In this bonus episode of our podcast, CCISD to the Fullest, we're spending some time with Coach Larry McRae, Athletic Coordinator at Clear Lake High School. In his role, he wears a lot of hats—from coach, to mentor, to father figure—Coach McRae has a clear passion for his job, a respect for his colleagues, and a devotion to his athletes. We hope you enjoy this interview with Coach McRae as much as we did.
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Speaker 1
Hey.
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Speaker 2
Everyone. It's Dava West with Clear Creek, ISD and this is a bonus episode of our podcast CCISD to the fullest. We want you to spend some time with Larry McRae, athletic coordinator at Clear Lake High School. In his role, he wears a lot of hats from Coach to mentor to father figure. Coach McRae has a clear passion for his job, a respect for his colleagues, and a devotion to his athletes.
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Speaker 2
I hope you enjoy this interview with coach Larry McRae as much as we did.
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Speaker 1
Allright, Coach McRae. We're so glad you're here. We're going to start with just a simple question. Tell us about yourself.
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Speaker 3
I just, you know, grew up in, I guess, to go back to again and grew up in Clute, Texas, until about fifth grade. And then I found my way to Angleton, Texas, I guess, halfway through my fifth grade year and graduated from Angleton High School in 95, had a full football scholarship to Baylor University and took after Baylor.
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Speaker 3
And at the after that kind of finished my five years there and started coaching in Waco, Texas, at a place called Bosqueville High School, which is a little one, a school with about 30 kids in a graduating class each year.
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Speaker 2
And Baylor had.
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Speaker 3
Quite a bit, quite a bit of a chance, quite a bit of a change and a while I was there at Baylor, actually met my wife, Jamie McRae who is a counselor.
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Speaker 1
For a little shout out.
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Speaker 3
Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah. And she was actually a coach also with me at Manvel High School. But we got married if you want to live in Dallas. And so I took a job at DeSoto High School and that was a little bit of a culture shock from one a basketball to, you know, five DeSoto, which was a bigger school.
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Speaker 3
And then my hometown called me back for a couple of years and I had to trick her in the moving back down to the Houston area and moved in it down to Angleton for a couple of years and then took on a challenge of kind of wanting to open a new school. And Manvel high school was kind of right down the road and opened it up and decided, Hey, let's try that out, you know, see how that goes and a lot a lot of work to it and everything.
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Speaker 3
But I was a Manvel high school for about ten years and that that kind of allowed me to kind of set myself up in a position where I decided I wanted to be a head coach one day and Clear Lake High School. And through some people that I had worked with in the past, you know, they said it'd be a perfect fit, you know, the Clear Lake High School for, you know, what they knew about me and and everything.
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Speaker 3
And so coach Tommy Penders and I coached together in Angleton actually. Okay. And just saw it as a great fit and, you know, went through the process. And luckily for me, Dr. Smith thought it was a great, great fit as well, you know, and whenever this is your seven year.
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Speaker 1
Seven months grade.
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Speaker 3
Last.
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Speaker 2
Year, wow, it's going by.
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Speaker 1
Fast. So did you get here first or did your wife get here first?
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Speaker 3
I got here first.
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Speaker 2
Same time, Same little. Yeah, You got here first. It came like within.
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Speaker 3
A she was here. I think I was here because we were at Manvel together for nine of the ten years I was there. Okay. And she actually she got her gold medal in track and field as a head coach. And then she hung Louis hung the whistle up and the became a counselor at that time. So she was there.
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Speaker 3
And then we were I was kind of we were living in Alvin still. So her job, the travel was a little bit shorter. And then I just kind of found our way over here, I guess. I moved in there about three years ago. She kind of I think she's here for maybe maybe three or four.
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Speaker 2
That's it. Okay. I for some reason, I kind of came at the same time, but I feel like she's been here for a while, so.
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Speaker 3
Yeah, most. Most mostly.
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Speaker 1
That makes sense. Yeah. So it sounds like you've worked for quite a few school districts, Quite a few schools. What do you think makes CCISD different?
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Speaker 3
I mean, it's really the family atmosphere. I mean, it's, it's, it's everything that, you know, when you when you hear about CCISD from the outside, everybody's like, it's a great place to go. You know, all the schools, they're fantastic. You know, the people that work there are awesome and amazing. And, you know, my own personal experience with it was, you know, I was coming out here for about the first three or four years.
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Speaker 3
And, you know, I come home and I did so much work with Falcon Pass and Brookwood and some of the elementaries, you know, with our kids going to open car doors in the morning and things like that. And I would come home and talk about it with Jamie and my kids. And at the time, you know, my son, who's a freshman, I was a fifth grader and he was like that at the school.
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Speaker 3
So awesome. Like like it. Why can't I want to come to work with you? And, you know, I want to be at practice with the after school, like, like I used to be and everything. And so he actually he went to if I Falcon Pass you know, for his fifth grade year over there. And then so then my daughter Landry was like, well, if it's so awesome, what can I get to?
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Speaker 3
You know? And so she actually went the fourth and fifth grade at Falcon Pass you know, and everything. So, you know, just seeing that the experience that they had, you know, not not that they were at, you know, a bad school over an Alvin ISD or anything like that. But you really see the things that people talk about from the outside was CCISD because it was a big it was a big decision.
