A new coach, new season give hope for Cosmos football team

The Cosmos varsity football team has a new Head Coach, Donnie Scott (right), shown here teaching the team fundamentals at a recent practice.

The Cosmos varsity football team has a new Head Coach, Donnie Scott (right), shown here teaching the team fundamentals at a recent practice.

 

By Mike Murphy
Special to The Review
When it comes to confidence, rookie Cosmos varsity football Head Coach Donnie Scott is brimming with it.
The fact that the Cosmos went 0-9 last year is no deterrent. According to Scott, it’s a new staff and a new team, and he wants to transform Hamtramck into a town of proud football fanatics.
“I know most little cities all across America are huge football towns,” Scott said. “Friday night, the stores should be closed.”
The 32-year-old coach is no stranger to the game. He began his football career at 11-years-old playing for the Eastside Cowboys Police Athletic League team.
After graduating from Pershing High School, on Detroit’s eastside, Scott played for the State University of New York, where he graduated with a degree in criminal justice.
Since coming back to the Detroit area, Scott returned to the PAL team. As a youngster, he played fly back.  As an adult, he took over as head coach and led the Eastside Cowboys in an 11-0 season in his first year. He led the Cowboys to three league championships in his 12 years of coaching.
For Scott, the transition from player to coach came easy.
“I was always a leader on the field,” Scott said. “I’m known for making programs a little bit better.”
Scott said transforming the team will also involve a bit of a transformation for Hamtramck High School’s football fans, who have understandably been disappointed as of late.
Although shuttering Hamtramck for the duration of the high school’s football games may not work out exactly, Scott is still looking for some help from the fans.
“I just want to change the way people talk about Hamtramck football, because there’s a lot of talent out there,” Scott said.
Thus far in the 2014 season, Hamtramck took a forfeit victory over Highland Park, and lost last week to Rouge. Now, with a 1-1 record, Scott is predicting a 7-2 season.
“That’s going to light the city up,” he said.
Scott’s confidence seems a bit striking considering last year’s performance, but the new head coach said fans will see a new team this year. The differences lie in the efforts he’s made to transform the team into a winning football machine, he said.
“I had to build the whole team,” Scott said. “We have 27 players now, and I am looking for them to make the state playoffs this year after going 0-9 last year.”

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