BY PAT NOWAK
Tom Cole, has worked with BCSN since 2004, hosting the channel’s inaugural broadcast. He provides commentary for BCSN and BGSU sports broadcasts, and has been a host of BCSN programs such as Sports Rap, Rant & Rage, and The Score, and now serves as football analyst on the Friday Night Sports Nightly show. Tom is also the BCSN Community Development Coordinator.
An Overall Athlete
After graduating from St. John’s Jesuit in 1969, Tom continued on to be the signal caller at Ohio Wesleyan, where he also played for the college basketball team. After college, he signed with the Columbus Bucks, a minor-league football team affiliated with the Chicago Bears, where he played with Tom Duncan of BCSN. Tom Cole’s resume includes 25 years of coaching experience, at both high school and collegiate levels, including local stops at St. John’s Jesuit, Waite and DeVilbiss, as well as the University of Michigan.
During his time at UM, Tom was employed for one season as a quarterback consultant under then-UM quarterback coach, Cam Cameron. Along with his impressive background, Tom has also tutored quarterbacks from the Michigan Wolverines, including Elvis Grbac and Todd Collins.
Author Too
In addition, Tom has authored a children’s sports book, Benny and Babe, and has another sports book, One Last Fall, due this summer on Amazon; it is a fictitious work about a backup quarterback in pro football who is trying to play one more season. The story is about many men and women role players in organizations. They are many times the reason the organization is successful. They just don’t get the recognition.
Where do you call home? Toledo has always been my home.
What was your first job? I taught my first year as a grade school teacher at St. Vincent DePaul in Toledo, Ohio.
What health or lifestyle tips do you support? Swimming. I think it’s great and I need to do more of it.
Your biggest self-indulgence? I very much enjoy music from the 60s and 70s and I like to read a lot…
I have always wanted to … Be a backup QB for the New York Jets when Namath played or to be a drummer for Alice Cooper.
Something most people don’t know about you: I am a songwriter with BMI and I write books. I have one coming out in 2016 called One Last Fall.
Words you live by: You can always be classy no matter what situation you are put in… class counts.
Your proudest accomplishment? I am most proud of my 40 year marriage to Karen, who is an incredible person and totally responsible for any success I have experienced… and my two, very talented, wonderful kids, Christy and Clayton, and three incredible grandchildren Josie, Cole and Cooper, as well as a great son-in-law Sam…
Person you most respect? I respect my wife, my daughter, my mom. Their values are off the chart, intrinsically good… Also, John Kennedy. I think that he inspired people and made them want to make a difference in many ways.
