Nick Barton illustrates a scheme on the whiteboard during halftime of a game last season. (Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com)
BAY CITY, MI – Nick Barton helped Bay City All Saints football make a big move.
Now he’s on the go himself.
After leading the All Saints transition from 11-man football to eight-man football in 2017, Barton has stepped down as head football coach of the Cougars, citing the time commitment as the primary factor in his decision.
“Being a head coach was great. But my kids aren’t getting any younger, and being the head guy takes up a lot of time. It was time to let go,” said the 35-year-old Barton, who has two young daughters.
“My daughter had a baseball tryout… and I didn’t even get her bag out of the attic until the day of. I was thinking to myself, ‘I’ve been coaching for 16 years, helping other parents’ sons and daughters see something in themselves and become better people – and I couldn’t get my own daughter ready for her tryout.’ That hit home.”
Greg Wagner, athletic direct at All Saints, said the school will begin a coaching search immediately. The position is being posted on the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw Website and resumes are being accepted, with hopes of getting a new coach in place within a few weeks.
“Nick did an amazing job,” Wagner said. “He made a nice transition from 11-man to 8-man, getting us to the playoffs and winning a playoff game in the first year. Nick did a lot of homework. He made the transition look easier than it was.”
Nick Barton conducts a drill during practice for All Saints. (Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com)
Barton is a Bay City Central graduate who served as assistant coach at Saginaw Valley Lutheran, Bay City Western and Midland Bullock Creek before joining the All Saints staff in 2015. When Jonn Mathews departed as head coach after one season, Barton took the helm.
The Cougars went 3-6 in 2016 before making the big move to eight-man football last fall. Barton led All Saints to a 7-4 record, highlighted by a first-round playoff win over Marion, in its debut in the new format.
“With the transition, I not only learned the game from a different angle, but I grew as a coach,” Barton said.
Barton works as a school service worker at Bay City Western, where he also serves as an eighth-grade boys basketball coach and freshman baseball coach. He said, as of now, he is not part of the new Western football coaching staff but he has discussed the possibility with newly hired head coach Chris Willertz.
On Monday, he met with his All Saints players to let them know he was not returning for another season.
“They were sad but they understood,” he said. “I told them that they’re playing for the name on the jersey, not for the coach. Hopefully you believe in the coach, but you play for All Saints. As long as they keep that in mind, they will be successful no matter who the coach is.
“I love All Saints. The All Saints community is so tight-knit. They have your back. As long as they know you care about their child and their school, that’s what’s important to them.”
But now All Saints must begin the search for a new leader, the fifth head coach in 10 seasons since iconic All Saints coach Jeff Bisel retired after the 2008 campaign.
“We’re going to find another great coach for our boys,” Wagner said. “We have a great tradition and there are a lot of people around here who love football. Someone will step forward.”
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