Bloomingdale football coach John Booth says he did not just apply for the Bradenton Manatee head job on a whim.
He did it because he thought he was the man for the job. Because his familiarity with the Bradenton area made him ideal. Because as a 2000 graduate, he understood the Hurricane tradition better than most.
His alma mater apparently agreed with him.
On Tuesday afternoon, Booth was officially hired as the new Bradenton Manatee football coach, replacing legendary coach Joe Kinnan. Kinnan stepped aside recently due to health problems.
Booth applied last week, was called Saturday to schedule an interview for Monday, which he presumably nailed, and Tuesday he was hired.
"It was very fast," Booth said. "The interview went well, I thought. I feel very lucky and blessed to be part of it, to be going back home.
"I am fully confident in my abilities and the job that I can do. I didn't just throw my hat in it and hope for the best. I applied because I know I can do the job."
Booth played and coached collegiately at MidAmerica Nazarene University, an NAIA school in Olathe, Kansas, before taking his first head coaching job at Bloomingdale in 2009. He went 0-10 his first season, but the Bulls showed improvement every year.
Last season the Bulls went 6-4, the best regular season in school history, and were considered a playoff contender heading into the fall.
"We had a goal this year of making the playoffs. We certainly felt like we could do that," Booth said. " I feel like we have left something good here at Bloomingdale."