Southwestern University

John Bishop ’19 joined the Pirates football coaching staff in the fall of 2019, currently entering his eighth season. In 2023, Coach Bishop took over the Recruiting Coordinator position, and is responsible for all recruiting operations for the Pirate Football staff. 

At least one Wide Receiver or Tight End has been selected to an All-Conference list since Bishop joined the staff. In 2025, Bishop helped coach lead the Pirates offense with 26.10 points per game, which was the most since 2018. His wide receiver room excelled as Graydon Thompson posted the most prolific receiving season in program history with a school record 983 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

Tight End Isaac Podraza made the All-SAA list in 2024, while freshman H-Back and Tight-End Sam Johnson received D3football.com All-Region honors in 2023. In 2022, Bishop coached three All-Conference selections in one year including ASC Newcomer of the Year, JoJo Wilson, Ethan Powell, and Tight-End Joey Robinson. 

Bishop was a member of the football team all four years in school, including three seasons as a letter winner. At Southwestern, Bishop was a member of the Character Council leadership group and graduated with his bachelor's degree in Kinesiology.