Week 2
School: Bridgeland High School
Years Coaching: 24
How long have you been coaching? Where did your career begin? College\university you attended?
Since I was 24 years old, First School was Brazoswood HS coaching Defensive Line, I was a Defensive Coordinator for 11 years (Oak Ridge, Klein Collins, Clear Brook, and Magnolia) before leaving Klein Collins and taking over as Head Coach at The Woodlands College Park for 6 years. I have now been at Bridgeland as the Head Coach the last 4 years.
Why do you coach? (share coaching philosophy\why you decided to coach on high school level, etc.)
I grew up in The Woodlands, Texas and grew up watching my older brother play high school football (he's 10 years older than me). I loved everything about the Friday night atmosphere with all the groups performing, crowd, etc. Watching his playoff game in the Astrodome in 1986 was an amazing experience and something that stuck with me. When I got done playing at Texas A&M I knew I wanted to spend my time coaching high school football. My coaches made a big impact on me and I wanted to do the same. I've been doing it for 24 years now and have loved every minute.
What is the most rewarding\fulfilling part of your job?
The most rewarding part of the job is seeing the kids go off and become successful husbands, fathers, workers, etc. You love to see your players go off and have successful lives and do great things. We love winning football games but the ultimate mission is to help each of our young athletes grow and have the tools to be successful when their athletic careers are over.
In your opinion, what is the most misunderstood thing about the coaching profession?
Most misunderstood is probably that coaches only coach or that we all teach PE classes, etc. That is not the case, and people need to know that the high school coach wears a lot of hats and we do a lot of things people don't realize. My coaches teach Math, Social Studies, English, Science, etc. as well as do laundry each day for 300 kids, drive yellow school buses, manage compliance for all our kids' academics, mentor students, volunteer for community programs, and many other things. Coaching in Texas is a full-time demanding profession that takes a lot of hours that a lot of people don't always understand. It's also become a year-round job with summer conditioning, 7on7, sport skills, and takes a lot of commitment. To be in this profession you must have passion for kids and coaching, and I am thankful to have a wonderful staff who does all these things.
Please share the importance of what your staff/ players are doing for your community?
My staff and players do an amazing job of being involved. Our kids will normally help each year in November with an annual food drive, we have toy drives in December, etc. Any time there has been a group / community in need our players, school, and community always show up big to help. CFISD does the best job of any district I have been a part of in terms of pushing community involvement and giving back. It is an amazing place to work and I am thankful to be in CFISD and at Bridgeland HS.