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Speaker 3
You know, there were some other head coaching jobs that that I'd been offered prior, you know, in prior years to leave Marvel and, and leave there. But it was a special place also. But she says that you managed just, you know, clear lake high school in particular to just just kind of emit all the checked all the boxes for me and my family and knowing that my kids, you know, like Jamie says all the time, said, lock in, big fella, because, you know, I want our kids to I want our kids to graduate from Clearl ake High School and.
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Speaker 1
CCISD So it sounds like your kids felt that feeling in that spirit that you embody. So that's pretty.
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Speaker 2
Special for sure.
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Speaker 3
Yeah, they're like that. We live right around the corner from Clear Lake High School right there, and then Bay Forest.
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Speaker 2
That's where Jamie works. So you're how your wife works at Lake as well? Absolutely. Yeah.
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Speaker 3
So it's a it's a short commute. I tell people all the time. You know, we were at DeSoto High School together. It was about a 30 minute drive before we had kids and everything. But, you know, it was an hour drive if you left there the time. So just lived around the corner. I tell people it's about 2 minutes for me to get to my office.
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Speaker 3
But if I catch that red light by the Walgreens right there, it's about two and a half minutes. So it's it's not might.
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Speaker 1
Be one of the shortest commutes. I know it's only going.
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Speaker 3
But but yes, really awesome. You know, living being a part of the community going to the Kroger out there and, you know, kids that go to Clear Lake High School working there, you know, and hey, coach, what's up? You know, it's really that thing that as a coach, you know, I know we're in a multi high school district as well and all the all the schools in CCISD
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Speaker 3
Yes, they're awesome. But, you know, our our kids and that community of Clear Lake High School is just it has it has that that own separate feel to it as well. So it's a.
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Speaker 2
Bit of a tradition little because it's been around for a while keeping that Falcons spirit alive. So Coach McRae, what made you want to be a coach? And to be a coach, you have to be a teacher too. So what what drove you? I know you have a history of football, it sounds like, with that scholarship to Baylor, but what made you want to pay that back and become a coach now?
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Speaker 3
Yeah, I just my my experience or my education, you know, my mom's got 11 brothers and sisters and, you know, some of them have passed away now and everything like that. But just growing up as a kid, they all lived in Dallas, you know, and we were the only ones to live down here because my mom worked at our chemicals and engineering and everything.
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Speaker 3
And so no one in my family had gone to college, you know, and I didn't have that baseline of like, Hey, all my dad went to A&M, so I got to go to A&M. I didn't have any of that type of that type of thing, you know, some upbringing. And, you know, I guess the my educational journey, you know, I hung on to some of those teachers that I had throughout the throughout the journey.
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Speaker 3
There were some that I had, you know, a Tito blog include Clute, Texas, all the way until fifth grade. But then, you know, when I got into high school, Ms.. Wilson, my Algebra one, Algebra two teacher just kind of showed me what a teacher can mean to a student. You know? And, you know, our patients are guidance, you know, the the toughness that she could show on you also as well, you know, coming out of a woman who, you know, just she did that for everybody, not just Larry McCray, you know, So it was cool to kind of see that.
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Speaker 3
And, you know, as I went through, you know, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade, and again, in the college, you know, I had my sights set on being an engineer and then, you know, playing college football at the same time was a little a little difficult, you know, and everything. But I tell people as I'm though I didn't settle on education, you know, it was there was something always kind of calling me to it.
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Speaker 3
And, you know, I thought of, man, I'll be an engineer working in a plant, you know, and everything like that. And I was kind of, you know, like, I want to be in the classroom. I want to be around kids. I want to be around, you know, other other colleagues. You know, they kind of have that same vision of helping kids, you know, and being a part of their lives and and just saying, you know, year after year, coming through and just seeing what their life's like after they get done with high school and after they move on as well.
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Speaker 3
And so that was a big part of it, you know, And like I said, a lot of a lot of people I grew up with, you know, in my hometown of Angleton, they went to Texas or Texas A&M. And, you know, a lot of my teachers went to Texas and Texas A&M.
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Speaker 2
They're pretty popular.
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Speaker 3
There pretty fast. And so, you know, it was pretty interesting. You know, I had the opportunity to go to those two places also, but I kind of chose Baylor just to be a little bit different, you know, And I really felt at home whenever I went there on my visit as well. And the guys that I played with there and the teachers and the professor I had, I just saw I actually saw two of them this past weekend when I went to the Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State game.
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Speaker 3
So it was pretty cool. Pretty cool to see that. So but kind of why I chose that is just the people that I was fortunate and blessed to be around kind of me in education.
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Speaker 2
So I. Coach, You're now the athletic coordinator at Clear Lake High School, but most coaches have had to teach a subject. So what subject did you teach and why that subject?
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Speaker 3
You know, I went into I went to social studies route or history route, if you will. You know, the really cool thing, you know, at Baylor University, you know, you do take, you know, guaranteed class. You take Old Testament class in a in a New Testament class, you know, because it's a private school. And, you know, it's like it was like a history class, you know, And it was it was pretty cool, you know, and just other social studies classes that I was able to take.
