ESSEXVILLE, MI – Nobody ever had to explain the significance of being a football coach to Jake Coquillard.

He grew up on a sideline, idolizing his favorite mentor and soaking in everything that went with being a leader of young men. When he stepped into the role as head coach at Essexville Garber, his lifetime of preparation shined through.

“He understands the relevance of that position. It’s not a job, it’s not a hobby, it’s a way of life,” Garber athletic director Dave Schwartz said. “With how detailed and organized he is, and with the effort he put into it – in season and out of season – it allowed his teams to have a lot of success. He was the driving force.”

After 14 seasons at the helm of the Garber Dukes, Coquillard told his team Friday that he was stepping down. The 51-year-old departs with a 76-60 record and 10 playoff appearances. He ranks eighth in Bay County history for coaching wins in football.

Coquillard, who teaches physical education and health education at the high school, said he deliberated on the decision since wrapping up the 2023 season on Oct. 27 with a 65-13 playoff loss to No. 4-ranked Frankenmuth. He said he consulted former coaches – including his Hall of Fame father Mike Coquillard – before making the call.

“With the young staff in place, this is the right time,” he said. “We have a lot of good coaches who want to be here. They’ve learned the past few years – like I learned under Dave Schwartz – what this program is all about and they will do a good job for whoever takes over.”

Schwartz said the position will likely be posted Monday and remain open for about 10 days before a committee dives into the selection process.

Coquillard grew up around Standish-Sterling athletics, where his father served as a football and baseball coach for 36 years. So he recognized at an extremely young age that he had coaching in his future.

“Even when I was a manager at Standish, riding the bus with the team and standing on the varsity sideline, I thought coaching would be right for me,” Coquillard said. “I always looked up to my dad as a teacher and coach and I followed in his footsteps.

“I grew up in that environment, so for me, it was the right fit.”

After 13 years as an assistant coach at Garber, Coquillard succeeded Schwartz as varsity head coach for the 2010 season. Under his watch, the Dukes were known for their high-scoring attack as a Garber quarterback led Bay County in passing yards nine of the past 11 seasons.

And he displayed his leadership in multiple ways, from preparation to pregame talks to Xs and Os.

“He was good at getting everybody charged up for a game,” said Ben Davis, a standout linebacker from the class of 2020. “And he never shied away from making a hard decision in the game. He would change things up and find what we needed to do.

“He always put his players first. He was always doing favors to help you out, he would be there for you academically or for anything you needed. He would go out of his way to help any one of us.”

Coquillard’s program produced a steady stream of star players, including current Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Ben VanSumeren, Michigan State defensive lineman Alex VanSumeren and Central Michigan offensive lineman Brayden Swartout.

“He’s always pushing his players, for sure,” said Swartout, a second-team all-Mid-American Conference performer last fall. “He’s a hard coach but a very supportive one. He’s always there for you. He was very, very hard on me, but that obviously was good in the long run. He cared about me and wanted the most out of me.”

Coquillard also got the opportunity to coach his own kids. His sons, Ty and Cade, were both MLive Bay City Dream Teamers who grew up around the Garber program as their father called the shots and their mother – Jill Coquillard – handled the behind-the-scenes duties.

“I told Dave Schwartz when I was hired that this was going to be a family program,” Coquillard said. “My kids would be a part of it, my wife would be a part of it. Wherever I went, I was going to bring my family with me. My boys enjoyed being around the sport and around the team growing up. And we call my wife the GM because she was always helping with team activities.”

Some expected Coquillard to step down after his youngest son graduated after the 2022 season. But he returned for the 2023 campaign, despite knowing the team was likely to struggle.

The Dukes featured just four seniors, including only one with playing experience, and were targeted for a rebuilding season. But the squad overachieved, posting a 5-5 record and earning a postseason berth.

“I felt like I had a little more in the tank,” Coquillard said. “I knew we wouldn’t have the most talented team, but something drove me to come back and see them through. I had quite a few people tell me that was our best-coached team. To get what we got out of them and to see the effort they gave us, it was a fun and satisfying year.”

Coquillard gathered his players Friday and broke the news that he had coached his final game at the helm.

“There was no crying,” he said. “But it was a little watery -- and there were a lot of hugs. That meant a lot to see the kids respond like that.”

Ben VanSumeren was a whirlwind talent for the Garber varsity from 2015-17, leading Bay County in receiving each season. He set a regular-season state record with 85 receptions in 2017, good for 1,259 yards and 13 touchdowns en route to earning Associated Press Player of the Year for Michigan. He went on to play at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University and recently completed his rookie season in the NFL as a linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles. He credits his time with Coquillard as a big part of his success.

“Coach C is one of my favorite people that I’ve ever been around,” he said. “He helped me grow my love for the game, as well as many others. He was a positive impact on players and let them be themselves and helped as they grew as men.

“His retirement is the end of an era in Garber history and he’ll be remembered as a legendary coach there. His mark on the program will be remembered for years and the memories he’s had with his players and staff will last a lifetime. I’m honored to have been coached by him.”

THE COQUILLARD YEARS

GARBER FOOTBALL

Year... W-L (Result)...Coach

2010...2-7...Jake Coquillard

2011...4-5...Jake Coquillard

2012…6-4 (Playoffs)…Jake Coquillard

2013…8-3 (Playoffs)…Jake Coquillard

2014…6-4 (Playoffs)…Jake Coquillard

2015…5-5 (Playoffs)…Jake Coquillard

2016…7-3 (Playoffs)…Jake Coquillard

2017…4-5…Jake Coquillard

2018…5-4…Jake Coquillard

2019…6-4 (Playoffs)…Jake Coquillard

2020…7-2 (Playoffs)…Jake Coquillard

2021…5-5 (Playoffs)…Jake Coquillard

2022…6-4 (Playoffs)…Jake Coquillard

2023…5-5 (Playoffs)…Jake Coquillard

Total...76-60 in 14 years