The SLO High School football program has a hidden gem on their coaching staff but he’s not hard to miss.
At 6’5, former NFL tight end Bear Pascoe towers over people when he’s on the field but it’s his words that make him most valuable as an assistant coach for the Tigers; a position he's held since 2019.
“We had a really good season in 2019," Head Coach Pat Johnston said. "Come to find out, he's just one of the best people that you can know in terms of his humility and his personality and the way he cares for others and wants to help.”
Having won a Super Bowl with the Giants in 2012, Pascoe has reached the pinnacle of the sport, fulfilling a dream he had growing up on a ranch in Porterville, California.
“From day one, ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to play in the NFL and I never had a Plan B for it," Pascoe explained. "I knew that's what I was going to do and that's what I was born to do.”
Now he finds purpose in sharing his knowledge of the game with the younger generation.
“I give them some next level hints on how to get their job done here and there and and make them the best athletes a coach can.”
While Pascoe has found a new calling in coaching, retiring from playing football in 2017, he took up a rodeo event he had always been interested in growing up: steer wrestling.
“When I finally decided to step away from football, that was one of the first things I wanted to do was learn how to steer wrestle.”
In what is widely considered a young man’s game, Pascoe learned the ropes from his father-in-law and former steer wrestling world champion John W. Jones Jr. getting good enough to place and even win Pro Rodeo events up and down the California coast. More importantly though, he’s been able to get the thrill of competition back into life.
“When you go make a good run in the arena and there's a big crowd and stuff, the adrenaline gets pumping through my heart. It's very comparable to playing football.”
Whether it’s a football helmet or a cowboy hat on his head, Pascoe has always given his absolute best to whatever he’s done. He’s learned to work hard from his upbringing on a ranch in the San Joaquin valley and he’s always given back.
“He's one of the best people I know," Johnston said. "He's a great friend. He's a fantastic motivator and role model for people. He's a hard worker.”
“I think it's really, really cool to see that you can really have two dreams," SLO High School senior tight end Chance Evans said of his coach. "You can play at the highest level for football and then go pursue your dream in rodeo or in another hobby.”
With a background in sports performance, Pascoe also has his own business called Full Speed Decision Performance that specializes in training young athletes, something he’s proven to be pretty good at so far.