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Speaker 3
You know, I didn't do it because the typical social studies coach, coach and I teach history. So crack the book off and do some vocab. You know, that's not the way I taught. And, you know, I feel like any kid that's ever had my class, you know, in the past, they kind of realize like, you know, coach grades pretty tough.
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Speaker 3
But, you know, it's a it's a class where you get challenged in it. But but we also know how to have fun in there as well. But I was AP world history and, you know, kind of you know, the English route was never one that I ever thought about. But I did learn very quickly about the essays that I had to grade.
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Speaker 3
And so we got in the peer evaluation really quickly with, you know, students being able to evaluate each other's essays as well and everything. So history, history was kind of the route I went. I probably should do went math because of all the engineering that I'd taken and things like that as well. But I've just always had this love for history and, you know, just say in the past, you know, and how it kind of repeats itself sometimes as well.
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Speaker 3
And I try to teach with that same that same passion, you know, that you get kiddos that are interested in, kiddos that aren't interested in is you going to reach them, you know, And that was always a cool challenge for me as well.
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Speaker 2
So it sounds like you'd be that coach also that maybe a little could help with some tutorials every once in a while. Also like, Hey coach, I don't understand this. Even whether it's math or history or whatever, you could step in and provide some additional guidance on that.
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Speaker 3
Oh yeah, yeah, definitely. We do that. You know, as as coaches right now, you know, it's when you how high and your coach is on your staff and things like that, you try to find, you know, one great teachers, you know, you know great coaches tend to be great teachers as well in the classroom. And I've kind of found that to be true in my 23 years being around it.
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Speaker 3
And, you know, we do have some we have some coaches in a math department, the science department. You know, we kind of have them spread out a little bit in case those kiddos do need help with, you know, across different subjects as well and getting a little extra tutorials. So that's something we do within a football program, but also throughout throughout the whole athletic program, throughout the whole school, you know as well.
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Speaker 2
Trying to cover that whole child learning.
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Speaker 1
So we know the role of a coach is so much more than your time on the field. So tell us a little bit more about the roles that you play in the lives of your students.
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Speaker 3
Oh, man. I mean, you're you know, you're a father figure, you know, laundry, laundry person. You know, just, you know, you're everything you know, you know, not just during football season even as well, but it's a year round, you know, commitment. I know. You know, people do. If people do get into it and say, you know, this is how much I get paid, this is my contract hours, this is all I'm going to work then as definitely not somebody that's in it for, you know, on that side of it.
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Speaker 3
So it there's so many things that are outside of the you know, you can't write it down on a piece of paper. You can't say, hey, all right, we're hiring you, coach, to do this. Because there are there's so many things that if you if you really look at and you really have a care and you really love kids, there's going to be things that pop up that that aren't on the job description, that are things that, you know, you know, that that kid, you know, you know, needs this conversation or, you know, they need you know, they need your help with this or that and all those types of things.
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Speaker 3
So, you know, the role of a coach is it's it's it's really undefined. I mean, it's like I said, I'm struggling for words because there's so many things that come along with it, you know, But then.
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Speaker 2
The X's.
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Speaker 3
And O's. Absolutely. I mean, it's it's the after. And nowadays in our in our society, it's more of the off the field. You know, you got to make sure that your kiddos understand that you love them, that you care about them. You try that you try to hire coaches around you and get coaches around you that understand that as well.
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Speaker 3
You know, those kids, all those saying, no, you know, they don't care how much you know, so they know how much you care about them. You know, that's something to truly live by. You know, if you're going to coach, especially nowadays. And back when I played, you know, the coaches are a little bit a little bit more harsh on you and things like that.
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Speaker 3
But but it it is you know, you'll get around some older coaches sometimes, too. And that's not how we used to do it, but it's not like it used to be, you know, anymore. And kiddos have changed. But when I say kiddos of change, that's not a bad thing, you know? I mean I think kiddos changing it it there's, there's some challenges nowadays with social media and things like that that we have to be on extra guard with as well.
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Speaker 3
And some things that we have to get outside of our comfort zone is as I don't know if I'm in that category of old school coach or not, but you know, there's some things that we have to kind of be on top of our game. You have to be stay on top of trends and stay on top of things that are going on within coaching as well.
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Speaker 3
But also, you know, there's a big you know, recently, too, with the mental health side of things, you know, there's been a really, you know, a really interesting, you know, side of things as well, has been, you know, really neat to see professional athletes and college athletes and, you know, and even high school athletes kind of share thoughts on mental health and things like that has been really it's been really helpful for myself as a coach to see, you know, people coming forward, talking about it and making us more, you know, more able to recognize things from time as they're more aware of it.
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Speaker 3
Yeah, exactly.
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Speaker 2
So so on that mental health aspect, what what are you hearing from your kids? Like, are they just needing to talk more about things? Are they looking? Which is amazing that they're finding people at school to share? What what kind of things are you're hearing on that in?
