007:Coach Weldon Nelms: Plains Texans Bullfrog Legend

Weldon Nelms THSCA Hall of Honor, class of 2026 has a nice ring to it. Never a more deserving coach than Coach Nelms. He checks all the boxes when it comes to legendary. Join us as we travel through the "Plains" of Texas to his journey to WImberley (twice) and beyond. 

Transcript

Speaker 2 0:05

Welcome to another edition of Football Fix, coaches kicking into the Max. Kyle Maxfield here, a. K.a. Spot-on Max. I've got legend, locker room legend, Weldon Ems and the T-Mac, the T-Mac today. Coach, I appreciate your time.

Speaker 0:23

Yes, sir.

Speaker 2 0:24

My

Speaker 0:24

pleasure.

Speaker 2 0:25

I couldn't have had better time than y'all because Coach Nelms, Weldon Nems, is being inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Hall of Honor. Did I say that right? That's

Speaker 0:38

correct.

Speaker 2 0:39

Class of 2026, coach.

Speaker 0:42

06, yes.

Speaker 2 0:43

Congratulations.

Speaker 0:44

Well, thank you. Thank you very much.

Speaker 2 0:45

Very well deserved.

Speaker 0:47

I don't know about that, but very lucky, very blessed, and really a big shock for this old guy, so. But very big honor and looking at it, all these guys that, that I'm following that are tremendous guys, and then there are lots, lots of them out there right now, like yourself, that do an outstanding job, and, and nothing better than Texas High School Coach Association and the Texas High School coaches.

Speaker 2 1:11

Amen to that.

Speaker 1:12

Awesome.

Speaker 2 1:14

Amen to that. Matter of fact, Coach was just on his way up from San Marcus. Y'all did some prep for the ceremony this summer at coaching school?

Speaker 1:22

That's correct. We just finished up interviews and had Coach Warren and Coach Smith came in and guys that worked with me for a good while and, uh, and, uh, then I finished my interview and, uh, so now it's just, it's all getting all the family and all the, all the friends and everybody on July the 18th coming to Austin, come to Houston and, and see that induction.That's gonna be a, uh, emotional, but a great, great time. I can't hardly wait.

Speaker 2 1:50

That's, coach, as far as Texas High School football coaches, that's the pinnacle, man.

Speaker 1:54

Yeah, it's, it, yeah, I, it's something that I can remember when I was a little kid writing in a big chief tablet, all the things that I thought I wanted to be this coach that, you know, I always dreamed of replacing Tom Landry. Wow, what a big, you know- Yeah. ever would ever get close to that. But I put down on that deal. I look back on that 200 wins, win a state championship, get to coach an all- star game, and get inducted to the Texas High School Hall of Honor. And that, you know, wow, I never, ever would have, you know, that was a, a dream, a big dream. And, and the good Lord's blessed me, and I was surrounded by a lot of great kids, a lot of great coaches, and a lot of great school districts that gave me the opportunity, trust me, and, and, uh, wow. And just look at that, and I can't hardly believe it.

Speaker 2 2:44

What, what you stated right there, how old were you when you wrote, you remember, when you rode on a big

Speaker 2:48

chief- I wrote on a big chief probably when I was about 19 years old. Yeah. I thought, you know, what do you want to do with your life, the teacher, and, and back then they had them old big old jumbo pencils and a big chief tablet and, uh, you know- You

Speaker 2 3:00

sound like Mill Maxfield in the, I think he was more like in college.

Speaker 3:04

Yes. And I go in there and that, I think it was an English three class or whatever, and I go in the Mexico military and the guy asked, "What do you want to do? What is your dream?" And shoot, I just popped all this stuff off. And, uh, other than, of course, the ultimate saying I was going to replace Tom Landry, the Dallas Cowboys, I would never, ever, I don't, that was a, uh, an impossible. But the others, actually, when I looked at that list going back through after I sat down and wrote that article and, handed in that teacher, I got it back and I looked and I said, "Woo, I'm just, uh, that's not going to happen, but man, that'd be a great life." And while, you know-

test MIC 1 01 3:44

You

Speaker 2 3:44

did it.

Speaker 3:44

I just, uh-

Speaker 2 3:45

You still doing it.

Speaker 3:46

Still trying to, still trying to be a I think that's the thing. I think that everybody wants to be a difference maker in life and I think sometimes you gotta be a difference taker and- I think that everybody, you know, a- all coaches and, and of course in any, in any profession, you wanna be a difference maker. You wanna be that guy that gets that next job, moves something or be- becomes attached to some legacy that, uh, that you feel a part of. And I think coaching is a, it's a calling. It's not a job. It's a calling. You, you're-

Speaker 2 4:17

Absolutely.

