Ocoee High School announced Thursday the hiring of former Apopka head baseball head coach Bobby Brewer, who stepped down last week after six seasons on the job.
The news came just days after Jeff Rolson’s sudden resignation as head football coach, leaving Apopka without leaders for two major sports programs.
“I’m going to miss wearing that Blue Darter jersey,” Brewer said. “I’ll miss the boys because we always got along well with the kids. I’ll miss the coaches, and I’ll miss all the games. But the biggest thing is, to the parents that really supported the program, I’ll miss them.”
The switch to a rival Apopka area school, Ocoee, is a shock to some who know Brewer’s storied history with the Apopka baseball program. Brewer’s influence spans decades as a player, assistant, and, most recently, head coach.
As a three-year starter at first base from 1977–79, Brewer had the rare honor of playing under three of Florida’s most respected coaches while a Blue Darter at Apopka High School: Pete Dunn (1977), Chip Gierke (1978) and Sonny Wise (1979). He was a key contributor to the 1979 team’s Final Four run.
Brewer returned to the program as an assistant coach during the Sonny Wise era, helping guide Apopka to state prominence and even national top 10 rankings in the 1980s and again in the early 2000s. He became head coach prior to the 2020 season and brought stability to an Apopka baseball program in transition.
But perhaps Brewer’s most iconic achievement came outside high school baseball—as head coach of the 2001 Apopka Little League team that captured the national title and advanced to the Little League World Series final. Though they fell to Taiwan in the championship game, the team was dubbed “America’s Team” and brought national attention and pride to the Apopka community.
Over his six years as head coach of the Apopka baseball team, Brewer amassed a 91-48 record, a 2022 Regional Semifinal appearance, and three District Championship appearances.
Brewer’s departure from Apopka comes after a 14-10 2025 season where the Blue Darters were knocked out in the 7A District 4 Semifinals by the Lake Brantley Patriots, 5-4.
Brewer said that he was not asked to step down and that his decision to do so has nothing to do with his losses in recent years.
“In five years, we had two 20-plus win seasons,” Brewer said. “We played for a district championship three times and went to the second round in the regionals. So it wasn’t about us not being successful. We won 17 or 18 ball games every year.”
In the 2025 season, Apopka played a majority of its home games away because of problems with the new facilities’ construction in the early months of the year. The Apopka baseball and softball complexes were supposed to be completely operational by the time the season started, but they were not, forcing home games to be rescheduled into mid-March.
These complications raised questions from players’ parents and the community about the program, which put stress on this season and the team’s personnel.
Brewer told the Chief this week that the most significant reason he is stepping away from the program is that it’s just not as fun as it used to be for him. He clarified that the joy he has gotten from working with his players has been what has kept him here for so long, but he wants a new perspective.
“You got to have fun doing this,” Brewer said. “And again, it’s just to the point where things ain’t like they used to be. I love being a Blue Darter. I really enjoyed my time with the players, and I really enjoyed my time with the parents who supported the programs. And sometimes it only takes a few things or people to make it not. And I’m just not having any fun.”
Now, at Ocoee, Brewer may face off against his former players come spring next year.
“I’m gonna be rooting for the guys every time they play anybody,” Brewer said. “If we get a chance to play them, and I don’t know if we will, obviously I want us (Ocoee) to win. But the kids know who I am and that I like to win. I’ll root for them against anyone else. I’m with them to the finish line.”
Despite his departure, Brewer told me he really does believe the Apopka team will be amazing next year. He said that just because he took the Ocoee job doesn’t mean he doesn’t believe the team he left is capable of success.
“I think they should be one of the top teams in all of Central Florida next year,” he said. “They’ve got a great player in every position on the field. This year, the maturity level will play a big role because the team will be totally senior-oriented, especially the pitching staff. And it’s gonna kind of hurt my feelings a little bit because it’s not me there, but I needed a change of scenery.”
Apopka athletic director Aaron Crawford did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