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Speaker 3
Yeah, and it's, you know, kind of goes back to that whole deal too is, you know, we have, you know, 13 coaches on our staff and 14 count me on our football staff. So in our in our football world, at least, you know, and like I said, it goes across all of athletics. You know, some of the stats on some of the sports don't have as many coaches or as many players, but we have about 100 60 65 kids, you know, within our within our program and football.
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Speaker 3
And, you know, the cool thing is, is you also try to find coaches that you know, from different backgrounds, from different, you know, that have different things because you really want that kid to be able to find you want them to be able to come to all 13 or 14, but they may find that one coach man that they latch on to that they know, you know, they may have that coaching class.
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Speaker 3
They may, you know, that they can go to and talk to, you know, And so and it does go back to some of the other things that, you know, like back in the day, it was, you know, I'm struggling balancing my academics with my with athletics. You know, with the practice times, with, you know, with hey, I may have a job outside of here as well.
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Speaker 3
You know, I might I may have to have a job, you know, to help, you know, sustain my family, you know, at home and things like that. So, you know, we see you know, we try to help kids with balancing of that. You know, we we try to be understanding also, you know, we do Saturday film, you know, And if a kid has to go to work, you know, then and have to miss that film, you know, that's our job as coaches to to help make that up somewhere else, you know, and get with them individually.
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Speaker 3
You know, if we have to and find that time to make sure all their needs are met on that end as well. And and sometimes it is you know, there's times where, you know, they just they don't need to talk about football sometimes. You know, they need to talk about, hey, my work or my my class, you know, my, you know, things like that that you know that you know, that we're allowed to talk to them about within the school setting as well.
00;17;06;00 - 00;17;20;15
Speaker 3
That they send you know, they have that safe haven. And that's that's a that's a big thing, you know, besides, hey, we got to block this guy on this play and we got to make sure that we have enough uniforms, outfit everybody. Another thing within our program where we're meeting this coaches is like how our kids do it.
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Speaker 3
Like, let's you know, he's we can we meet as coaches and you know the staff minutes we can and just rehash the week before or talk about the week ahead what kind of things might pop up. Hey it's a great check week. It's you know, it's a you know, we got this going on. We got a a day where kids aren't on campus this day.
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Speaker 3
We have a school holiday this day. But we still our practice, you know, And so, you know, there's just different things like that. Or this came on out of pride because mom and dad are at work, you know, and there's just things like that that you had to be I guess the best word is probably flexible.
00;17;51;08 - 00;18;06;25
Speaker 2
Well, it sounds like you're building some really great relationships with your staff, with your students. And we know that you've mentioned your teachers at Ingleton that you learned from. Can you name like the top three things you've learned from your students or your athletes?
00;18;07;16 - 00;18;23;21
Speaker 3
Yeah, I mean, I would say, you know, I was you know, I was kind of fortunate that you kind of growing up, you know, I didn't have to get a job, I guess, when I was in high school. But, you know, I really learned from kids that, you know, perseverance, you know, some of these kiddos, they they show that to me on a daily basis.
00;18;23;21 - 00;18;41;14
Speaker 3
You know, And, you know, as coaches, we again, we we get to know our kiddos and things like that. And, you know, when I first started coaching, it was, you know, you don't you don't know sometimes what kids are going home to, you know, and you know what kind of challenges they have. We may have a kid is walking to school, you know, from a pretty far distance.
00;18;41;14 - 00;18;56;27
Speaker 3
And you know, if that kid is mad, if I got a bike at home, I'll let him have it, you know, type deal. And so those types of things, the perseverance, if you see a kid, you know, in the summertime when it's 107 degrees outside, they may be walking home, you know, and from a workout where that's just hard, you know, as well.
00;18;56;27 - 00;19;11;14
Speaker 3
And so you see things like that and, you know, you have a respect for we expect on those coaches to show up to everything that all the events that we have and things like that. But that perseverance that you see out of some of them, some of them get dropped off, you know, some of them don't. You know, some of my thought there.
00;19;11;15 - 00;19;32;20
Speaker 3
So perseverance, you know, what I like to see And we had a situation with this this year also, as well as I like to see whenever they I don't know what the word for it is, what I like to see when kids like rally behind a teammate. You know, we had a kid of this year that unfortunately we had the bad lightning storm that we had.
00;19;32;20 - 00;19;51;05
Speaker 3
We had a we had a a scrimmage scheduled that day when we were waiting it out, thinking the lightning was going to pass and things like that. And, you know, I really felt like we were going to get it in and win it. Not getting then and before one of our kiddos could even get home, his apartment had been struck by lightning and entire thing before I even knew about it.
00;19;51;05 - 00;20;03;24
Speaker 3
I already had six of our kids from our team get a hold of me and I say, Coach, what can we do for him? Like what? What can we do to help him out? He's our brother. He's our teammate. You know, what kind of things can we do? You know, as coaches, as a program like to rally behind him.
00;20;03;24 - 00;20;21;02
Speaker 3
And so I know that the word for that is I guess it's love. I mean, obviously love, you know, Game for you, Sam. Yeah. I mean, so that as a coach, I mean, we won us on the text on the kids. They they called me on my office phone, they called me on my cell phone, like when I was answering that, I was so, you know, it just it was just really cool.