Speaker 4:17

I believe it's all that way. And then what you do with the people, it's all about relationships from there, the relationship you have with your coaches that, with your kids, with your community, with your school, those relations build what, what it's all about. And then what you gain out of that approach is, is set by your every day. You, you can't just talk the game. You gotta live the game and they gotta see you live it. And all of us have went through ups and downs, good times, bad times. Uh, you know, in this profession, you can have those days where you can't win a game. You can't seem to win the kids over. You have people- I've

Speaker 2 4:54

been there a lot more than you

Speaker 4:55

coach. Well, it's a, it's a part of life. And you, you know, do you let it control you or do you control what you can control? And that's a hard thing as a young guy or an older guy when things don't go to, to the pursuit that you're, you're, you're up against. A challenge is only as good as you make it. If you say, "I'm giving into it, then, and, and, and I think that's the thing about coaching. You teach kids every single week, you got a challenge. You don't go in and know, even though there's times, you know, you're gonna get your butt kicked, you know, you don't match up. Yes, sir. They just don't match up. But you don't go out there and deliver that message to the kids. You get, go deliver a message that, "Hey, we gotta do this, this, and this, and, and we are gonna We, we at least we're gonna prepare to win." We may not win every week, but we're gonna prepare to win and then we take it serious. And I think that's, uh, that's where our, uh, sometimes our, it seems like in some businesses and some trades and some parts of the life in my humble opinion is that people don't take it that way. They look at a defeatist attitude or, uh uh, "I can't overcome this. And it depends on what you wanna do, but it starts from, you know, it starts from you and then it spreads. And I think that's, uh, why I've always said not only a difference maker, but a difference taker. You take that there. You take that chance. Yeah. And what you do with it is up to you. And I think that's just, a little, I don't know, a little tidbit or whatever that I think that's delivered a message to me when I think times are tough or I think I wanna feel sorry for myself. I have to come back and go back to the roots. What do you wanna do?

Speaker 2 6:35

Yeah.

Speaker 6:35

And how are you gonna do it? And, uh, that's, uh, I think that's, something that's been a dri- driving factor and fortunately having some of the success, but mostly because I was surrounded by great coaches, great kids, and great people because that's what you wanna do. You don't wanna hang around people that are not motivated or- No. accept mediocrity. Right. I don't think that's, that's acceptable.

Speaker 2 7:00

Losing mentality- Yes. out the door. Coach speaking the truth, I think it's very evident to our listeners already and viewers that there's a reason you're in the Hall of Fame. You speaking the truth, I'm about ready to strap it on and run through that wall over there, coach. Very motivational. And the why So part of our football fix, we want to unlock success. We want the keys to unlock the success, and you just spoke the truth I think everyone, either young, middle-aged or old, can benefit from the wisdom you just spoke about coaching and, and just impacting kids and how to stay positive when the, what did they say? When the decks, against you?

Speaker 7:48

Yeah.

Speaker 2 7:48

The cards-

Speaker 7:49

Yeah, those cards don't fall., You either, you either fold or you, you battle and, uh- Yes, sir. You know, you see character of kids, you see character of coaches, you see a character of the people that you're, uh, you live with or support, and you, you gotta find out how they're gonna fall when that deck, you know, it's easy, anybody can do it when it's good.

Speaker 2 8:09

Oh yeah.

Speaker 8:10

Everybody loves a winner and everybody loves when, things are hunky-dory. I think that the true test, and I think it's like I, I was fortunate enough to go to New Mexico military as a freshman and sophomore and out of high school and to college, and as we prepared for a lot of the military training, that was one of the things they wanted to see. Who did you want in that foxhole with you?

Speaker 2 8:32

Yeah.

Speaker 8:33

Cause you don't want somebody's gonna give up.

Speaker 2 8:35

Right.

Speaker 8:35

And if somebody's gonna fold them, you know, and then that old song of Charlie Rich know when to hold them and know when to fold them, but you know what? Life is gonna deal you out some of those things and you gotta learn- Okay. who's gonna stand at Foxhole and fight. And those kids, when you found out those kids and you put them through certain things in the off season, end season, or with the quest, as you set it up, you wanted to try to find out when it's fourth and one. If you're on defense, you got those 11 guys out there, they're gonna make that stop. Or you got 11 guys who gonna put it in the end zone, and you learn and, or you should, in my opinion, my humble opinion, and was taught that from coaches that I was surrounded by, you better have the, your best 11, not your 11 best when you got out there in that situation. Truth. And, that's, I think that's something that parallels to the game of life.

Speaker 2 9:25

Yes, sir.

