This story was originally published in LSJ’s June magazine. To see the PDF version, click here.
By Jim Moyes
LocalSportsJournal.com
It will look different when the school year rolls around this fall at North Muskegon High School … much different.
For the first time in many years, Norseman icon Jeff Cooke will not be seen walking the hallways of NMHS. Cooke will be stepping down and getting a well-earned retirement from his many roles he has served at his beloved school, first as a student/athlete and for the past 32 years as coach and athletic director.
Cooke has announced his retirement and will officially clean out his office on June 30. Cooke will depart as the Norse AD with the cupboard well-stocked as NM has enjoyed unparalleled success in recent years. Despite numerous health setbacks Cooke has been resilient over the years, dating back to his days as a standout athlete on the Northside.
And what an athlete was Cooke! Our lifetimes are full of ‘What If’ moments in life as well as in the world of sports. For me, and I’m sure it’s true with Jeff, I have often thought how great an athlete Jeff Cooke would have been if not for a ‘What If’ moment.
North Muskegon Athletic Director, Jeff Cooke. Photo/Leo Valdez
Cooke was destined for stardom as early as his ninth-grade year at NMHS in the Fall of 1977. Cooke was a starter in football as a freshman and teammate with a young sophomore quarterback who went on to become a legendary coach for the Norse in later years, Larry Witham.
One week after the duo teamed up for the first of their TD receptions in a win over Ravenna, Cooke etched his name into the record book as he intercepted three passes in a win over Montague, a record still unsurpassed in Norse football history. As fate would have it, it was the only season of football for Cooke.
However, it was in basketball where a young Jeff Cooke really excelled. As a freshman he tallied 23 points in wins over Whitehall and Montague, a program record for a freshman that lasted until 2000, a total second only to future MSU cage star Drew Naymick’s 26 points as a freshman against Western Michigan Christian. Cooke was so proficient as a rebounder that he led the entire West Michigan Conference in rebounding and was selected to the All-Conference first team – as a freshman.
In a premonition of what was to be, Cooke was injured in a practice session the day before the Norsemen were to begin play in the 1978 MHSAA playoffs when he hyperextended his knee, the first of what would prove to be the first of many knee injuries and surgeries. With Cooke beginning his Norse career on the varsity, NM had gone from a winless season the previous season to 13-7. To no one’s surprise, without Cooke in the lineup the Norse lost their opening-round playoff game to Hart.
During a summer workout a few months later, Cooke again reinjured the knee so badly that it prematurely ended what surely would have been a promising football career for the burly 6-4, 220-pound Cooke. He did not return to the hardwoods as a basketball player until the eighth game of his sophomore season.
Cooke was regaining his form following a 27-point effort in a narrow loss to Whitehall when fate again stepped in. With a knee encased in a brace and a wrap that encompassed nearly his total leg, disaster struck for Cooke in a moment that remains clear to me nearly 50 years later. With 5:31 to go in the fourth quarter in a game with Reeths Puffer, the once energetic crowd turned suddenly stone silent as NM’s sophomore center laid in agonizing pain on the floor after reinjuring his knee. Situated high above the court while broadcasting the game I could clearly hear the hideous break from my catbird seat at the old Rocket gymnasium.
The injury was so severe that Cooke missed his entire junior season.
Cooke sat out his first game of his senior season, but that was the only game the gritty Cooke missed in his final year as a Norse athlete. One of the highlights for Cooke in his senior season was leading NM to a 65-53 victory over neighboring Reeths Puffer when he scored 22 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Oddly enough, despite their proximity to one another, the two teams have not met again in more than 40 years.
Cooke and current NM football coach Larry Witham shared many athletic highlights as young boys in North Muskegon.
As kids in North Muskegon, Witham recalls several highlights the duo shared along the way. There was a thrilling 13-12 victory over Oakridge on Homecoming in 1977 when the defense stuffed a 2-point conversion to preserve the victory.
Cooke stands in the weight room with Norse students. Photo/Leo Valdez
“Jeff and I were so excited that night,” said Witham. “The thrill of winning a game like that, and to share it with your best friend was simply amazing.”
Witham also recalls a game in the eighth grade when Cooke scored 42 points and grabbed 31 rebounds.
But one of the biggest moments came in 2023 when Cook handed a regional championship trophy to Coach Witham.
“Coming from my childhood friend was a very special moment,” Witham said. “We exchanged a couple of words at the trophy presentation of how proud we are of each other, something lifelong friends exchange in moments like that.”
Cooke led the Norse to the WMC championship playing on a leg and a half and easily led the WMC in rebounding, a feat he first achieved in his freshman season. NM did not win another basketball conference championship until Cooke, as the head coach of his alma mater, led the Norse to a title years later.
After leaving NMHS, Cooke was determined to give basketball another shot and who better to play for then the new coach at Muskegon Community College, Gene Gifford.