00;20;21;02 - 00;20;36;23
Speaker 3
In a situation like that. Has Sadie's word cool, I guess. But in a in a tragic time like that, you know, to see kids rally and the first thing they're thinking of is my teammate. Like, what can I do to help him? On what can we do as a as a, as a team, as a school to kind of get behind him.
00;20;36;23 - 00;20;52;17
Speaker 2
So it sounds like based on that example, those relationships that you and your coaches are trying to build, your your your athletes are seeing battling that bonding and what that means and it's trickling down in. And what a great gift to share with them. All right. So persevere and start rallying behind each other. What else you got?
00;20;53;05 - 00;21;09;06
Speaker 3
I mean, I would say probably what I say, all these kids also is just a kind of blown away by like their talents. I mean, it's I mean, I guess that's probably a I don't know, that's a one word either. But, you know, just the talent that these kids can put on display, you know, have kids that are that are an orchestra.
00;21;09;06 - 00;21;25;26
Speaker 3
We have kids that are in theater arts. We have kids that are in the choir. You know, we have kids that they do lots and lots and lots and lots of things. And I know every year when I'm you know, you know, we've been blessed to kind of have a kiddo at the Houston Touchdown Club, does a Scholar athlete award every year.
00;21;25;26 - 00;21;43;29
Speaker 3
And we we've like since I've been here every year we've had to get on that thing and it's because of the things that they do outside of school also, but also the fine arts they take part in and things like that. So and good grades as well. But they're just so talented, you know, you're talking to them and, you know, some of the things that these kids can do is just amazing, you know?
00;21;43;29 - 00;21;49;04
Speaker 3
And so, you know, I've learned from them like, hey, maybe I should have picked up a guitar.
00;21;49;13 - 00;21;50;09
Speaker 1
You know, early on or.
00;21;50;10 - 00;22;12;06
Speaker 3
Some more talents, you know, and do some things like that. But I guess I mean, that's just something I've learned from them. Like, you know, it's it's a it's not just about, you know, it it is and it it and it's about school and, you know, school and football for some of them. But it's school football orchestra being a great, you know, community member, you know, given out time and the community given time, you know, different places in the church, things like that.
00;22;12;06 - 00;22;17;22
Speaker 3
So all those things kind of combined together. I mean, I'm just kind of blown away by how talented they are.
00;22;17;22 - 00;22;28;10
Speaker 1
So I think that's a great leader. And, you know, it sounds like they've got a lot going on off the field outside of the classroom. What do you like to do off the field? Oh.
00;22;28;26 - 00;22;50;20
Speaker 3
And a little bit of time they'll get I mean, most of the time, you know, I enjoy Destin, enjoy fishing, and that's all me and my dad did together a lot and everything kind of growing up. And, you know, I enjoy, you know, smoking, you know, meat. Okay. I guess that's with barbecuing, if you will, and things like that.
00;22;50;20 - 00;23;00;09
Speaker 3
So, you know, we have a of a family like we have, you know, it's one of those things that you know, our love language that they are my love language, I think is is cooking.
00;23;01;13 - 00;23;03;18
Speaker 2
That it's a good love language.
00;23;03;19 - 00;23;22;25
Speaker 3
Yes. And so, you know, that's a that's one of those things that I enjoy doing as well, you know, And really, I just kind of enjoy sometimes just a quiet of everything. You know, there's times where, you know, just kind of chaotic and everything. And, you know, even an example from this past Friday night and our game was just kind of at the end of it was just kind of crazy.
00;23;23;07 - 00;23;42;21
Speaker 3
Luckily we came out on top and all of that, but in those moments, double overtime. Yeah, Double overtime, yeah, yeah, double overtime. And like I said, my knee was a little sore the next day because I was on Saturday, because I was jumping up and down a little bit on the field. But there is video evidence unfortunately. But but you know, it's one of those things where you got to kind of take a step back.
00;23;42;21 - 00;24;04;09
Speaker 3
Also, there's times within it where it's really cool where like you see that going on and you can kind of step back for a second and just watch everybody's emotions because you know how hard everybody works. And like, I know how hard my coaches were, you know, at I've kind of gone more of the I was I struggled a lot with delegating whenever I first started because I was I was so like, I got to do this all myself on the air.
00;24;04;16 - 00;24;18;20
Speaker 3
But what you realize is you got to have people around you that that are great, that are great of what they do also. And in order for them to get where they can get to, like, you have to give them things to do to show, you know, to show them like, hey, I can do these things also as well.
00;24;18;20 - 00;24;39;22
Speaker 3
So I have great coaches around me so I can sometimes I can practice. I'll walk around to all the different station groups I see all the kids. I don't I don't call the plays anymore on Friday nights, you know, I turn that over, you know, for a while now, I guess to James Monitor is my offensive coordinator, but and then on the defensive side, I try not to mess with those guys because they do an awesome job as well.
00;24;39;22 - 00;25;03;10
Speaker 3
And so it's more of like an administrator role. Now we're in a school because I get to go around all the kids and see all the kids, and I'm not at one position group all the time. I can kind of expand out and and do those types of things. So when I in moments like Friday night, like you step back and you just kind of start smile and you think about it later, you start smiling because you know how hard the kids have worked hard, the coaches at work, and it's just cool.
