Bloomington North Football Coach Brett Cooper announced his resignation after one season at North. Last Monday, he called a meeting with all returning football players to announce that he would not be returning for the 2026 season due to a professional opportunity.
His resignation marks the third football coach to step down in the past three years. Bloomington North Athletic Director Andy Hodson said in an email, “Coach Cooper did a great job in his one year at the helm and I wish him nothing but the best in his future.”
Cooper previously coached at Indian Creek High School from 2017 to 2019. In 2020 he took a head coaching job at Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis where he coached for five seasons. In July of 2025 he was hired as Bloomington North’s head football coach, assistant athletic director and business teacher. After former coach Anthony Lindsey resigned with short notice, Cooper took over the football program less than a month before the start of the season.
Senior football player at North Luke Freel said, “I love the way that Coach Cooper came in and especially coming in late, in the middle of summer … he came in and set a style that was able to lead our football team to a 7-4 record.”
Cooper’s coaching style included changing the team’s strategy. Cooper said, “We flipped all three phases and schematic changes on offense, defense, and special teams. … We changed all terminology on offense and changed the complete structure on defense.” Freel said, “I guess with his offense and with his defense being different … the players mold a little bit better, and I think that’s what led to most of our success [this season].”
Cooper said he believes in holding his players accountable on and off the field, as well as being an involved coach. Lucas Rice said, “He’s really light-hearted, but he’s hard on us too. He did a really good job of just coming in and helping us out and making us a better football team. …In our practices he wasn’t just watching, he was coaching us; making us better.”
While Cooper has not yet publicly disclosed the reason for his resignation, he said it was a professional coaching decision.
“It’s an opportunity to compete at the highest level in the state of Indiana, with resources that are basically endless,” he said about where he’s headed. He described the opportunity as a position where “winning is [a] tradition.” He said, “It just happened and landed in our lap. And to have that opportunity to enhance my professional career, it is an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up.”
In announcing his resignation, Cooper emphasized that the decision wasn’t related to the North team or players. “You know when it comes down to it, it’s my family and I’s [sic] decision and has nothing to do with anything Bloomington related. It just is a solely professional move.”
Cooper expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and trust the players gave him. He said, “The people are awesome,” and that the players and coaches fully welcomed him and his coaching style.
Cooper said North was “an awesome place to work at, and be a part of the football program.” Athletic Director Hodson has already started the search to fill the position. “Bloomington is a great place to live, and Bloomington North is a great place to work, so we are ready to display that to our candidates and find the best fit,” he said.
Following Cooper’s resignation, the team now has that same uncertainty of leadership as last year. Assistant Football Coach Brad Engel said the team has to “regroup again and find new leadership,” but notes that the transition will be smoother since the team is currently in the off-season, and hasn’t started practices yet.
Update 2/9/26: At Monday night’s board meeting the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township approved the hiring of Brett Cooper. Cooper was officially named the incoming head coach for varsity football at Ben Davis High School, as well as joining the physical education department as a teacher.