“Jeff played for me my first two years at MCC. He was one of the hardest and most dedicated athletes that I have coached,” said Gifford. “Jeff practiced and played hard and was a great example for other players on the team. He was always a team player and never complained about his knee or the knee injury he had suffered. He was truly a student-athlete and was always a positive representative of the Jayhawk basketball program.”
Cooke left MCC after two years and got his degree from Central Michigan University. Cooke’s first job was at the Tri-Cities Family YMCA where he served for eight years.
“I was a Program Director responsible for weightroom, pool, aquatic programs, youth sports, youth summer camps and helped with many special events. I say all this, because much of what I did at the “Y” is the same as being at NM. You need to wear many hats,” said Cooke.
Cooke returned to his alma mater in 1993 to begin a long career, first as the Athletic Director, a role he filled for 32 years.
NM’s basketball program was in the doldrums before Cooke was asked to take over the head coaching duties beginning with the 1996-97 season. Beginning in 1984, until Cooke took over as coach, the Norsemen had won 75 games and lost 162.
It took Cooke just two seasons to produce a winning team as NM went 12-10 in the 1988-99 season, their first winning season since 1985 when, ironically, the head coach was none other than Jeff’s father, Dave Cooke. Under Jeff’s leadership, NM had turned the tables. With Cooke at the helm, the Norsemen over the next five years won 81 games and lost 33. In 2002-03, NM had arguably their finest team in NM history when they went 24-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals before losing a tight contest to perennial powerhouse Flint Beecher.
In a move that surprised many, Cooke was replaced as the head coach at NMHS despite winning 184 games in his 18 years as the Norse mentor. When asked his biggest personal disappointment at NMHS Cooke replied: “When I was let go from coaching the boys varsity basketball team. That was very tough for me.”
Fortunately, the hierarchy at NM retained Cooke as the school’s athletic director where he has loyally served for more than three decades. During Cooke’s tenure, NM recently has seen unprecedented success, especially in the boys’ major sports of football, basketball, baseball and track. NM has even brought a wrestling program out of the mothballs that has done surprisingly well.
Cooke departs leaving NM in exceptionally good shape. In the last three years the boys’ football, basketball, and baseball teams have won an amazing 180 games while losing 31. In all nine of those seasons, NM was the Rivers Division champs in the West Michigan Conference.
But it hasn’t been easy for Cooke. Although he incurred numerous knee injuries and surgeries as a prep performer at NMHS, it pales with the health issues Cooke has had to overcome in recent years. Cooke lost a kidney in 2012, just the beginning of numerous health issues he faced in the upcoming years. In April of 2022 Jeff had a heart valve replaced. In August of the same year, he had a brain tumor removed and as if that wasn’t enough, just a month later, a melanoma cancer was removed from his back. As recent as 2023, Cooke had melanoma cancer removed from his lung.
Instead of lamenting on his health issues, Cooke see’s it in a different light.
At the podium, Cooke gives words of advice during his retirement speech.
“I’m now positive, I get tested every 3-6 months, so far so good.”
Always standing by his side was his beautiful wife, Kim.
To be a successful coach as well as an athletic director one needs a supportive wife. For Jeff Cooke he hit the jackpot with Kim.
“I am so grateful for Kim and love her!!” said Jeff. “Without Kim, I would have been up (a certain well known) creek without a paddle. It is Kim who has kept me together.”
Despite his health issues, Cooke has taken a positive stance.
“There is always somebody that has had a tougher time than me, so I am thankful and understand how things have worked out for me.”
For the first time in nearly 60 years, there will not be a Cooke active at North Muskegon High. One of those who made a lasting impact on his life was his father Dave Cooke, who served many years at NM, first as a basketball coach dating back to 1968, and for 22 years as the football coach at NM.
“My Dad has been a big factor in my career. His years in education, coaching and recreation, are second to none. Again, not worrying about wins or losses, the quality people Dad worked with at Whitehall, Reeths Puffer and North Muskegon, really wore off positively on me,” Jeff said.
Cooke’s was quick to give praise to the number of excellent coaches he has worked with during his long tenure at North Muskegon.
“I’ve been blessed to work with so many people here, both young and old, that were hard working people, honest, and willing to share. Those wins are always nice, but a positive work ethic, seeing the value of the team and cheering and helping your teammates are important.” 
Jeff also is so proud of his three children, all of whom starred in athletics at North Muskegon and have gone on to receive their degrees and play sports in college. Jeff also said he enjoyed working with the teachers, coaches, both past and present, and appreciated the relationship he had over the years with his fellow athletic directors.
Jeff currently has no specific plans for retirement, but you can be sure he will be a fixture at upcoming NM athletic events. He did mention he would still like to coach NM JV boys’ basketball.
Jeff just couldn’t escape his ties and love of basketball over the years. One can bet he won’t be too far away from the stomping grounds of NMHS where he has made a positive impact for more than 40 years as a student, coach and athletic director.
“Walking through doors for the last time – I’m sure it will make me think! My mind will also recall my student years at NM, my NM employment, my years as a parent of NM students and being a part of the NM community. It’s been a great ride.”
