WSJ 6-3-2-024: This Legendary Coach Didn’t Want A Raise. He Wanted a Horse.
This Legendary Coach Didn’t Want A Raise. He Wanted a Horse. When Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook negotiated a new contract, he said he’d go without annual increases in pay if the school bought him an animal he felt a special bond with. Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook and No. 415. COURTESY OF JOHN COOK By Jared Diamond Follow and Robert O’Connell Follow June 3, 2024 10:00 am ET 10 Gift unlocked article Listen (6 min) John Cook, the longtime coach of the University of Nebraska’s vaunted women’s volleyball team, had a peculiar request when he was negotiating his latest contract. He wasn’t asking for more money, more vacation time or the use of a private jet. He wanted a horse. And not just any horse. Cook had his heart set on what he described as a “once-in-a-lifetime performance horse” called No. 415, named for the number branded on his body as a colt. So on a recent telephone call with his boss, Cook laid out his conditions: He wo...