Sunday Chat is a weekly feature appearing in The Blade’s print and digital platforms each Sunday.
For 50 years, Doug Pearson's life has been intertwined with the game of football, beginning with his Toledo grade-school days as a 9-year-old player with the DeVeaux Vikings.
His love of the game carried through four years at St. John's Jesuit, where he started at guard on the Titans’ 1981 City League championship team, and then for 40 years as a coach.
The coaching began in 1982 with two years at DeVeaux. Next came three years as St. John's junior varsity coach, and then as Start's freshman coach in 1987, when he was hired by Toledo Public Schools.
After serving under Spartans head coaches Nick Zientara and Dave Merritt, Pearson was named Start's head coach, guiding the Spartans from 1995-2001. He was hired as St. John's head coach, guiding the Titans for 15 seasons through 2016. The high point was a Division I state-semifinal run in 2003.
After stepping down, he worked in the University of Toledo football program (2017-20) as a volunteer under Rockets recruiting coordinator Rick Ciccone.
Earlier in this 2023 high school season, Pearson rejoined the football staff at St. John’s as a special teams coach.
During his 40 years in the profession, Pearson, 59, became one of northwest Ohio's most knowledgeable, respected, and well-connected football ambassadors.
He has been an assistant coach in Ohio's North-South all-star game, and Ohio’s head coach in the Big 33 all-star game against Pennsylvania. He served 18 years as a regional director for the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association, including one year as president.
Pearson credits his wife of 30 years, Nikkie, for making his career possible. With the demands and time requirements of a head coach, she did the lion's share of raising their two now grown children — Nate and Cara.
His belief in the importance of family was instilled by parents — Robert “Scotty” Pearson, a carpenter, and Margaret “Maud” Pearson — who came to Toledo in 1949 and 1950, respectively.
The Blade: How did your parents shape your life?
Pearson: “Being immigrants instilled a strong work ethic in me and my siblings. My dad came to America to do the best for his family that he could. We did our best in school, on the field, and at home. They taught all of us to live within our means, as we came from humble beginnings. This is something that I have never forgotten. Nikkie and I have worked hard to give our children a better life than we had.”
The Blade: What was your intro to football?
Pearson: “I started playing football when I was nine years old for the DeVeaux Vikings. I had great coaches that cared about all of us. Two of those coaches, Dave Wendt and Harold Keaton, coached for over 40 years at DeVeaux.
The Blade: How did you wind up at St. Johns?
Pearson: “That was kind of a fluke. My parents were in Florida, and I spent the night at a buddy’s house. The next day, his parents asked if I wanted to go to the open houses at St. Francis and St. John’s with them. When we visited St. John’s, I met coach Fred Beier, and that was it. I knew that day that I wanted to go to St. John’s and play football. The rest of my siblings went to Start, so it was a stretch.”
The Blade: Where did your trademark sense of humor come from?
Pearson: “I really don’t know other than I have always enjoyed making people laugh. I still try to make people laugh every day.”
The Blade: What has Nikkie's presence meant in your life?
Pearson: “Nikkie is my best friend and my rock. She had to do so many things with our kids while I was at practices, clinics, college recruiting, etc. She did it all — taking the kids everywhere they needed to be, helping with homework, making late-night meals. You name it, she did it. I love her with all my heart and, honestly, can’t thank her enough for what she allowed me to do with my career. The entire time she's worked full time at Toledo Hospital as a respiratory therapist. She is a remarkable woman.”
The Blade: Who are some of the area coaches that you admire?
Pearson: “Fred Beier, Dick Cromwell, Craig Schaeffer, Pat Gucciardo, Sr., Johnny Hutton, Rex Lingruen, Bob Olwin, just to name a few. Coaches other than football would be Ben Williams, Rich Arbinger, Ed Heintschel, and Ray Steely. There’s a guy that I hired at Start as my defensive coordinator in 1995 named Greg Dempsey, and he has done pretty well for himself. Joe Palka is a great coach and always had his kids prepared to play against us.”
The Blade: What stands out from your Start days?
Pearson: “I loved my time there. We had great kids who also had a good work ethic and were very bright. My 1997 team at Start went 9-2, and we beat St. John’s 17-7 in the Shoe Bowl. Also being an assistant on the 1994 state champion Start baseball team was very special. I still talk to guys from those teams almost 30 years later. We forged a strong community at Start.”
The Blade: What did it mean to become to St. John's head coach?
Pearson: “It was special for me, although how it happened was strange. I had no desire to leave Start, then Toledo Public Schools announced that they were cutting the vocational program that I taught at all the TPS high schools. I did not want to teach in another school and be the head coach at Start. I wanted to be in the building. Ed Heintschel [at St. John's] reached out to me in December to gauge my interest for the vacant football job. The kids worked very hard and I was fortunate to bring my assistants with me from Start. We coached and instilled the same things that we had done previously. When we made the playoffs my first year, it gave the entire staff credibility in the building.”
The Blade: What's on your bucket list?
Pearson: “My bucket list is to take Nikkie to Scotland to see the beautiful country, go back to Aruba, where we had our 25th anniversary trip, visit several MLB stadiums, and go to the Masters, even for a practice round. I want to play a lot of golf, and just enjoy my family.”
First Published October 29, 2023, 11:30 a.m.