Speaker 9:25

When you come down to it, you wanna have somebody that you know in that foxhole's gonna fight with you and not against you.

Speaker 2 9:32

So you know my high school coach, Royce McAdams.

Speaker 9:37

Very well.

Speaker 2 9:37

He was talking about that. So my senior year, we were fortunate to play for it. We didn't win it like you had twice a Wimberly. But Coach, our biggest, goal in district was not to get scored on. And so the last district game, we were in Happy Texas with, you know the coach that was there, he was there forever, I'll think of his name later, but they got inside the 10 and got a first di- so, they had eight plays inside the 10 and we lo- we locked them out.

Speaker 10:04

Yeah.

Speaker 2 10:05

You talking about Foxhole-

Speaker 10:06

And that's-

Speaker 2 10:06

Having you back?

Speaker 10:07

Yes.

Speaker 2 10:08

It wasn't one guy, it was 11

Speaker 10:09

guys. Yeah, 11 guys and everybody on that sideline too believing-

Speaker 2 10:13

Yes.

Speaker 10:13

that it's gonna be done. Nobody doubting. You didn't, you weren't grabbing for cross your fingers, cross your legs, you, it's a belief. And, and, and that's what you, when you prepare kids and when you prepare coaches, you all gotta be on the same schedule. And that's something that you gotta have. If you're always looking for a diamond in the rough, that happens once out of, you know- Right. and I've heard coaches talk about this that you play a 10 game schedule and you're gonna out coach maybe one guy-

Speaker 2 10:42

Yeah.

Speaker 10:42

out of those 10. The rest of the time, you better prepare and you better have the situations that's gonna happen in, whether it's overtime, whether it's a punt, whether it's, whatever it may be. And I remember in the older times when I first started out, you even had to, in fact, take into consideration first downs, penetrations and those things in case of a tie. Yeah. And that, you know, that isn't even in the modern day football, that doesn't, you know, you got your true overtime. So back in those days, you prepared your staff, you prepared your kid for what if. Mm-hmm. And if you didn't do it and you got into a situation, you could see the panic, not only in your coaching staff, you could see it with the kids.

Speaker 2 11:23

Yes.

Speaker 11:23

And I think that was something that I was taught by some great coaches in my earlier career-

Speaker 2 11:28

Louis

Speaker 11:28

Kelly. practice Louis Kelly, Clem Mancini, those guys, you practice two minute offense. You didn't just say, "Hey, if we do this, we did this. And we set out on Thursdays, the last thing we always said to the coach said, "We gotta put the hand in the barn. We talk about, all right, we got the ball in the five yard line, they throw the ball in the end zone, the ball and you can intercept it. What do you do?

Speaker 2 11:50

Yeah.

Speaker 11:51

Well, the best thing is that you intercept and doubt it, you get the ball at the 20. If they're at the 22, you don't catch it in the end zone, you knock it down.

Speaker 2 12:00

Yeah.

Speaker 12:00

Those kind of things are contrary to you- Details. an inch- Yeah. are things that might be the difference in the ballgame. Yeah. And those were things that I think as an early coach because of mentors and good people that I was surrounded by taught me. You don't, you don't surpass those.

Speaker 2 12:16

Yeah.

Speaker 12:17

I've seen coaches throughout my career that, uh, and not badmouthing anybody and maybe- Yeah. situation, but they didn't prepare their team for kicking situations. It's, you know, they don't have a hands team set up for- they don't have a, an onside kick that they know that their kid can perform and gives them a chance to get the football back. Everybody knows it's probably 30%, uh, success rate-

Speaker 2 12:43

Yeah.

Speaker 12:43

but you still gotta prepare for it. And, uh- Absolutely. something about that.

Speaker 2 12:47

Grant Taft said in the lecture I was listening to him back when I first got into coaching, he said, "You gotta have a game plan for a game like a pank robber." He said, "You gotta have a plan A to rob the bank, a backup plan, and then a backup to the backup plan."

Speaker 13:03

Absolutely. That

Speaker 2 13:05

always stuck with me.

Speaker 13:06

Yeah, and I, I thought about that, and one of the things that always stuck to me is wa- watching Gun Smoke. I love Gunsmoke. And Doc always had that bag, and always in that bag, he had a fix, and that's what I always talked about, that, you know, we got, we got something for everything. Uh, sometimes that fix wasn't a, it was a, it was temporary. But it, but you had to have something in that bag. Right. And I think that's something that, uh, going back to Coach Grant Taffy told me one time when I asked him what was the most important thing, and he says, "I can tell you this motto, every way, every day, every play, that's the bear way."

Speaker 2 13:43

Mm.

