By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Once a Bearcat, always a Bearcat.
That's a saying that rings true as former quarterback John McMenamin has officially been named the 21st head coach of the Northwest Missouri State University football program.
Not many coaches get the chance to come back and coach at their alma mater, and McMenamin says the opportunity still hasn't fully sunk in.
"I talk to Andy (Peterson) and I'm like can you believe this, or my buddies they'll text and say holy moly congrats, can't wait to get going, and can you believe this, and that's neat but then it's also what drives you," McMenamin tells reporters following his introductory press conference. "You're never going to let someone down for taking a chance on you and jumping in, so I'm over the moon excited."
McMenamin played quarterback in Maryville from 1998 to 2002, helping the Bearcats to two national championships and four MIAA championships.
McMenamin also played under legendary Northwest coach Mel Tjeerdsma. He says still to this day he looks to Tjeerdsma for advice
"Called him every year and talked, if i needed a coaching question, because my father wasn't around, I would call him, and he would give you advice one way or another," McMenamin says. "And so, when we got this job, he was the first person to call and he was over the moon excited for me, and that just means the world, and so I'll still be calling him."
"He said he might have to start charging me for some of this advice, that's why I tried to get the budget increased, so they could pay Coach Tjeerdsma for his advice."
McMenamin has had several coaching stops along the way, including Nebraska-Omaha, Central Missouri, Wayne State College, and most notably division one Tulane.
McMenamin says the kind of football team that Northwest fans will get to see from him is a team that's fast, physical, and relentless
"We'll play fast, we will be very, very physical, and we won't quit, we might not be very good at some point, but we will not quit" McMenamin explains. "And so that is the way that team will play from start to finish, that's the way we'll practice, that's the way we'll lift in the weight room, we've got to start practicing how we do it, but that's what they'll be and they'll have the biggest cheerleader behind them in me."
McMenamin's last head coaching job was at Wayne State College in 2021, where he led the team to its first seven-win season in 11 years, going 7-4.
During his time at Tulane as co-offensive coordinator, he helped orchestrate the biggest single season turnaround, the Green Wave going from 2-10 to 10-2 with a Cotton Bowl victory over USC.
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