Coach

"My friends call me Coach. I guess y'all can do the same."

- Coach

"I ain't gonna die waitin' on salvation. As long as we still got guns, we gonna fight."

- Coach, in the teaser trailer.

Coach is one of the four playable survivors in Left 4 Dead 2. He was a high school health teacher and coordinator for the freshman football team before the Infection hit his hometown of Savannah. He is the oldest of the group and takes it upon himself to motivate his fellow Survivors.

Coach's facial features are portrayed by Darnell Rice and he is voiced by Chad Coleman.

Relationships with other Survivors
Coach is the eldest, voice of reason, and authority of the Left 4 Dead 2 team, playing a similar role to Bill in Left 4 Dead. He comes across as a warm-hearted, religious, father figure and often retains an optimistic attitude that is hard to disagree with. Despite his friendly demeanor, his experience as an actual coach makes him demand things of the other Survivors in a positive way - for example, loudly encouraging them to get back on their feet.


 * Ellis
 * Despite their age gap, Coach and Ellis have several shared interests: they both like the Midnight Riders, Jimmy Gibbs Junior and Whispering Oaks Amusement Park. Coach is surprisingly patient with Ellis' naïve ways and defends him whenever Nick is negative or sarcastic toward him. Both are also native Georgians, which could contribute to their friendliness with each other.


 * Nick
 * Nick and Coach have the most antagonistic relationship in the game, similar to that of Francis and Bill in Left 4 Dead. What appears to rile Coach the most is that Nick is the antithesis of the cooperative "team player" with whom that he is most comfortable socially. Nick will say things just to needle Coach, for example claiming that Jimmy Gibbs Junior "looks like an asshole" and making disparaging rejoinders whenever Coach gets enthusiastic about something; such as happy childhood memories of the Whispering Oaks Amusement Park.


 * Notwithstanding their passive-aggressive mutual dislike, both will seem unhappy when the other should be unlucky enough to die. On Coach's death, Nick may utter "God damn it Coach, what did you leave me with...", showing that despite his attitude, he regards Coach as having a leadership role in the group. Over the course of the events, they both become less disrespectful toward each other, though Nick still often teases Coach about his weight and fondness for cheeseburgers and chocolate. Most tellingly Coach is the one who steps in when Nick's pessimism crosses the line at the climax of the entire sequence of campaigns. When Nick questions the wisdom of running into the arms of the military despite the evidence that they have been killing non-infected civilians; Coach crushes him by saying "You can make yourself a new life right here in this room, Nick." to which Nick responds by instantly and meekly falling in with Coach's lead.


 * Rochelle
 * Rochelle and Coach like one another in a way that somewhat mirrors Zoey's and Bill's relationship in Left 4 Dead. They interact in a consistently friendly way and their personalities fully compliment each other. They are thus very unhappy to see the other die. Coach often refers to Rochelle as "little sister", meaning he feels protective of her.


 * Francis
 * Coach and Francis do not have much interaction, but when Coach talks to him or when Francis tosses an item down to Coach in the finale, they will sound friendly. In one interaction between the two, Francis will ask Rochelle if Coach is her father, to which Coach responds in a somewhat offended manner, while Rochelle teases him later for it. However it is very revealing that Coach (presumably on the basis of his sporting and team management talent and experience) senses something unsettling about Francis and does not seem to trust him very much; for example he says he believes that Francis could have stolen Jimmy Gibbs Junior's car.


 * Zoey
 * There is little interaction between these two. Coach teases Ellis about meeting her, telling him to stop being so nervous and playfully joking about his interest in her.


 * Louis
 * Coach and Louis seem to understand each other's situation quite well. Since both are optimists and want to keep in good spirits. Louis wishes Coach luck and Coach invites Louis (and the other Survivors) to join up with his group and go to New Orleans together, an offer Louis politely declines.

Quotes
"See: Coach/Quotes"