John Cook’s retirement shocked the college volleyball community and beyond. After taking the Nebraska Huskers to the top four, people expected to see what Cook would do next. In fact, Cook was already on the move. So on January 29, “I had people texting me, I hadn’t probably talked to in 10 to 15 years, just saying that they were sobbing,” revealed Cook’s daughter.
Lauren Cook-West, herself, was in a state of shock. Despite nearly two months since Cook retired from coaching, his own daughter has had a hard time addressing him as ‘dad’. “I can finally call you just dad,” she confessed. So when Lauren and John Cook sat down to film the latest episode Kicking Back with the Cooks, the former Husker asked how the Coach dealt with the response.
“I didn’t know what to expect through all that. I was just trying to get through it and do a good job,” said the 68-year-old, when asked about every media outlet from the Wall Street Journal to ESPN covering the news. Yet, the former coach admitted that he had no idea that Nebraska volleyball had touched so many lives.
“I did not expect the amount of attention that it would get at Nebraska… From all the press and all the other extra side things,” added John Cook. In fact, the retired AVCA Coach of the Year revealed that the interviews have been never-ending since January. “I’m still doing them, and we’re still going to keep doing them,” said the NCAA title-winning coach, as he sees no end in sight.
The former Nebraska Huskers coach was well aware of their popularity when over 70,000 fans helped them set the women’s sports attendance world record in 2023. And still, the overwhelming outpouring of grief, love, and support overwhelmed Coach Cook. The 68-year-old even revealed something he had never talked about before.
How people’s love for John Cook went beyond social media
It’s no secret that social media exploded with messages once Nebraska announced that 2024 was Cook’s final season as a volleyball coach. Posts from everyone, including fans and Nebraska’s volleyball star, flooded the internet. Harper Murray, arguably Cook’s favorite pupil, took to social media to write a heartfelt note for her coach.
“Never in a million years would I have thought that our relationship would have such a big impact on my life. He stuck by my side and was there for me when I felt like no one else was, and he refused to give up on me even when I made it nearly impossible not to,” Harper Murray wrote about John Cook. The man who had stood beside her even in Murray was almost ready to quit volleyball in 2024.
Yet, the volleyball coach didn’t expect complete strangers to go above and beyond to express their gratitude for Coach Cook. “I just got a letter from a guy in Springfield, Massachusetts. His name is John Cook,” the former head coach told Lauren Cook-West. This fan, the coach’s namesake, mailed a handwritten letter admiring everything the volleyball did for 25 years at Nebraska.
John Cook expressed his surprise that people he didn’t even know could feel inspired by his life’s work. What more? Just like the never-ending interview that the 68-year-old will keep attending, the Huskers also have plans for the retired coach. With athletic director Troy Dannen wanting to keep Cook on as an advisor, fans might catch a glimpse of John Cook at Devaney Center next season.
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