That Friday
Night Feeling
by Bernie Fratto
April 2003

The next time you’re out on a Friday evening in Novi, enjoying an entertaining high school football game in a packed house with your friends and family, you might want to thank John Osborne.

While attending Cooley High School as a two-sport athlete (football and baseball), John Osborne recalls at that time, football games were played during the afternoon hours.

So, after graduating from Alma College in 1962 with a B.S. Degree in Physical Education, he knew that someday soon he would be coaching Varsity Football, and he would schedule Friday night games so the entire community could attend.

John Osborne began his career in the Novi School District later that year, and at that time, Novi High School as we know it today, was K-8. But the burgeoning community was on the move, and by 1968, the same fall the Detroit Tigers were defeating the St. Louis Cardinals to win the World Series, John Osborne’s Novi Wildcats fielded their first Varsity Football team, that also featured the school’s first graduating class.

His squad boasted a 6-2 record as well, not bad for group in this stage of its embryonic development. And along the way, Coach Osborne’s mantra, which focused on preparation, preparation, and more preparation, became firmly entrenched.

Coach “O” is emphatic when stating, “The only guarantee we have, is that if we don’t prepare, we have no chance at all.” Couple that with his strong belief that, “If we’re going to play, let’s be good,” and you begin to see the dedication and intensity John Osborne brought to his craft during his 33 year tenure as head football coach of the Novi Wildcats.

And, along the way there were some great runs. Between ’71 and ’74, and again between ’86 and ’89, the hometown Cats hardly lost a game. In November 1988, Coach Osborne’s undefeated team found itself in the state semi-finals against powerhouse Traverse City, falling 13-12 in a thriller, as Novi had the ball on the goal-line as the contest came to an end. The following week, Traverse City won the State Championship handily; prompting most observers to acknowledge the real State Championship game had really been between Novi vs. Traverse City the week before.

A competitor by nature, John Osborne always, always fielded teams that were competitive, and prepared. Visit with him today, and it’s evident that his attention to detail, level of preparation, and competitive spirit are very much intact. And while winning games was always on the top of the list, teaching life lessons through sport and developing young men for the game of life are the primary reasons why he chose this profession.

A college athlete that was an “end” on the football team, and a shortstop on the baseball team, Coach “O” has “been there” and certainly has an intuitive feel for what it takes to compete… in anything.

Although the record will show he officially retired 2000, his presence and assistance of Novi Varsity football has helped to produce successful playoff teams the last three years, and he is quick to tell you there are only 133 days until the Wildcats kickoff next season, at home, against Chelsea.

Or, in other words, only 133 more days until that “Friday night feeling.” If you attend the game that night, you might want to waive to Coach “O” and say, thanks.

And you can be sure of one thing… Coach John Osborne will be prepared.