The end of college football season also brought an end to the standout coaching career of a Norco native.
Tim Rebowe announced his retirement from Nicholls State and the football coaching ranks on Dec. 1 after 10 years as the program’s head coach.
At Nicholls, Rebowe was the man in charge and became known for leading a Nicholls program to unprecedented success.
But before that, his coaching beginnings came at Harry Hurst Middle School, where he served as the head football coach, and at Destrehan High School where Rebowe was the Wildcats’ head baseball coach.
In 1988, Rebowe began coaching as an assistant with the DHS football team as its special teams and defensive backs coach. By 1992, he was named the Wildcats’ head coach – he posted a 26-11 record over his three seasons in that position and guided DHS to the 1993 Class 5A state championship game.
Some Destrehan legends learned under his tutelage, including NFL Hall of Famer Ed Reed and former Green Bay Packers running back Rondell Mealey.
His next stop was his first collegiate job – and his first tenure at Nicholls. Rebowe credited former Hahnville High School head football coach Darren Barbier for that opportunity. The two men coached against one another as rivals from 1992 to 1994, but they headed to Nicholls together when Barbier was hired to lead the Colonels program as head coach.
“You start reflecting on the people who helped you out over the years – I owe Darren a lot,” Rebowe said. “Sure, we were rivals, but only on one night a year, and we became good friends.”
Rebowe served as an assistant on the Nicholls staff until 2001, and also had tenures as a Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana-Lafayette assistant before 2015, when Rebowe got his biggest opportunity – to be the head coach of a collegiate team. Nicholls State hired him to lead a program that needed rebuilding. The Colonels went 0-12 the season prior to his arrival.
He guided Nicholls to a 3-8 record in his first season with the team. In year two, Nicholls went 5-6, with a 5-4 Southland Conference record.
By year three, Rebowe had built Nicholls into a winner – the Colonels went 8-4 and reached the Division I FCS playoffs. And by year four, Nicholls was a conference champion. Their Southland Conference title also qualified them for the FCS playoffs for a second straight season, the first time Nicholls had ever done so in back-to-back years.
A year later, it would make the first time Nicholls had ever won back-to-back championships.
“It takes a lot of good people,” Rebowe said. “You have to surround yourself with a quality staff, commitment from administration – and we had that in place. You need have values and stick to those values.”
He did it with a primary focus on recruiting local athletes.
“I’ve always felt that the River Parishes, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, the Bayou … (the area) is so rich in talent,” said Rebowe. “You still have to identify the guys who will fit in your program … we felt if they’re making plays on Friday night, they can make them on Saturday.”
For the first time in a very long time, Rebowe can relax as he enjoys retired life.
“It’s been really nice. I’ve had the chance to do some things I haven’t been able to do, and just enjoying some quality time with my family,” Rebowe said.
