His experience as a coach is limited to last season’s work under Rick Reinhart at Marquette Catholic, but it was enough to convince those doing the hiring of the Explorers’ next head coach that Tim Nelson was their guy.
And at age 32, Nelson took the job without hesitation.
“I’m definitely up for the challenge,” he said. “And I think the transition is going to be smooth. I know the kids. We’re going to run the same defense that we ran at all levels last season.”
While the Explorers defense will retain the same schemes, the offense Reinhart ran will be scrapped for a look familiar to the growing list of coaches coming out of Calhoun County.
“I’m a system guy,” said Nelson, who played on Calhoun’s first state championship team in 1992.
That translates into a Ric Johns guy and the triple option. “I hate to give that away,” Nelson said, with a laugh. “But most of my playbook is from Ric Johns and Scott Hamilton. But it’s what I know best.”
Johns was head coach at Calhoun when the Warriors won Class 1A state championships in 1992 and 1993. Hamilton was an assistant at Calhoun before putting together his own head coaching legacy at Tolono Unity.
They are the godfathers of the Calhoun football mafia that four schools have tapped into for head coaches in 2008. Aaron Elmore (Beardstown), Nate Lorton (Sullivan) and J.D. Lorton (Granite City) also took new jobs. And all started their love affair with football as Warriors at Calhoun.
“In Calhoun, that gave us our identity,” Nelson said. “That’s what we were know for. And we wanted that identity and we wanted pride in our community. And Marquette’s tradition speaks for itself. … I just hope to bring that same kind of excitement, that same kind of atmosphere. It’s team, that’s what I’m about.”
– by GREG SHASHACK

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