An inspiring journey — in football and life — leads UW Football head coach to a stunning opportunity
Before Jimmy Lake hit his teens, he’d already traveled the world. From the Western United States to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey to the Philippines and back again, he began learning skills that would inevitably lead to his coaching career.
“My dad was in the Air Force, so we moved around a lot,” the first-year head coach says. “After that experience, I felt like I could be dropped anywhere and be able to connect with people. That has helped me be a good recruiter and coworker and to communicate well with different people.”
After graduating from high school in Spokane, Jimmy attended Eastern Washington University on a football scholarship. A business major, he never set out to be a coach. Then, his EWU coaches recognized Jimmy’s leadership and strategic approach to the game and offered him an assistant coaching role his fifth year of college. His career had begun even before he earned his degree.
‘Just friends’ no more
Meanwhile, Jimmy stayed in touch with a girl he’d met in a ninth grade “life choices” class. He and Michele never dated, but they remained good friends over the years. When they ran into each other in downtown Spokane after college graduation, “at that moment we knew we’d be together for the rest of our lives.”
Michele and Jimmy now have three children: Jimmy Jr., 20, an Arizona State student; Faith, 18, heading to Colorado State this fall; and Bronson, 13, a middle-schooler.
After five years at EWU, Jimmy spent the next several seasons in one- or two-year stints with the UW, Montana State, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions. He longed for more stability and wanted to drive his own destiny. So, he decided to thoughtfully chart a path toward a head coaching career.
‘The best coach I’ve ever seen’
“Chris Petersen at Boise State was going to big bowl games season after season. I’d admired his career from afar for many years,” Jimmy relates. “I wanted to latch myself onto a very successful head coach and learn from the best head coach I’ve ever seen. He taught me team building and culture building at Boise State, and I helped him build our program at Washington.”
Then, the stunning phone call came from Athletic Director Jen Cohen the day after the Huskies’ seventh consecutive Apple Cup victory last November. Coach Pete was stepping down and Jimmy was the new head coach.
Within an hour of the public announcement the following Monday, Jimmy set off to visit every one of the 23 recruits across the nation who had committed to Coach Pete.
“Our job was to calm the waters and to tell them and their parents we were as committed as Coach Pete was to their development as young men.” Every recruit recommitted to Jimmy.
As football season approaches, he is focusing on training student-athletes to get bigger, stronger and faster. He’s implementing new schemes on offense and “adding wrinkles” to special teams and defense.
Thank you, Tyee Club!
Donors, Jimmy says, play a critical role in his vision for an even better Husky team. For example, thanks to donor support, Washington Football has revamped its nutrition program. Student-athletes enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks geared toward their unique physical needs.
“It’s a tremendous competitive advantage,” Jimmy notes. “It’s very comforting to know that our donors can help make our players better and healthier athletes. I love getting to know the donors and all our fans.”
He muses about what it means to attain such a coveted career goal.
“It’s a tremendous responsibility to be at Washington,” he concludes. “I know what this program means to fans who have followed it for decades, to football alumni who left their blood, sweat and tears on the field. My sole focus is making our guys better, not just in football but in life, so at the end of their experience they can be proud of what they gave to the University of Washington.”
