.” That sense of mentorship of young athletes is at the core of Mike’s coaching philosophy, especially when it comes to his team of assistant coaches. “When I sit down to interview a coach to be an assistant, I don’t ask them about Xs and Os,” Mike has said. “I want to know how they are going to help boys become good husbands, good fathers and good men.” During his near 30-year career, Mike has had his share of
ups and downs in terms of coaching young men. He has had numerous players play for major college programs and a handful of players in the National Football League (NFL), such as Chris Thompson, running back for the Washington Redskins and more recently the Jacksonville Jaguars. But, that is not how Mike measures his success. “We don’t talk about the NFL much around here. We really don’t talk about college much,” says Mike. Mike considers those players who come through his program and go on to be upstanding citizens to be as much of a success as any professional athlete. “I can’t tell you the number of truck drivers, mechanics, welders and such who have played for us and have become good husbands and good fathers. That’s what I’m proud of. That’s when you feel like you’ve made a difference.” There are times when a youngster may “fall through the cracks” and
