FOOTBALL: HORNET HALL OF FAMER JOHN PEASE PASSES
Former Hornet football player, University of Utah Assistant Coach, and NFL Coach, John Pease passed last Sunday at the age of 77.
Former Hornet football player, University of Utah Assistant Coach, and NFL Coach, John Pease passed last Sunday at the age of 77.
A true Hornet football legend, John Pease was one of the last players in college to be voted as an All-American for both offense and defense. He was one of the great Fullerton College athletes to play under Hal Sherbeck during the 1961 and 1962 seasons.
From there, Pease made a name for himself at the University of Utah where he played both ways as a running back and linebacker during the 1963 and 1964 seasons.
After his playing days, Pease worked as a grad assistant for the Utes, and then came home to Fullerton College earning his first coaching gig in 1970 with Coach Sherbeck. Helping create daunting Hornet defenses until 1975, Pease also worked for Long Beach State and then headed back to Utah in 1977.
Pease spent 1978-82 at Washington leading the Huskies to two Rose Bowls, the Aloha Bowl, and the Sun Bowl.
After crushing the competition in the PAC-10 Conference, Pease took a leap forward in 1983 coaching in the professional football ranks of the USFL under Head Coach Jim Mora's Philadelphia-Baltimore Stars. The start-up team won two championships, and then the star-studded league soon folded.
In 1986, Pease followed Mora to the NFL working as the New Orleans Saint's defensive line coach. He fit in so well that he spent nine years in that position (1986 to 1995). With the Saints, Pease directed formidable lines that were the foundation of defensive units that led the team to three playoff appearances in his final five years with the club.
Pease was the assistant head coach/defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2002. He has long been considered one of the NFL's best defensive line coaches. While he coached with the Jaguars from 1995-2001, his units averaged over 42 sacks per season.
A 21-year coaching veteran in professional football, Pease last coached in the NFL with New Orleans in 2004-05. He appeared in the playoffs eight times with the two teams.
With his NFL days behind him, Pease was brought out of retirement by Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham to work as the Defensive Line Coach for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. In total, Pease retired three times due to minor health issues and then came back to help the Utah football squad with a share of the PAC-12 a couple of 10-3 finishes, and an undefeated 13-0 season where they won the Sugar Bowl over Alabama.
Pease was inducted into the Fullerton College Hall of Fame in 2008. In the Hall are many of John's close friends including Jeff Jespersen, Bill Chambers, and Brig Owens.
Once a Hornet, Always a Hornet.
Hornets Steve DeBerg, John Pease, and Jim Fassel with Coach Sherbeck (2010)
More on Coach John Pease's Utah career and life.