00;25;03;13 - 00;25;06;17
Speaker 3
And I shout out to our student section because they're awesome.
00;25;07;15 - 00;25;08;27
Speaker 1
I think, you know.
00;25;09;06 - 00;25;25;01
Speaker 2
When I was here, you did mention that quiet time and I think you're the second person we've talked to that mentioned that it's okay to be quiet, everyone. So I'll take all of those things in. And I think that is slowing down from the hustle and bustle every once in a while just to have that moment, know it's okay to have that moment.
00;25;25;11 - 00;25;38;11
Speaker 2
So earlier you were mentioned that your students rallied around a teammate because a hurdle and obstacle presented themselves. How do you on those tough days, what kind of things helped you get through that?
00;25;39;02 - 00;25;57;22
Speaker 3
I think I mean, a lot of it, you know, it helps you know, it helps having, you know, people to talk to on on, you know, my and also, you know, there's there's mentor coaches of mine that I talk to about things other than football, you know, I mean a great friend of mine and my first coach ever for his name's Lee Wilkinson.
00;25;57;22 - 00;26;27;23
Speaker 3
He's actually the president of our Texas High School Coaches Association right now. And this year, he just got the job at he's actually at Allen High School where he's managing like, what, 7000 students, I think, go to Allen High School and everything. So he's a mentor of mine that I that I call there's coaches I played for in college that and there's coaches that I just kind of know just from you know I was that I was that young coach and I still kind of am this way and my wife can attest to this but I'm that coach that, you know, I'm always at every clinic.
00;26;27;24 - 00;26;50;26
Speaker 3
I'm always picking the brains of coaches and, you know, try to find out everything I can do and a lot of it has transitioned from X's and O's to to, you know, the building relationships and what kind of things that you guys do. You know, in order to make your team stronger as a you know, to bond your team more and things like that, and you're always going to want to have the next cool play that's out there, you know, and everything.
00;26;50;26 - 00;27;04;03
Speaker 3
But those other types of things. We tell them all the time. And I know you know, your job, job security and in Texas, high school football sometimes isn't, you know, you know, it's you know, you got to win some games, you know.
00;27;04;28 - 00;27;05;19
Speaker 2
And it's Texas.
00;27;06;22 - 00;27;24;07
Speaker 3
You got to win some games along the way. But, you know, we do we do pre-storm also like the life lessons that they're learning within the program and things like that or at the end of the day are going to be more important than the ones lost. And now they're going to remember Friday night, you know, but there's going to be some other, you know, wins and losses along the way that'll kind of fade away over time.
00;27;24;18 - 00;27;41;18
Speaker 3
But they'll remember, you know, rallying behind their teammate. They'll remember that coach that, you know, that that helped them through a difficult time and things like that. But but yeah, having those mentors, mentors that you can talk to and it helps also having a, you know, a counselor in the same house as well. You know, she's really awesome at her job.
00;27;42;01 - 00;27;42;28
Speaker 3
I'm not just saying that.
00;27;43;29 - 00;27;44;16
Speaker 2
I can attest.
00;27;44;16 - 00;28;07;21
Speaker 3
To that, but you know, having her as well. And then what's really cool for me right now also is is having my nephew and my son and any of my daughter. I mean, you know, I just I enjoy seeing their perspective on things as well from a seventh grader in the ninth grade, an 11th grader, and just seeing like where they are in the world right now as well and how, you know, they're the ones that helped me keep up with all the cool trends and all that type of stuff.
00;28;07;24 - 00;28;26;11
Speaker 3
So so those are the type of things, I mean, that my go tos, you know, and I've always, you know, I've always got mom on on the other end right now also, you know, she's a she she still lives down in Angleton but with my sister. But she she's always there and she's that she's that quiet like, hey, I'm not going to give you advice unless you asked me for it.
00;28;27;01 - 00;28;44;29
Speaker 3
Time, Mom. You know, even when it's time to decide to go to college. Back when I was in high school, you know, she was real quiet because I had Miami. I could go into Miami, I could went to Arkansas, Colorado. Rice and Baylor were my last five. And she was real quiet because I think she probably wanted me to go to Rice because I was right down the road.
00;28;45;10 - 00;28;49;15
Speaker 3
But she was you know, I think she was happy with Baylor as well. But but she's.
00;28;49;15 - 00;28;51;04
Speaker 2
Also within Texas. Yeah.
00;28;51;10 - 00;29;09;11
Speaker 3
Not just far enough away, but close enough to go to. So but having my mom, you know, my older sister also as well, you know, they do when I have when I have any problems and they know I'm really quiet and I do a lot of self reflecting and things like that and they know that when I'm really, really quiet, them ask like, Hey, what's up?
00;29;09;12 - 00;29;13;21
Speaker 3
You know, like you okay. But they know I go into that quiet place too.
00;29;14;10 - 00;29;31;24
Speaker 2
Well, it sounds like that you like to ask questions. You pick people's brain to try to learn things. It sounds like you have had a journey. So if you had a first year teacher coach sitting across from you that had the passion for football and wanted to pay back like you did, but they're just now stepping into it.
