Sometimes what looks like a problem is really a blessing in disguise.
That's how Kearns administrators felt when they hired a new football coach a few months ago only to have him take another job instead. They put out the ads and prepared to start all over again.
"Then this guy drops into our laps," said assistant Kearns principal Jerry Simonson. "We had an amazing pool the second time. . . . We're really coming out of this smelling like a rose."
That would be a Texas rose as the Cougars welcome Bill Cosper to their school and their football program as the head coach. He was an assistant prep football coach for 12 years and played for Steven F. Austin College and the Atlanta Falcons.
How did the Cougars land such a catch so late in the season?
"His son got a football scholarship at Weber State, so he started to look for a job here in Utah so he could see him play," Simonson said.
Just after Cosper accepted the job as head coach, a job opened up at a nearby junior high as a physical education teacher. He will teach P.E. and weight training at the high school next year.
"It all worked out," Simonson said. "We're just as excited as we can be."
Cosper said he too is looking forward to the opportunity to run his own program.
"I had no hesitation at all," he said. "I wanted to be a head coach, and the gravy is getting to watch my son play college football."
Coincidentally, the colors at Cosper's last high school are the same as the Cougars — green and gold. Moving from Texas to Utah to coach football will not be as different as some might think, he said.
"To me, high school football is high school football," he said with a smile. "Texas is just bigger. . . . It will be a challenge, but that's what I want. I think the opportunity is there, and the players need to buy into what we're doing. We'll take it one step at a time."
He's already coaching many Kearns students as he helps out with track this spring. He's already been out to support the Cougars' other athletes, including softball.
"Bill is just a great person," Simonson said.
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com