Kooi resigns as Lockport coach

Updated: April 11, 2011 3:14PM

For the second time in the past 51 years, Lockport will be looking for a new football coach.

That's because Bret Kooi has announced that he is stepping down as Porters head coach after 17 seasons.

Kooi, 47, plans to stay at the school where he is currently a physical education teacher. He coached the Porters to back-to-back Class 8A state titles in 2002-03 and his career record at Lockport was 106-68.

"I just know it's time," Kooi said. "I felt it was time to step away."

His son, Garrett, is a senior at Lockport. Garrett played on the football team and is currently a pitcher on the Porters baseball team. But that wasn't a deciding factor in the decision.

"No, the fact that my son is graduating has nothing to do with it," Kooi said. "It's just time."

In the fall of 1994 Kooi took over for Bill Zimmer, who had a 164-143 record in 34 years as Porters coach. By fall of 1997, Lockport registered a then-school record ninth win with a last-second 31-27 victory over defending Class 6A state champion Wheaton Warrenville South in the first round of the playoffs.

That was the first of 10 playoff appearances for the Porters, the highlight of which was the back-to-back state championships and a 34-4 overall record from 2002-04.

Before Kooi came to Lockport, the Porters had three playoff appearances and one win. Under him they were 13-8 in the postseason.

Even though he is stepping away now, Kooi believes he will coach again at some point in the future.

"Do I think my coaching days are done? Absolutely not," he said. "But I don't know what I'll be doing in the near future."

Kooi was an assistant coach on the first Providence state championship football team in 1987. He began his head coaching career at Joliet West and coached the Tigers for three seasons, going 11-16 from 1989-91. His overall career record is 117-84.

He is a 1981 graduate of T.F. South High School. As quarterback, he led the Rebels to a 7-2 record during his senior season of 1980. Included in that was a 24-21 upset victory over arch rival T.F. North, which was quarterbacked by future NFL player and Chicago Bears QB Mike Tomczak.

Kooi went on to attend Millikin University in Decatur, where he was a two-year captain on the wrestling team and team MVP in 1983. He graduated from Millikin in 1985 and was inducted in the schools Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

His brother, Bert Kooi, is the head football coach at Minooka.

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.