Speaker 13:43

And if you did everything every way, every day, every play, and you did it your way, and your kids believed in their way, to be successful. And that's, something that he was a great mentor to me, and then just a little, little saying that stuck with me the rest of my career.

Speaker 2 14:03

That sounds very similar. I can't quote Coach Signetty, hope I said that right at Indiana.

Speaker 14:08

Yes, sir.

Speaker 2 14:09

Hi- his motto was very similar to that.

Speaker 14:11

Yes. I think it, it w- I think it was much on that line. I had some different, his particular way of saying it, but it, the belief factor of how you do that with your kids and how he did that, which is, to me, was a, I have all the, respect in the world for what he did for a school that was notably in the early times was, Indiana was known as a basketball school.

Speaker 2 14:35

Yeah.

Speaker 14:35

And then he- A doormat football, yeah. Yes. And they just was everybody's whooping child in the big 10. And now look at 'em. Again, that goes back to that faith and overcome and what you believe in and y- you know, the guy that took that job and everybody laughed and look what he did. Mm. I mean, that's amazing in itself, I think.

Speaker 2 14:54

Yes, sir. So I'm gonna work backwards a little bit. Man, I can't thank you enough for being here because this is gold to me, but, the first time I, I've known Weldon, we both West Texas guys. Yeah. Well, when I say West Texas, I'm talking about you eat sand with your cereal for breakfast.

Speaker 15:12

Yes, sir. Red dirt and your teeth and you learn that, why do you think I wobble because I had to battle that wind all the time, you know? Uh, no, that's not true. But, but you learn to live in that- in that culture and out there, no trees, no water and-

Speaker 2 15:26

That's it.

Speaker 15:27

you know, it's, uh, it's a, it's a, it's probably the, you know, the thing about farming is big. Well, the reason we're so neighborly because everybody farming their neighbors, sand from year to year because that crop blew over, you know, back there. So great people and great, great, great times.

Speaker 2 15:43

I wouldn't, I wouldn't change that for anything. No. Sudan, Texas, Lamb County here, Plains, Texas, what county is that?

Speaker 15:49

Yoakum County.

Speaker 2 15:50

Yoakum.

Speaker 15:50

Olcomb County.

Speaker 2 15:51

One of the best golf courses back in the day. Yeah,

Speaker 15:53

it's nice.

Speaker 2 15:54

Yoka County. Got some, they got some pump jacks around there. Yeah. Got some farm, but all of my family was copping farmers, got some few peanuts, all that stuff. Anyway, 2004, I think was when you were the director of the South All Star team and Leby was the north. Is that right?

Speaker 16:15

Yeah. We were all, yes, he was the north. I was the south, uh, of the-

Speaker 2 16:21

All

Speaker 16:21

star selection committee committee and we- Yeah. Yeah. We got to stay there for a week and all of us were together. Yeah. And then of course we went practice and I went with, uh, Coach Outlaw and I think you went with the-

Speaker 2 16:33

Coach

Speaker 16:33

Dodd. Coach Dodge and- Coach, I was in high code. Those two, those guys are, were remarkable coaches and, And two- In two separate type of mindsets, but- two very good coaches that knew how to do things and, and, and a young guy and then Kyle was younger, but Kyle had, you know, had played at A&M and played in great and I played in a little Western New Mexico and came from a little small, but we, I, I also saw the blend and we played, you know, we were in Houston of-

Speaker 2 17:04

Yeah.

Speaker 17:04

all places and it was 110 degrees and-

Speaker 2 17:07

Ooh.

Speaker 17:07

uh, hot, but the week we had together of all of us coaches and from different parts of the state of Texas, seeing these All Stars, seeing these coaches and seeing each other and enjoying just who we were, what we were about and sharing was, it was-

Speaker 2 17:24

it was the first time for me to be around so many great men who were football coaches. I've been around a bunch of them, but never that many at one time. I was, I basically was Coach Dodge's manager. Personal matter, you need a tale, you need some water. Yeah. And I was, uh, bouncing around, but my roommate for that week coach was the one and only Johnny Taylor.

Speaker 17:47

Yeah.

Speaker 2 17:47

Another Hall of Famer.

Speaker 17:49

That was

Speaker 2 17:49

great. Uh, do you remember your roommate?

Speaker 17:51

Uh I don't remember. Yes, who was with me? I can't think Oh, man.

Speaker 2 17:55

Johnny, he throw pillows at me and I because I was snoring.

Speaker 17:58

I gotta go back and think about that. But, and I think actually I had another coach that supposed to be in with me and he didn't so I think I ended up in a single room, but we were all together off and on and what it was, just seeing coach I know Bob Wager was there from Groveson and-

Speaker 2 18:14

that's when I met

Speaker 18:15

Bob. And then, uh, you know, what does he He goes, now he's at TCU, you know? Uh, who would, I mean-

Speaker 2 18:22

Yeah.

