NORTHAMPTON — Joe Kocot will return to the high school football sidelines after a three-year hiatus from coaching.
Northampton High School announced Friday that Kocot will take over the program this fall.
Kocot retired from coaching in 2014 after leading Easthampton since its beginning as a program in 1998. He won Super Bowls in 2010 and 2005 with the Eagles and finished with more than 100 career wins.
Kocot previously coached for Northampton as an assistant under Frank Tudryn from 1981-1984 and 1994-1997. During his short retirement, Kocot was the justice outreach coordinator for homeless veterans at Soldier On, Inc.
Northampton Athletic Director Kara Dupre also announced that Kocot has added longtime Easthampton assistant Steve Dion to his staff as well as Northampton junior varsity and assistant coach Ryan Parent and Northampton assistant Sean Kellogg.
Kocot takes over for Eddie Jewel, who coached the Blue Devils for one season and finished with a 4-6 record. Dupre said Jewel applied for the head coaching job at Northampton, but decided not to interview for it. Jewel said he took a non-football related job in another part of the state. Kocot could not immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon.