Kearney’s Brad Colhour: Work toward a goal
KEARNEY, Mo. — Halfway between Cameron and St. Joe is the town of Stewartsville, which has a population of around 750. This is where Coach Brad Colhour of Kearney was born and raised and went to high school. There, he competed in track, basketball, and 8-man football. When his dad went to school there, they competed in 6-man football. Colhour’s graduating class had twenty students.
“It was a great school district, and great people in the school,” says Colhour. “We had phenomenal teachers for being that small of a school. And that’s part of why science was my favorite subject. The teachers we had were great.”
Colhour attended Missouri Western and focused his studies on physical education. By the third week of the Spring semester, he knew he was going to teach and coach. As he finished his education, he got into coaching as a graduate assistant and then on the staff of several colleges. He coached collegiate football at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Northwest Missouri State University, and Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kansas. Altogether, he spent nine seasons coaching college football.
In 2006, Colhour was hired as the football coach at Lathrop High School, where he spent ten years. In 2016, he was hired at the Kearney school district, where he has been coaching track and football ever since.
Colhour’s fondest memories of coaching at Kearney have been experienced with his son Brock. This four-time all-state track athlete was part of the 2022 Class 4 state champion track team and the 2023 Class 4 state football championship team.
“Winning the title this year in football with my son on the field,” says Colhour. “That was a culmination of a lot of years together. And being able to do that in two sports, track and football. Being there with him this year as his position coach, and just watching him be successful on the field to help the team. That was the biggest moment.”
“I think you have to be a constant seeker of knowledge,” says Colhour. “I worked for legendary football coach Mel Tjeerdsma at Northwest Missouri State. We would go to clinics together. He had been coaching for many years and had won the national title. We would go to the clinics, and when he wasn’t speaking, he was sitting in the front row with his notebook, taking notes and paying close attention. And it didn’t matter who was speaking. You want to pattern yourself off people like coach Tjeerdsma. And you should always be seeking new things and new knowledge.”
“I hope the kids I have coached know I care about them more than just as an athlete, but as a person, and I’ve always strived to do what is best for them. And I hope they have learned how to not just work hard but to work hard toward a goal. No matter what you do in life, you will always be part of a team and must work together as a unit. And hopefully, some of the things we have taught them here in sports can help in other areas of their life, not just athletics. That is the biggest thing I hope people know when it is all said and done, and that is what they remember.”
We are grateful for the dedication and work that Coach Colhour has provided for the students at Kearney.
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