Coaching surprise
Why Dan Cocannouer decided to take over a downtrodden program
One of Oklahoma’s most respected football coaches lands with one of its most downtrodden programs.
Sitting behind his desk in the small room above the gym floor at Capitol Hill High School, Dan Cocannouer surveys the scene. Walls that are bare except for nail holes. Stacks of paper so numerous he doesn’t know where to begin.
At least all the equipment that was being stored there is finally gone.
He chuckles.
“I wasn’t planning on doing this,” he says.
Cocannouer is a football coach. An excellent one. Has been for nearly four decades. But being the football coach at Capitol Hill wasn’t his intention when he took the athletic director’s job at the school on the south side of Oklahoma City back in the spring.
But on Monday, the day high school football teams all across Oklahoma begin practice, Cocannouer will again be on the field, whistle around his neck, practice plan in his pocket.
Even though this wasn’t his plan -- and even though he is now leading a program that hasn’t had a winning season in 26 years -- he couldn’t be more excited.
“Oh, yeah, I’m ready to go back out on the field,” he said. “I really am.”
So, how did one of the state’s most respected coaches end up coaching one of its most downtrodden teams?
Last year, Cocannouer decided to retire after nine seasons as the head coach at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford. After 30 years in high school football including great success coaching at Edmond Santa Fe, Cocannouer decided lt it was time for someone else to lead Southwestern even though he loved coaching at his alma mater.
He was also looking to take a break after losing wife, Jeri, to cancer in 2015.
Sunday would’ve been the Cocannouers’ 39th anniversary.
Tuesday will mark three years since Jeri died.
For two-plus years after she died, Dan kept going, recruiting, coaching and planning. But after last season, he hunkered down in the home that he and Jeri made and loved in Weatherford.
“I didn’t do anything for about three months,” he said. “I didn’t even shave.”
But eventually, he was contacted about his retirement. Because of rule changes over the years, Cocannouer learned he’d receive much more money if he went back into public education for at least a year.
“Dad,” his two grown daughters told him, “it’s a no-brainer.”
Cocannouer didn’t want to return to teaching; too much has changed since he was in the classroom. He considered coaching, but most jobs involve other duties that the 62-yearold didn’t think he had the energy for.
Then a couple of Cocannouer’s friends came up with a list of schools looking for athletic directors. Cocannouer got an interview with the selection committee at Capitol Hill, which included principal Adam Jewell.
“In Oklahoma City, the athletic directors have to teach three hours,” Cocannouer remembers Jewell telling him. “Is that a deal breaker?”
“We’ll have to talk about it,” Cocannouer said.
The next day, Jewell called.
“We want you to be our AD,” he said.
“That’s fine,” Cocannouer said, “but those three classes ... “
“If I can get it lowered down, will you think about it?”
“I’ll think about it.” Cocannouer called back a few hours later.
“Let’s do it,” he said.
One of Cocannouer’s first duties was hiring a football coach. With Capitol Hill playing as an independent — the school requested special status from the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association in attempt to rebuild and save the program — finding candidates was a challenge. But a couple weeks before Memorial Day, Cocannouer hired a man from Arkansas and scheduled a players’ meeting to greet him.
The meeting was set for 2:30 p.m.
At noon that day, the coach texted to say he had taken another job.
“I was livid,” Cocannouer said.
Capitol Hill has struggled to keep coaches, which sets up a tough situation for the players. How can they buy in when they’re not sure if the coach is? How can they commit when coaches never seem to?
Cocannouer was in Weatherford working to get his house ready to sell when he received the text. He drove to Oklahoma City and seethed the whole way.
“That’s not right,” he thought. “These kids don’t deserve that.”
He went to the principal’s office as soon as he got to Capitol Hill. Jewell started talking about options. Re-opening the search. Going with a candidate with extremely limited experience.
“We don’t need that, Adam,” Cocannouer said. “I tell you what, I’ll do it for at least a year.”
“We hired you as an athletic director,” Jewell said. “We’re not asking you ... “
“You’re not asking me,” Cocannouer said. “I’m telling you.”
At 2:30 that afternoon, the players at Capitol Hill met their new coach — Dan Cocannouer.
He took the job with eyes wide open. While some areas have improved in Capitol Hill’s first four years as an independent, the program still lacks the participation, infrastructure and stability to compete in Class 6A.
Improvement, then, is about much more than wins and losses.
Yet, Cocannouer believes winning is vital.
“Why don’t we have 70 or 80 kids out here?” he asked his 30 or so players the other day.
“It’s too tough,” one said.
“Bull,” Cocannouer said.
“It’s because we don’t win,” another player interjected.
“Exactly,” the coach said. “You guys have got to do something about that.”
It won’t be easy. Even though Capitol Hill is playing mostly smaller schools, every week will be a challenge. Heck, every day will be.
Cocannouer and his assistants spent last week trying to figure out how to structure practices. Capitol Hill is in a football co-op with Santa Fe South, and because the two schools are on different schedules, the Capitol Hill players will be there for an hour before the Santa Fe South players arrive.
The head coach will make sure they figure it out. He believes, after all, the players deserve the best chance to succeed.
Having Dan Cocannouer on their side is already a good start.