Speaker 18:22

Great mindset, a totally different, thing, you know, awesome. Yeah. But all those guys, the sharing and of course, you look at Honeycutt, you know-

Speaker 2 18:30

Yeah.

Speaker 18:30

He's the funniest guy, but probably one of the smartest guys you'll ever be around and, you know, legend and the coaching and all of those guys. And then of course, like you said, Todd, uh, Coach Todd Dodge and-

Speaker 2 18:42

I was

Speaker 18:42

just beginning for him in a way. Those guys were- uh, incredible and just in a short time of fixing and an All-Star how they established and that I took because I was-... lucky enough to get to coaching them in 2006 and I saw that. And so I think everything that you were able to take in and put in a book or a binder in your mind or whatever, getting to see that when I went to Weatherford, getting to see your teams come in and play in the playoffs.. Again, a close relation, a friend, but also somebody that did things a little different and got to see that and see the perspective, seeing you come out of the locker room-

Speaker 2 19:21

mm-hmm.

Speaker 19:22

seeing how your kids performed, behaving, then going to Bangs and getting to start a track meet when you were down there. Those were special times. Like we grew, our friendship grew up at the time. Yes,

Speaker 2 19:32

sir.

Speaker 19:32

Seeing you, and like you said, you went through just like all of us did, some tough times where you questioned as far as your knowledge, your integrity and all of this. But the thing, the greatest thing that I found about that, we were all the same. Yeah. We know, I wasn't any smarter or any better. I was just one of the guys and I was the same, you know, when a guy that happened, I could hear people sometimes, well, they weren't. I said- yeah. you don't know. They were great people.

Speaker 2 19:58

You

Speaker 19:58

don't know. They did it the right way. It just didn't, you know, and then the good Lord has a way of moving us around and putting us in places.

Speaker 2 20:05

Yes, sir.

Speaker 20:05

And just like being here today, who would ever thought I'd be coming from San Marcos and stopping here talking to you. So it's a privilege and an honor and our friendship means the world to me- Oh. a lot more than any of these honors that I'm talking about. The camaraderie you have with coaches and learning and laughing and doing probably some things probably I wouldn't say that, some people would be proud of, but we had fun. Right. We, we did it our way and we did it the right way. And I encourage young coaches that, that maybe listen to this, do it your way, but you, there's a lot of, uh, knowledge out there from a lot of these older, older coaches that can, uh, that can share with you. And I was blessed way beyond belief of how I got to do that with so many.

Speaker 2 20:49

Yeah. I'm trying to be a good host. I didn't want to bring up the final score at All Star game, but I think the North was on top, I think.

Speaker 20:54

Yes. The North beat us that year. We had to get redemption when I got to coaching.

Speaker 2 20:58

What year was that

Speaker 20:59

coach? We was two, in 2007, I got to coach it and-

Speaker 2 21:03

Got that dude.

Speaker 21:04

Uh, we got that W for and we put that shut out too. And so-

Speaker 2 21:07

Was it in Alamo Dome?

Speaker 21:08

It was, no, it was at TCU- TC. We played at Fort Worth and, uh-

Speaker 2 21:11

Amo- Amy Carter? Ayman Carter.

Speaker 21:13

There you go. And, it was a great time. And, of course we had, one of the guys that played for us was a, a kid named Earl Thomas that was an all pro for the Seattle- seahawks. UT, right? Longhorn? Yeah, he went to UT and, the curly kid that played at, played at TCU and then went on and played for the New York Jets and then, the kid that came from Sweeney who we picked up, he wasn't even on our original roster. He goes on, makes, All American at TCU and then goes on and plays for the Jaguars and then there was several good kids that,, that played and- getting to see those relationships... is also another great thing.

Speaker 2 21:48

You answered my question before I could even ask it who were some of the players that, that stood out? When we coached the north team, we had Graham, Harold and Red Beaumont.

Speaker 21:57

Yeah.

Speaker 2 21:57

Yes. And so we had little advantage of the guy taking a snap

Speaker 22:01

those guys were really special and, of course, their careers... also led to that. So it was great.

Speaker 2 22:07

So let's talk about your coaching stops, being for planes, correct me if I'm wrong, but your first head job was Spring Lake Earth?

Speaker 22:15

That's correct.

Speaker 2 22:16

The wolverines.

