Florida science teacher and football coach Jeff Larson passed away from Covid-19 on Dec. 25, 2019. (Photo credit: Milton High School)

It is with great sadness that we report the passing Jeff Larson, a beloved educator and coach from Milton, Florida. Jeff succumbed to Covid-19 on December 25, 2019. He was 60 years old.

Jeff’s career as an educator spanned nearly four decades He taught first in Texas, and then he relocated to Florida, where he spent the last 25 years of his career. He was a science teacher and football coach at Milton High School in the Santa Rosa County School District in Milton, Florida.

Jeff will be sorely missed. “He was probably the most revered science teacher in the department,” remembered Tim Short, Milton High School Principal. “A great teacher, a tremendous football coach, but a better person.” Short continued, “He wasn’t a coach that taught, he was a teacher that coached. His peers could see the impact that he had on kids and on the school and on the community.”

Not only was he an exemplary educator, but Jeff’s prowess as a football coach was also well-known. “Many have wondered just how he took a group of average/undersized offensive linemen and delivered them to the doorstep of a Florida State Championship,” remarked Jeff’s former student Wesley Meiss, who is now the mayor of Milton. “Answer: Technique. His technique turned young boys into the men we are today,” Meiss continued.

In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, Jeff sponsored the school’s martial arts club and the debate club. He also coached baseball, softball, and other sports. Jeff was honored as the Teacher of the Year in 2004-2005.

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this story published by the Pensacola News Journal.