Cole helps write song for local film production

Tom Cole helped write a song that will used in an upcoming film.

Tom Cole has worn many hats during his working career in the Toledo area: football coach, teacher, broadcaster, and children’s book author.

He’s added another job description to his resume: songwriter.

Cole has been an on-air talent since day one of the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN).

Cole recently collaborated with local singer/​songwriter Jaime Mills, and came up with “Hard Heart,” which is a song scheduled to be on a soundtrack for a still-in-development movie, The Perfect Season.

The motion-picture project is a drama about the Toledo Troopers, the a women’s professional football team that won seven consecutive championships and finished 47-1 over seven years in the 1970s.

Cole, 63, a St. John’s Jesuit and Ohio Wesleyan graduate, writes songs as a hobby, and decided one evening to create a song for the movie after it occurred to him the film might need a title track.

In a short time, he had a few lyrics: “It takes a hard heart to play the game. It’s not for the money. It’s not for the fame.”

It wasn’t long before Cole had a completed work, which he presented to Mills, who Cole said has a deep and rich “Bob Seger-like” singing voice.

Mills read the lyrics and offered some of his own before recording the song, which has a ’70s country rock sound.

Cole presented the song to people involved with the movie, and they liked it and plan to have it among a list of songs for the soundrack.

Co-writing the song with Mills has led to them becoming songwriting partners who have signed with a music rights management group.

“It all came from writing some song lyrics on a folder,” Cole said.

“It just shows that sometimes following through on something, great things can happen with it.”

Mills, 44, works full time as a singer and averages between “275 to 290” show dates a year.

To think his music could end up in a movie has him thrilled about the possibility.

“Whenever you can get a song on a movie soundtrack, that’s a huge boost to your career,” Mills said. “I’m very excited about the prospects.”

Mills released an album, Long Hard Road, earlier this year, and “Hard Heart” is among the songs.

Contact Donald Emmons at: demmons@theblade.com, 419-724-6302 or on Twitter @DemmonsBlade.