00;29;31;24 - 00;29;37;05
Speaker 2
What are some words of advice that you would give them to let them know that they are in the right place?
00;29;37;05 - 00;29;55;04
Speaker 3
I mean, just to let them know, let them know they like, you know, the you're going to work. You know that first and foremost. And, you know, don't be too big for any job. You know, my first job I started off with was basketball, I'll tell you, basketball, America. And we cut our own grass. We marked our own fields.
00;29;55;26 - 00;30;23;02
Speaker 3
There was about seven of us on the coaching staff. And, you know, you can't be too big for it. And I really feel like I've said this many times. And so my my buddies, you know, and being on the hiring side of things now for the last seven years, you know, I try to tell them like I think everybody that comes in the coaching nowadays, you coach intermediate football and start off coaching intermediate football because you know, intermediate kids, you know they're there that that that different age a little bit, you know, and I'm.
00;30;23;10 - 00;30;24;09
Speaker 2
Trying to figure everything out.
00;30;24;09 - 00;30;45;16
Speaker 3
Absolutely. You know and so you know, you're going to get the you know, the highs and lows every day, you know, sometimes on a roller coaster ride. But I really feel like you kind of cut your teeth there at the intermediate level and everything. And, you know, if you desire to be, you know, high school coach, then, you know, put in all the times, can they come around the high school as much as you want.
00;30;45;16 - 00;31;02;04
Speaker 3
You know, I want those guys around us. You know I tell our are to intermediate feeders like come on out you know any time you guys on the weekends I be around as much you want to be on the sideline on Friday nights because and they really are a lifeline to us at the high school as well. I mean, they're the first impression that some of these kids have in a sport.
00;31;02;08 - 00;31;21;00
Speaker 3
You know, when it comes if we're talking about a teacher coach, it's their first experience with being in sport, possibly if they haven't played, you know, you know, a youth basketball or anything like that before. And we want to have a great experience, you know, and want to play, you know, see the good things about the games, the different sports that are out there as well.
00;31;21;00 - 00;31;48;20
Speaker 3
But that first year teacher also, I would tell them recommend just, you know, make sure you have some patience. The same thing with me to like make sure that you you know find that you know if you can find more than one like great you know, but find that one colleague found that you know, that one principal, that one counselor, you know, find that that that veteran teacher that's that's that's been there and seen a lot of stuff you know get with them also and don't be too prideful to ask for help.
00;31;49;28 - 00;31;54;12
Speaker 1
That's another thing when hearing the ability to ask questions and and get help.
00;31;54;28 - 00;32;12;08
Speaker 2
Yeah I've heard it twice, like picking people's brains. I heard that. And then asking for help that you're right. And Lindsey, it does seem to be a if when when our our guests are offering advice, that's one big one. Like talk to somebody, talk and figure out any other advice for that first year teacher sitting across from you.
00;32;12;11 - 00;32;41;29
Speaker 3
Yeah, I just, you know, and this is kind of what we said about the kiddos, you know, have some have you're going to have to it's going to test your perseverance yourself as well. I mean, you're going to get bogged down with lesson plans and and and, you know, and trying to make sure that you're, you know, doing your practices like you're supposed to for that, you know, if you're if it's a teacher coach as well and you know don't get you know, you got to push through some tough moments, you know, but but realize and like on the other side of a man like I, I can't see myself doing anything else in this
00;32;41;29 - 00;32;57;09
Speaker 3
world because and I tell kids all the time every place I've ever coach said that, you know, once you graduate, like, you're not done with me. Like, I won't be in your life, like, whether you want it or not, you know? And so you know, what I mean by that is like, I'm going to be at your graduation, your college graduation, I'm going to be at your weddings.
00;32;57;09 - 00;33;16;17
Speaker 3
I'm going to be there when your first kiddos born. You know, I'm going to be there like in your life. You know, following you and, you know, and obviously, like, Facebook is awesome for all that, you know, and everything. But, you know, I've been to you just you build that relationship with kids and, you know, and I think, like I said, I can't see myself doing anything more than that.
00;33;16;17 - 00;33;32;25
Speaker 3
And it wasn't always like pleasant. And they we always get along hundred percent of the time with these kids. Not necessarily. It's been that some of the ones that were the the toughest tests on me as a as a as a coach or a teacher, those are the ones that come around and and they're like like, coach, I'm so glad.
00;33;32;25 - 00;33;54;18
Speaker 3
Like, you know, you know, you didn't let me get away with this or you didn't let me get away with that or, you know, and also having the ability, as you know, when they when they do get there, it also knows that. But even in a moment, like having the ability to, like, apologize, if you make a mistake, like like, hey, my bad, like I shouldn't have said it this way or I did it this way and I should've tried this way with you instead.
00;33;54;18 - 00;34;14;17
Speaker 3
And, you know, just having that ability to come behind it and say, like, hey, I'm I'm not perfect either. You know, I'm I'm glad. Some mistakes. You know, I made a call on Friday night that that ended up being a mistake for us. And I told my mother, my mother, you know, like you're the head coach, so it doesn't matter, You know, I said it's still like I tell my coaches, you're coaching with me, not not for me.
