Marv Cook steps down as Iowa City Regina football coach

IOWA CITY — Marv Cook is stepping down as football coach at Regina High School, he announced Thursday.

Cook sent a letter to The Gazette Thursday night announcing his decision, one he wrote was “not easy.”

Cook coached the Regals to seven state titles in 14 seasons.

In his letter, he wrote “after weeks of deep thought and reflection, I am stepping down as head football coach at Iowa City Regina.

“I apologize for not addressing this earlier, but I wanted to be confident and secure in my decision and wasn’t able to achieve that until this week. This was not an easy decision because Regina football means so much to me, but the timing is right to step aside.”

Cook’s youngest son, Ashton, just graduated from Regina and will walk-on at Iowa State.

A former West Branch prep standout who earned All-America honors at Iowa and played in the NFL, Cook said reflection after the graduation cemented his decision.

“As I worked through the process of deciding on whether I should remain as head coach at Regina, the main thought that kept running through my mind is how thankful I am to all of those who have been a part of the past 14 seasons,” he wrote.

Cook thanked the administration, the booster club, the families, his staff and the opposing coaches who have “been extremely generous with their time and have always picked up the phone when I’ve had questions and needed advice.”

“The most important thank you goes to the players,” he wrote. “My greatest desire and goal for coaching at this level was to strive to give each of you experiences during high school that will last forever. Experiences that will provide you with the memories of shared common goals and interest, of working together to achieve a desired outcome and to instill in you the belief that if you are willing to surround yourself with like-minded people and work hard enough you can achieve great things.”