Speaker 22:17

Wolverines, the mean green wolverines. Yes. I, out there riding between cotton and cornfields and living out in teachers out there that just walk across the school. It was twenty four seven and it was. We weren't overly, talented. The first year I went there, I was a defensive coordinator and head track coach, and we went 10 and 0, and the first 10 and ho, I don't know, maybe in, it might've been in the school history- Oh, I believe that.

Speaker 2 22:42

Yeah

Speaker 22:42

and we played shallow water in the preseason, we play them in the first round of the playoffs, and I'll never forget it, we fumbled the ball eight times inside the 20 going in. Yeah. And we get beat nine to six.

Speaker 2 22:54

Oh.

Speaker 22:54

It was a heartbreaker, but it also, those kids have remained in one of the best kids on that team. It was a big lineman that went on and played at West Texas State, and he passed away. And the last three weeks of his life, he called me every day and we talked every day and, you know, as emotional as it was, but, at least when he passed, I knew that the last word coach, thank you. And, you know, as bad as it hurt and wishing I could have changed, he was too young, but I think that's what, again, goes back to the backbone where I originated in Plains, Texas, old Yoakum County boy and little farm boy and you start at Springlake Earth and those kids, uh, to this day, I still have contact with those kids, and that means a lot to you- Yeah, that's- There's not any money you can describe. I can remember my first, uh, contract was, I got $10,000. I thought I was getting rich, man. And, and, uh, I didn't even realize how poor I was.

Speaker 2 23:57

So you went from Spring Lake Earth. Did you go to Iowa Park from there?

Speaker 24:01

No, sir. I went to Lubbocasticata and got to coach for Coach Kelly at the Estacada and-

Speaker 2 24:06

So I got some scoop on you. You know who I got the scoop from. Monty Pierce-

Speaker 24:09

Yeah.

Speaker 2 24:10

who is from Plains, but coach hired him at Wimberley?

Speaker 24:15

Yes.

Speaker 2 24:15

Was that the first-

Speaker 24:16

No, I hired him at Glenrose first.

Speaker 2 24:17

Okay, Glenrose. And then he went to Wimbledon with-

Speaker 24:20

He went to Liberty

Speaker 2 24:20

with me twice. He told me to ask you what Coach Kelly, who was the head coach of Estakata what your nickname was. He-

Speaker 24:28

I don't know if I can say that on air or not.

Speaker 2 24:31

You can, you can say hot nuts. But

Speaker 24:32

as hot nuts is what he call me all the time. I was single and young and- I had me a Camaro Berlinetta because the guy wanted this. I had a Bronco that was red and black and I moved to Lubbock and there was a guy that was, he was all about the Texas Tech Red Raiders and he paid cash money to get that rig and I moved and they, he took me down to Modern Chevrolet and they had this Camaro Berlanetta that just came in and the guy goes says, "What vehicle do you want? And being a smart aleck like I was and cocky. I said, "I want that, Camaro." And that dude traded me for that Bronco and gave me that, but so I chased around in those teetops and I tried to, tried to date. And that's where I there for Coach Kelly, that's what he called me. Oh. Uh, man, he was a, a great, he, offered me a situation that I forever grateful and he moved, when I went there, I was gonna be the receivers and defensive back coach and the offensive line coach left and went, went over to administration out at Roosevelt.

Speaker 2 25:33

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 25:34

And so I, uh, Coach Kelly calls me and said, "Hey," he says, "I need old line and D line coach. Can you do it? And without even thinking a reservation, I said, "Yes."

Speaker 2 25:44

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 25:44

The greatest thing that happened to me, because I played quarterback, free safety all in high school through college, and that's when I learned the game- Yes, sir. when I started learning that front up there when the, you know, where the big boys played, that's where the games won or lost. That's where you understand the running game. That's where you understand defense from the onset. And that was the greatest thing probably that ever happened to me. It was a great opportunity and- Yeah. Coach Kelly was a great coach. If you got to ever witness him with kids and how the kids reacted to you, it wa- it was just- mm-hmm. uh, I, I don't even know how to describe it, but it taught me and gave me and he, of all people why he took a chance on me. I really don't know, but, uh- Oh, he

Speaker 2 26:28

knew. He saw

Speaker 26:29

it. It was, uh, it was a great outcome. I got to coach in the 1985 All Star game, which, uh, we had- Was that with Estecata? We had, when I was at Estacada, because Coach Kelly was the head coach and we had, there was a kid on our team named Dante Williams that went on to play at OU and in the NFL and a little Smurf guy from Midland League that was unbelievable. That wasn't

Speaker 2 26:52

Tyrone

Speaker 26:52

Thurman was. Tyrone T. Thurman and that dude was the-

Speaker 2 26:55

He could take some

Speaker 26:56

punch to the house. He was not scared of anything. And, he went on and, you seen some guys and also some, there were several other guys in that group, but it was, because of Coach Kelly, I was afforded that and given that opportunity. And I, he, to the day when he, I got to go to his funeral and- and see all of those kids back and, his legacy was greater than anything I could imagine and to think that I was a little bitty guy that got to, to coach with him.

