Week 4
School: Clear Falls High School
Years Coaching: 22
How long have you been coaching? Where did your career begin? College\university you attended?
- I'm in my 22nd year of coaching. My career began as a graduate assistant coach at Northeastern St. University in Oklahoma. I got my bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma where I was a student coach for the team before starting my career officially in coaching 2003 at NSU. After coaching 2 seasons at the college level at NSU and working as a student coach at OU I decided coming to Texas and coaching high school was the best fit for me. This allowed me to have more of an impact on young people and more say so over where I lived and the direction my career took.
Why do you coach?
- I coach because it allows me to give back to the community through a game I love. I love serving others and I love the characteristics that football teaches along with the strategy of the game. Coaching allows me to spend each day doing what I'm passionate about.
What is the most rewarding\fulfilling part of your job?
- Helping people to achieve their goals and seeing them grow.
In your opinion, what is the most misunderstood thing about the coaching profession?
- The amount of hours and time away from family that is required to coach football. No other sport has such a large participation number, requires such specialization, and is so intricate in strategy. To be successful you must be willing to sacrifice a lot of your time. Weekends in the season for us are spent totally focused on football. Even out of season you have to be 100% committed at all times to all the things the program needs to be successful. It's very much a 7 day a week, 365 day a year job.
Please share the importance of what your staff/ players are doing for your community?
- Our players have participated in a wide variety of community service projects.
- Working our elementary school carnival
- Volunteering to help at Special Olympics events
- Volunteered at the Galveston County Food Bank
- Church pumpkin patch events
- Working with students on game days at our nearby elementary school
- 7 on 7 events that have raised money for charities or scholarship funds
- And many more beyond that. We are so proud of our players for all the many ways they so eagerly give back to the community. Developing good citizens is our top priority and these community service events our players take part in are key in doing just that.