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Miami’s Kokal starts well, eyes another MAC crown
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Miami safety Anthony Kokal, shown here intercepting against Kent State in 2010, will try to help the RedHawks win their second straight MAC title this fall.
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Miami (Ohio) senior Anthony Kokal has always told people he valued team success over individual honors, but that theory was put to the test in 2010 when he lost his starting safety spot to his best friend on the team, Pat Hinkel.
“It was a really humbling experience,” said Kokal, a Warren JFK High graduate who earned third team all-conference honors as a sophomore. “But the thing that always mattered to me was being on a winning team. You can do as much as you want individually, but without your team, what does it mean?
“Losing that starting job was a great thing for me. It was a great learning experience.”
Kokal still played extensively last season — he appeared in all 14 games, starting once, and made 39 tackles — and, even better, he helped the RedHawks go 10-4, win the Mid-American Conference and beat Middle Tennessee State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.
After head coach Michael Haywood left Miami for Pitt in December (where he was fired weeks later after a domestic violence arrest), the RedHawks hired former YSU offensive coordinator Don Treadwell. His offensive and defensive coordinators, John Klacik and Pete Rekstis, also coached under Jim Tressel at YSU and his defensive line coach, Nick Siatras, is from Campbell.
“It’s great having those coaches who come from my area,” said Kokal, whose older brother, Mike, lettered from 2004-07 at Miami. “I think it gives you a stronger bond with your coaches and it’s great to know they were mentored by such a great guy in Jim Tressel.
“The Youngstown coaching tree is a lot bigger than most people think. It’s such a great football school.”
Now back in the starting lineup this fall, Kokal had a team-high 13 tackles in last week’s 29-23 loss to Minnesota. It was the RedHawks’ second straight close loss to a bigger program; they fell to nationally-ranked Missouri 17-6 in the opener.
“A loss is a loss; they’re not moral victories,” Kokal said. “But those losses gave us a lot of confidence because we found out we can play with those big teams.”
The RedHawks open MAC play on Saturday at home against Bowling Green (2-1) and Kokal thinks it’ll be a good barometer of where they stand in the league.
“It’s so exciting to get into MAC play,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a great test for us.”
Kokal graduated with his bachelor’s degree in accounting in May and is working on his master’s degree in accountancy. (“It’s just a fancy way of saying accounting,” he said, laughing.) His father, Greg, played in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets and now owns Saint Anthony’s Transportation Services, a trucking company in Warren.
While he’s not sure if he’ll work for his father or head to an accounting firm instead, he’s got a much clearer idea of what he wants for his football future: another MAC title.
“We have such great coaches and we’re definitely moving in the right direction,” he said. “I’m really excited about this year.”