By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Robin Jacobs has been a part of the new Brighton High School since it reopened its doors back in the mid 1990s. And during that time, Jacobs hasn’t missed a single play of Brighton Football as an coordinator and assistant head coach. Now he’s the man in charge of the program.
When some Tipton County residents think of Brighton High School, the name Robin Jacobs might be the first thing that comes to mind. Some identify Jacobs with the school that opened up in 1996. The veteran coach has made his name as an assistant football coach and creating a powerhouse softball program. In recent years Jacobs has severed as assistant head coach under Will Wolfe for Cardinal Football. The team enjoyed a successful run never seen before at Brighton with District 13-3A titles, a 10-win season and players like Ricky Foster and Charles Mosley signing to Division I schools. Earlier this year, Wolfe made the decision to resign as Brighton’s head coach to return home to Hernando, Miss. The administrators at Brighton High School made the choice to stay home and name Jacobs the new leader of Brighton Football. “I am shaking like a leaf right now,” Jacobs acknowledged. “It’s a little different when you finally get there. You represent a lot of people from over the years. And you don’t want to let them down. So I am excited about that.” In the springs, Jacobs leads the Brighton Lady Cardinal Softball team. Since 1999, the Lady Cardinals have reached multiple State Tournaments and won more than 500 games. “I’m going to continue to do both,” Jacobs said. “The seasons are not in the same time. I think I can do that. If something happens to where I can’t, I hope to have a replacement ready for that. But I’ve always coached a fall sport and a spring sport for 25 years. I really don’t see that being a problem.” Jacobs said while he’s working with softball, he will count on his assistant football coaches to conduct offseason workouts. He said he will be a facilitator for his young staff. The assistants at Brighton have worked along side Jacobs for years and the coaches will build on some of the workouts Wolfe brought to the program. “Coach Wolfe did a phenomenal job with their weight lifting. Our kids look as physically good as anyone,” Jacobs noted. “We want to keep that up and try to maintain that. We want to expand on our offense a little bit. We’re not going to make wholesale changes. We are going to add some stuff to it that we think can help. We want to be progressive and keep adding to it.” Jacobs acknowledged Wolfe left another tradition that will be hard to fulfill…winning. “With Coach Wolfe, we’re talking about improving on 9 wins, 10 wins,” he said. “There not very much room for improvement there. We can be better when you talk 6-4. But with 9 or 10 wins, we’re talking big shoes to fill.” Jacobs said he’s ready for the challenge. And the veteran coach said he is deeply honored the school he loves entrusted him with the football program.
“Overwhelming, it’s sort of like keys to the Cadillac, don’t wreck it,” he concluded. “My wife and daughters are all supportive. I’m excited. I’m ready to get going. I love doing this. Like I said, I’ll probably die between here and the softball field.”