Speaker 2 27:28

I think it's easy for guys like me on the outside growing up watching Estecata on the news and the TV, everybody that didn't know Coach Kelly and what he was about was, oh, Estecata wins game because talent, talent, talent, which they did have a lot of talent. Yes,

Speaker 27:43

they did.

Speaker 2 27:44

Coach, how good w- I mean, he was off the charts.

Speaker 27:46

Yeah, he was-

Speaker 2 27:47

You know that. I mean-

Speaker 27:48

His discipline was like, and when he told you something, he told you once. Yeah. And when he looked at you, sometimes those stairs would go right through you like a burning missile. And those kids, when he came into off season, he wasn't always there, but when he walked in, it was serious.

Speaker 2 28:05

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 28:06

And when we were there, the kids worked for us and we were multi-talented. I mean, there was lots of great kids.

Speaker 2 28:13

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 28:13

But being able to see that and then go understand where you came from Spring Lake Earth and, and as a head coach and young head coach, I was worried, maybe I don't know what I'm doing, but what I got to see is that all of us basically are on the same thing. It's refining that skills and knowing when you walk in that room with your coaches and kids that everybody's on schedule, everybody knows what's going on. And that's what he taught me. And then when he said something, it wasn't no BS. It was- no question mark

Speaker 2 28:45

behind it,

Speaker 28:46

right? Exactly. And I think that's where I gained so much knowledge and confidence in how to approach a program and how to approach kids and also to see how the community responded because he didn't let anybody make a decision. That was his decision. And that's what, as coaches, I've always tell you, you got outside influences and you got people that always know and it's easy to second guess. But when you go into that direction, be confident and it may not always work out, but be confident and be able to handle that bad side or the good side. Right. You gotta learn to deal with both sides with kids, with parents, with communities. And, I think that's what he taught me. It was just, uh, that, that big hard line feeling- Yeah. that there ain't no regret.

Speaker 2 29:36

Yeah.

Speaker 29:36

And there's no regrets and there's, you do what you do because you think it's the best thing to do. Yes, sir. And that's, I think that's an ultimate.

Speaker 2 29:43

So this is a loaded question, what one kid, if you just I know there's gonna be a long lineup. One kid from Este College just jumps out.

Speaker 29:52

Well, I think the one kid was Big Mike. We called him Big Mike. His name was Mike Smith. He played, offensive tackle and he played defensive tackle, played both ways.

Speaker 2 30:02

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 30:02

The amazing thing about him was he, he could laugh and then he could get serious. And when you went down to the auditorium for the first time when I went, when I got there in the spring semester, they had a choir and, uh, and Estecata, they could sing. Those kids could sing.

Speaker 2 30:18

Right.

Speaker 30:18

And guess who the big guy, about 6'3", 290, Big Mike, and everybody loved Big Mike. He could sing. He was part of the school. He was part of not just the football players, but about the whole student body. And he was that kid that was a player. He wasn't tall enough that the big schools wanted him. He was very smart. He loved singing. And then in 1986, he was, you know, through the shot and desk because we won the state championship and track and just two years ago, that team was inducted into the Lubbock ISD, uh, Hall of Honor, and guess who was there? Big Mike.

Speaker 2 31:00

Big Mike.

Speaker 31:01

And Big Mike still- Yeah. could bellow it out, you know? And, uh, it, I think that's, that, and, you know, he just took me in, and, uh, I, I'll never forget him. And, uh, there was lots of great ones that played there and, and very talented, but it seemed like Big Mike kind of resembled the kind of kid that you, if you said, okay, what is Estecana like you would've put Big Mike out there, you think?

Speaker 2 31:25

The ultimate Matador.

Speaker 31:26

Yes, sir.

Speaker 2 31:28

That's a great story. When did you take your next, your, or where was it, your, your next head job?

Speaker 31:33

Yeah, the next one, I went to Rotan and, uh- Oh. I just got married.

Speaker 2 31:37

The Yellowhammers.

Speaker 31:38

The old Yellowhammers. I was a headwood pecker. So, uh, I did have a- So

Speaker 2 31:42

my wife asked me the other day, what was it, what is a yellow hammer? Yeah. 'Cause we were looking at mascots.