00;34;14;21 - 00;34;31;10
Speaker 3
You know, like, we're we're doing this thing together. And that's been our tone on our staff and around our kids. Like this entire time, the whole seven years that we've been there. And I've tried to have that same mentality everywhere I've been. And like I said, that's just what comes with coaching and teaching. I mean, I think that, like I said, there's nothing else I'd rather be done.
00;34;31;23 - 00;34;44;00
Speaker 1
That's amazing. Well, we you know, this podcast is titled CCISD to the Fullest. So what when you hear that, what does it mean and how does it translate to you?
00;34;44;05 - 00;35;09;29
Speaker 3
I mean, I think it's I mean, CCISD to the fullest is, is all the opportunities that exist within 60 for not just for students, not just for teachers and faculty, but but also for like for families, for the community too, to see all the great things that are going on within CCISDand all the schools and, and again, coming here, you know, seven years ago, CCISD's not also not you all know the words like stagnant it's not stagnant mean it's ever changing.
00;35;09;29 - 00;35;27;14
Speaker 3
You know it's you know we look in to see what something is going on. What can we do better? It's the same thing that, you know, you feel like you try to do as a teacher and coaches. How do I get better each and every day? Kassidy is doing that on a grander scale, you know, by, you know, the different, you know, teacher training opportunities that are available.
00;35;27;20 - 00;35;47;09
Speaker 3
You know, the community events that go on as well. And you can go into any of these communities and you know, you can go to Claire Springs and be around that area. You feel Claire Springs, you go to falls Lake, Brooke, you know, and creek. I mean, you feel that at all those schools is pride and the communities and if kids see the fullest, that's what it means to me.
00;35;47;09 - 00;36;06;25
Speaker 3
I mean, you got you have pride in. And what I love about it is, is and, you know, on Friday nights like myself and the other coaches in her class on the other side, like we're fierce competitors, like we want to win. We want to do those things. We want to make sure we're coaching our kids correctly. We want to make sure we're teaching our kids like, you know, how to play with class and things like that.
00;36;07;06 - 00;36;30;14
Speaker 3
But at the end of the day, like, man, I couldn't be more proud of the of the other four guys and CCISD that I get to coach against, you know, the other head coaches and their coaching staffs. I mean, to me, that's CCISD to the fullest also. I mean to be able to fiercely compete against each other but also have a mutual respect for the job you know, they're doing on their campuses, not just with coach them, but also like the job their assistant coach is doing in the classroom.
00;36;30;14 - 00;36;33;19
Speaker 3
And what they're doing in a community is is the biggest thing of all.
00;36;34;17 - 00;36;40;01
Speaker 1
And any advice to share with others on how to live to the fullest?
00;36;40;15 - 00;37;01;11
Speaker 3
I mean, I think it's a you know, just just being get involved. I mean, I think there's so many things going on within within all these different communities, like, you know, like we say, you know, a clear lake, you know, what's a falcon? Always a falcon. And, you know, and, you know, I'm always going back to trying to find guys that played at Clearlake High School, you know, and bring them back into the fold and and everything.
00;37;01;11 - 00;37;10;26
Speaker 3
And there's just such a rich tradition, you know, And, you know, even the younger high schools are building their own traditions now as well. But, you know, it's really cool this year being our 50th anniversary.
00;37;10;26 - 00;37;11;02
Speaker 1
Right?
00;37;12;03 - 00;37;29;26
Speaker 3
You know, there's so many events going on and everything like especially this weekend, you know, the little plug and. Yeah, but, you know, I just think, you know, being of all is the biggest thing, you know, and getting out and about and saying these things and I'd recommend like any any, you know, family that's out there, you know, that's trying to find a community where they want to raise their kids.
00;37;29;26 - 00;37;43;16
Speaker 3
And I tell people all the time they asked me, like, how long you going to be there? And I'm like, til they kick me out of here, you know, And I tell them that all the time as well. So, you know, I have people that said if their kids are in peewee football right now here in Clearlake, they'll say, So I'll be there.
00;37;43;16 - 00;38;03;19
Speaker 3
And my kid, you know, my kid gets high school and I'm like, I'm playing on it, you know, and everything. So to me, that's that's them wanting to be in the community, still wanting to be around it, you know, living it all to the fullest, you know, And again, not just in athletics, but across across everything. I mean, we have such talented kids in our orchestra and across everything.
00;38;03;19 - 00;38;20;20
Speaker 3
You know, we have such a great feel out there, Clear Lake High School. And I know that that same feeling is across, you know, the other high schools as well, because you can you can feel that when you're lined up across the field from them and you see their students on their band and you see all that stuff going on, like, you know, that, you know, everybody has everybody wants to be there.
00;38;20;20 - 00;38;24;19
Speaker 3
Everybody. But that respect that's afterwards is is really cool too.
00;38;24;19 - 00;38;38;00
Speaker 1
So I think that's it. We just really appreciate your time with us. It's been an honor and a privilege to to hear your story and have you share that with others as well. So thank you.
00;38;38;09 - 00;38;38;26
Speaker 3
Thank you guys.
00;38;39;00 - 00;38;42;13
Speaker 1
For being here. All right.