Vermilion promotes assistant

New coach Colahan was offensive coordinator in ’17

Vermilion Athletic Director Andrew Stillman faced a difficult task during the football offseason.

Stillman needed to replace a wellliked coach in Matt Kobal. A coach who had been hired during the previous offseason and one who had also started the turnaround of the Sailors’ football program.

Unfortunately, though, also a coach who was taken far too soon as he suddenly passed away Nov. 17.

Just under two months later, Stillman announced via Twitter the hiring of Brett Colahan as the new coach. Colahan was approved by the school board on Jan. 8.

“Everyone’s in full support,” Stillman said. “Brett is a part of our community. He’s got four kids in Vermilion Local Schools. I mean, Matt (Kobal) brought him on (as offensive coordinator), so he knows what we’ve gone through.”

Stillman said it was a unique hiring process.

“It was a difficult situation this time around due to the recent passing of Coach (Matt) Kobal, so we did not actually open the position,” Stillman explained. “I went through about 50 applicants a year ago and felt like I knew what was out there this time around.”

Stillman said the most important thing was selecting a coach who understood what the community, school and — most importantly

— the team was going through.

“With the tragic passing of Coach Kobal, our kids were hurting, our community was hurting,” Stillman said. “It didn’t seem right to bring someone from outside the community to take over the program. There’s already an adjustment period no matter who the next coach is and it didn’t seem advantageous to bring in someone unfamiliar with the circumstance.

“Once we decided on that, we looked internally and had a few candidates, but Brett rose to the top pretty quickly. All the assistants were in full support of him taking over.”

Colahan is a natural fit to take over the team. He was the offensive coordinator last season, helping reinvent the Sailors’ offense, bringing the scoring average up to 25.8 points per game from 15.9 in 2016.

“He was the OC this year and our offense broke a handful of school records this season, and he’s the JV boys basketball coach, so he knows the kids very well,” Stillman said.

Colahan is no rookie

when it comes to coaching. In addition to seven years at Vermilion over the course of two stints (2005-10, ‘17), Colahan has spent time at Huron (201116) learning under legendary coach Tony Legando and at Piqua (1990-2004), where he was the quarterbacks, outside linebackers and kicking coach in 2000 when Indians advanced to the Division II state title game before losing to Olmsted Falls, 21-0.

Colahan was named the Miami Valley Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000.

In all, Colahan brings 28 years of football coaching experience, a 183-105 record and 12 playoff seasons to the Sailors.

Colahan will look to continue the work that Kobal started in his only season in charge of Vermilion.

Under Kobal, the Sailors went 5-5, which was the program’s first non-losing season since 2008.

“He’s been around success and knows what it looks like,” Stillman said.

Staff Writer Marissa McNees contributed to this story

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