|
Colleagues
remember former soccer coach Editor-in-Chief The
death of a former soccer coach and alumnus leaves Missouri Southern and
the community mourning. James
L. Cook, who earned his bachelor s degree in history from Southern and
served as head soccer coach from 1996-99, died Saturday, Sept. 21, 2002,
of heart complications at Freeman-Neosho hospital. He was 47.
Beard
also said Cook left a good foundation of a winning program for Southern
soccer. He was named MIAA Co-Coach of the Year in 1999. He also coached
the first women s team, getting it in position to become a varsity
sport. Because
of the success he had with our program, he made it possible for Missouri
Southern soccer to move to the next level, and that was to hire a
full-time coach, Beard said. Geoff
VanDeusen, current head soccer coach, also said Cook s former athletes
enjoyed playing for him. A
lot of the players that played for him really respected him as a man,
VanDeusen said. And he has given his life to education. Dr.
Robert Markman, associate professor of social science, taught Cook
American history. He was also the sponsor of the Young Democrats when
Cook was president. He
was a strong student, Markman said. In our department, he was a
leader. He must have been quietly ambitious, because he was shy, but he
was always willing to take responsibility. While
at Southern, Cook was also Student Senate president. George
Greenlee, associate professor of English, knew Cook because he coached
Greenlee s son, Jeffrey, at Joplin High School. Cook coached soccer at
the high school from 1985-95. He was also an assistant football coach
from 1980-85. He taught history and received Joplin s Golden Apple
Award. Greenlee
said Cook s players respected him as both a coach and scholar. His
perseverance really showed, Greenlee said. He fought some hard
battles for Joplin High School. But his work in the classroom surpassed
his success on the soccer field. We should remember him more for that
than anything. Jim
Kimbrough, associate principal at Joplin High School, coached football
and soccer with Cook from 1980-1995. Kimbrough said Cook was one of his
best friends. All
the way around, from the first time I met him, he was a professional,
Kimbrough said. He knew social studies like the back of his hand, and
he was very knowledgeable about soccer. Kimbrough
also said Cook was a fun man. He
was just a pleasure to be around, he said. I m going to miss him
tremendously. It s a big loss to me on a personal and professional
level. Cook
was also known as a Civil War history buff. He was the national
artillery coordinator for Civil War reenacting and worked on several
historical movies, including North and South and Glory. Cook
recently took the position of assistant superintendent in the
Independence, Mo., school district. He is survived by his wife Teresa;
son Jeb Cook; daughters Juliana Cook and Claire Cook; and sister Mary
Cook Tallman. I
feel like Missouri Southern was fortunate to have a man like Coach
Cook, Beard said. We never could pay him enough for the amount of
time he put in. |
Jim
Cook was just a good man, said Sallie Beard, athletic director.
His players enjoyed their experience with him. He did a tremendous
amount of work for Missouri Southern even when his plate was full with
family, a full-time job and coaching.