Legend Resigns: Hall of Famer Paul Jacobson Decides to Resign After 25 Years as Negaunee Miners College Football Head Coach | News, Sports, Jobs

Head coach Paul Jacobson, second from left, talks with the Negaunee Miners football team during a timeout in the MHSAA Division 6 final in an 11-man football game played against Grand Rapids West Catholic at Ford Field in Detroit on November 25, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Heather Abram)

The wins: Paul Jacobson had an overall record of 191-79 in 25 years as head coach at Negaunee, a winning percentage of .707, including 163-59 in the regular season (.734) and 28-20 in MHSAA playoffs (.583). )

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NEGAUNEE — The Negaunee Public School Board accepted the resignation of Paul Jacobson as head varsity football coach at its December school board meeting Monday evening.

Jacobson had been the Miners’ head coach since 2000, leading the Miners to the Michigan High School Athletic Association playoffs 21 times during his 25-year career leading the team.

Under his and his team’s leadership, Jacobson won over 70% of Negaunee’s games during his tenure with an overall record of 191-79.

Negaunee head coach Paul Jacobson, right, hugs wide receiver Eli VanBuren on the sideline after VanBuren’s touchdown reception in the second quarter during an MHSAA Division 6 football playoff game played against Menominee at Miners Field in Negaunee on November 5, 2022. (Photo provided by Daryl T. Jarvinen)

“What stands out more than the wins are the relationships he built with our student-athletes; those that will last a lifetime”, » Negaunee Public Schools said in a statement posted on their Facebook site. “The sacrifices Coach Jake made from August to November (and the other eight months of off-season training) have not gone unnoticed.”

The Miners won the MHSAA Division 6 state championship in its third year, in 2002, and finished second in the state in the same division in its third and final year, in 2022.

His teams won a total of 28 playoff games during his tenure.

In 2000, he made a seamless transition from legendary head coach Dick Koski, as he had played for Koski during the 1985 and 1986 seasons. Koski had been the Miners’ coach since 1968.

Jacobson was just inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in June.

Negaunee head coach Paul Jacobson, right, congratulates quarterback Ty Jacobson for leading the Miners to a touchdown in the first quarter of a West PAC game played against Houghton at Miner Stadium in Negaunee on Oct. 18. Next to Ty Jacobson is his father and Negaunee assistant coach Kevin Jacobson, brother of Paul Jacobson. (Photo courtesy of Daryl T. Jarvinen)

During this induction, it was noted that after Jacobson graduated from Negaunee in 1987, he played as an offensive lineman at Central Michigan, earning Mid-American Conference all-league honors in 1990, the year the Chippewas won the conference championship and played in the California Grape Bowl.

He remained in the CMU area for several years, working as an assistant football coach and teaching at a school in Mount Pleasant for four years, but returned to his hometown in 1997 to take the same two jobs – teaching and coaching – in Negaunee.

Upon Koski’s retirement in 2000, Jacobson was elevated from assistant coach to head coach at age 30, also adding athletic director duties.

Not only does he have an overall winning percentage of .707, but he has a playoff mark of .583 and a regular season mark of .734.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is [email protected].

: Head coach Paul Jacobson, second from left, talks with the Negaunee Miners football team during a timeout in the MHSAA Division 6 final in an 11-man football game played against Grand Rapids West Catholic at Ford Field in Detroit on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. (Photo provided by Heather Abram)

: Head coach Paul Jacobson, second from left, talks with the Negaunee Miners football team during a timeout in the MHSAA Division 6 final in an 11-man football game played against Grand Rapids West Catholic at Ford Field in Detroit on November 25, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Heather Abram)

: Negaunee head coach Paul Jacobson, right, gives wide receiver Eli VanBuren a hug on the sideline after VanBuren’s touchdown reception in the second quarter during an MHSAA Division 6 football playoff game played against Menominee at Miners Field in Negaunee on Saturday, November 5, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Daryl T. Jarvinen)

: Negaunee head coach Paul Jacobson, right, hugs wide receiver Eli VanBuren on the sideline after VanBuren’s touchdown reception in the second quarter during an MHSAA Division 6 football playoff game played against Menominee at Miners Field in Negaunee on November 5, 2022. (Photo provided by Daryl T. Jarvinen)

: Negaunee head coach Paul Jacobson, right, congratulates quarterback Ty Jacobson for leading the Miners to a touchdown in the first quarter of a West PAC game played against Houghton at Miner Stadium in Negaunee on Oct. 18. Next to Ty Jacobson is his father and Negaunee assistant coach Kevin Jacobson, brother of Paul Jacobson. (Photo courtesy of Daryl T. Jarvinen)