Franklin High husband-wife coaching tandem balances sports, family & community

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Olivia Owle

When you see Coach Josh Brooks at a Franklin High School football game, odds are you’ll find his family there, too. Winning games is, of course, a team effort. But so is caring for his four kids. His two oldest kids even ride the bus with the high school team to away games, like the one Friday, March 19, at Brevard High School. Brooks said having his kids around sports teaches them discipline and teamwork. But it’s also an important lesson for his athletes, too. “I just want to set an example for them as a husband, as a father, as a coach and a teacher,” Brooks said. Those are all roles Brooks says he takes very seriously, though sometimes the busy schedules mean sacrificing a little family time. His wife, Bekah, knows those sacrifices very well, because she’s making them, too. “People are like, ‘How do y’all do it? You’ve got 4 kids, you’re married, you’re both coaching?’ It goes back to teamwork,” Bekah Brooks said. She not only coaches volleyball and women’s junior varsity basketball at Franklin High, but she also teaches there. They said they hope that if their kids choose to seriously pursue sports in the future, they’ll already know the meaning of teamwork. After all, they grew up surrounded by powerful examples of it at home, on the court and on the field.