A Bradenton high school has a Tampa Bucs coach of the year finalist. Here’s how to vote.
It was 2000 and Brett Timmons was back in Manatee County after being cut by the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL.
One of his first stops was to Southeast High School. Timmons was a star linebacker for the Seminoles in the 1990s, where the Seminoles last reached the pinnacle in the state, capturing back-to-back state titles in ‘93-94.
Timmons then played at Tulane as part of the 1998 undefeated Green Wave season that featured future Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Shaun King.
But it was that moment after his playing career was winding down at Southeast High in 2000 that first put into motion Timmons’ career path to education and coaching.
“I was kind of on the track, sitting on the bench just looking at the football field pondering, ‘What’s my next move,’” Timmons told the Herald. “I’m 21, 22 years old, I don’t necessarily want to be a guy that’s chasing after something. What do I want to do? Let’s go get my masters. And so I picked up the phone and called one of my old coaches.”
That phone conversation led Timmons to take a graduate assistant role at Cincinnati. From there, he landed a position at Clemson and an internship with the Indianapolis Colts — when Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning were there — before returning home to the 941 and building Out-of-Door Academy’s football program as its first head coach.
And then a return to his alma mater, Southeast High, when the Noles hired Timmons as their head coach in December 2017.
And now, he’s competing as the lone Manatee County coach to be named the Bucs’ high school football coach of the year.
“It’s not really about me,” Timmons said. “It’s about the kids and the coaching staff that I have the fortunate pleasure to work with every single day. That award doesn’t happen if our kids don’t buy into what we’re doing and work hard, and the parents and the community and the school and all those involved. Yeah, my name is out there, but it’s really a recognition to every one in our school community.”
There are 10 finalists for the award, where the winner receives a $2,000 grant from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation to help maintain and upgrade their football program as well as being a nominee for the Don Shula Coach of the Year award.
Voting isn’t done by a committee, but by the public online at www.buccaneers.com/community/high-school-coach-of-the-week. Voting started Dec. 1 and ends Friday, Dec. 10 at 11:59 p.m.
“At the end of the day, it is Manatee County, it’s all of us,” Timmons said. “Although it’s Southeast High School, but it still represents Manatee County and it shows what Manatee County has to offer as far as coaches. Again, like I said, yeah it’s me but there’s other great coaches in Manatee County at all our area high schools.”
Palmetto head coach Dave Marino and former Bayshore High head coach John Biezuns were finalists for the award in 2017. That year, Palmetto native Nate Varnadore, who was the head coach at Inverness Citrus High at the time, won the award.
To be included for the coach of the year vote, coaches were named the Bucs coach of the week throughout the 2021 season. Timmons earned his honor the week of the Seminoles’ game with Fort Meade.
Some of the criteria listed for the Bucs’ coach of the year award on their website include the following:
- Have winning record, beat a longtime rival, snap a losing streak, defeat a defending champion, and/or record an amazing comeback victory.
- Show commitment to his player’s safety by teaching the fundamentals of the game, proper tackling techniques. Concussion management practices and adherence to heat and hydration techniques.
- Display a strong rapport and have earned respect from his players.
- Have developed a mutually respectful relationship with game officials by using acceptable methods for questioning and avoiding disruptive behavior.
- Be a leader in the game field by always exhibiting positive behavior.
- Be involved with outside organizations such as camps, clinics and coaching conventions.
- Be involved with community programs.
- Developed excellent relationships with other coaches by being cooperative, considerate and being positive with game related media statements.
Timmons’ return to Manatee County in an educator and coaching role was also sparked from an ethics class in college where Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” which discusses people imprisoned in a cave with shadows before escaping to the light and then attempting to show others in the cave the way.
It enlightened Timmons.
“That stuck with me, because for people who leave Manatee County and become successful, many don’t come back,” Timmons said. “Many don’t come and try to show others the path that you can be more than what your current circumstances are showing.”
Southeast went 5-3 in 2021, winning its last four games of the regular season.
