“I saw an article, and it said former Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook, and I thought, ‘Whoa! That’s that sounds weird..” said Lauren Cook-West, as the father-daughter duo kicked off the latest episode of Kicking Back the with the Cooks. Although her father retired at the end of January 2025, the feeling that Coach Cook is no longer coaching hasn’t sunk in.
It’s not just the ex-Nebraska Huskers volleyball coach’s daughter, but the community at large. Despite the 68-year-old’s successor and former Husker Dani Busboom Kelly taking over the reins, not everyone is over Coach Cook. And it’s that name that even his own daughter is having a hard time forgetting. Lauren Cook-West explained exactly why that was the case.
John Cook‘s daughter asked: “What do I even call you now? I’m thinking about this. I think I can finally call you just dad,” said Lauren Cook-West while discussing her father’s retirement. “I don’t have to call you coach cook anymore,” added Kicking Back with the Cook’s podcast host. While that may sound surprising, Cook-West explained why she addressed her father as coach.
The former Nebraska volleyball player, who trained and played under her father’s tutelage, recalled how their conversation played out in 2010. “I remember the first thing you said is; ‘I’m coach Cook anywhere that involves volleyball. Off the court though, at home, you can call me dad,’” explained the former All-American and John Cook’s pupil.
Although the former Husker was free to call her father ‘dad’ outside of NU, that rule somehow made it all the way home. Lauren Cook-West never really got around to calling her father anything other than Coach Cook. Now that the former Nebraska volleyball coach has left the profession, she may finally start calling him dad. Yet, has Coach Cook really left Nebraska?
Everyone in Nebraska loves John Cook
While the 68-year-old has officially retired, you can still spot his shadow on the Huskers’ door. That’s because of arrangements regarding how the ACVA Coach of the Year could continue to advise the Huskers were already underway even before he handed over the proverbial baton to Dani Busboon Kelly. At least that’s what Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen hinted at.
“I have asked John to stay on — we’re working through the contract,” Dannen said. However, John Cook’s new role would be nowhere near as hands-on as his previous one. As per Huskers Extra, Dannen asked Cook to stay on as more of a role model and an advisor. The athletic director even outlined why he made such a proposal to the NCAA national title-winning coach.
“…For a lot of reasons. One, for his leadership, and his ability to teach leadership. We need that for our student-athletes, and not just for the volleyball team,” said Dannen. Try Dannen also added that he isn’t the only one who envisions Cook continuing to be involved in some capacity. “People trust his voice,” said Dannen, explaining how everyone at Husker volleyball will still listen to whatever advice Cook may have for them.
And at least for now, John Cook hasn’t completely put Nebraska in the rearview mirror, either. Besides hoping to regularly return to Nebraska to enjoy some college football, Cook has also shown interest in seeing through the projects he had worked on in the weeks leading up to his retirement. However, none of this would stop Lauren Cook-West from addressing Coach Cook as ‘dad’.
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