Speaker 31:49

Yeah. It's a woodpecker. It's a woodpecker? Woodpecker. And those that you hear out on outside and, and big old trees pecking and over and over them woodpeckers are- Okay. yellow hammers, you'll see them and, they're very aggressive and, they don't, you can try to shoe them and you can try to put, they come back and they don't, they get through that wood. Awesome. But, I think I learned, a lot about I didn't know anything about Rotan. I went there and then of all things, a girl that I graduated, she was a year ahead of me, she lived there, was a hairstylist and then her family and they took me in and then I had a great bunch of coaches because I took the job in July. I got married in June, got, took it in July, so it was late and you couldn't, you know, the coaches were there. Yeah. You got, and I had a great group and we had a great time and back in there is when old, uh, MC Hammer sing hammertime and that's what we developed the hammertime in Rotan at that time. There you go. And, uh-

Speaker 2 32:43

Who was a really fast kid you had about my-

Speaker 32:46

We had a kid named Joe Hewitt that ran 10, 100 meters and went on to San Angelo and-

Speaker 2 32:50

Could fly.

Speaker 32:51

We had a kid named Scooby that Willard Roddy that could ran the 300s, hunters and long jump and that group goes on and wins the state championship in 88. And I think really, uh, in 80, in the 88 football season we lost in the quarter finals to, uh, Lindsay and it shouldn't have happened. We should, I think we should have been playing White Deer for the state championship

Speaker 2 33:13

that year, but- That was a part

Speaker 33:14

Thomas and Zach Thomas. Yes. And of course that's the first time I saw him on- bim playing, playing there. He just transferred from Pamper to White Deer and man was he a playing dude.

Speaker 2 33:24

Even

Speaker 33:25

as a Frenchman. Yes, as a freshman. He was ridiculous. But I went to Rotan for three years and loved it and had great kids and had, when I left, it was, I knew that group that were, they were sophomores was gonna be really good, but I had a chance to go down to Wimberley and the hill country and you talking about somebody think they died and gone to heaven because I'd never seen water and trees before. And, so I end up there and what a great group of kids and- and opportunity and was there for four years. And in 1993, we played in the semifinals and lost- in the last three seconds to Omaha, Paul Pewitt and- man. I got hurt and we would've played Gothweight that had we won it. And I still tell Prophet today, he was lucky, but- He was a great coach and they had a great team. Yeah. And I don't know how that would've ever come out, but we had a really solid ball club there at Wimberley and- Yeah. uh, I, well, it just, it, it seemed to take the starch out of me getting that close and who would ever thought I'd gotten that close, but, and so there I moved to Iowa Park they came to Head Hawk for six years and I can remember I sit down in a, a, a clinic there in, in, uh, Wichita Falls and I heard that coach, there was a co- coach from Oklahoma and he says, "Man, I can tell you one thing, you don't wanna go 0 and 10, but one time." And don't, you won't do it after that. Well, guess what? In 1994, I got that. I came from- 13 and two semi-finalists, one playaway from playing for state championship, and I got that 010. Yeah. And I never did it again. So you learn and live and, but it was funny how that fit, because at that time, I thought I had the world soccer. Oh yeah. You know, I thought I was a coach and guru- And I found out I knew very little. And, I had to grow. And then the next five years, we made the playoffs there at Iowa Park and that community- treated me really, really well and, uh, was very blessed to have some good kids and played- probably

Speaker 2 35:24

some hard nose kids.

Speaker 35:25

Yes, very hard nose. Probably some of the best linemen that I ever coached was- Yeah. that was those years. So-

Speaker 2 35:31

Were y'all in there with Vernon and those guys?

Speaker 35:33

Yes. Vernon and Childress and Graham. It was, uh- Oh, Johnson. Charlie Johnson, one of the best coaches you'll ever be around. I know it. I know Britain that was at Vernon one of the best coaches and-

Speaker 2 35:44

Some legends.

Speaker 35:44

Those guys- Three legends right there. Yes. Those guys were, uh, taught me a lot about the game of.. football. I'll tell you that.

Speaker 2 35:51

So did you go to Glenrose from there?

Speaker 35:53

There I went to Glenrose and stayed two years, loved it there, made the playoffs twice. I don't know how we did it, but-

Speaker 2 36:00

Yeah.

Speaker 36:00

the kids just kept believing we fought to the end and we had the first year we had to beat Breckenridge by 14 and I, there, there was no way. And we ended up beating them pretty good and, and advancing, and lost a heartbreaker to Pharis, 21, 20. The

Speaker 2 36:15

yellow

Speaker 36:16

jackets. And then the next year, we got in there, we had to beat Springtown and we're fortunate enough to beat 'em. And then we, we went and played Kennedale who was loaded and we lost a heartbreaker 22 to 21.

Speaker 2 36:28

Ooh.

Speaker 36:28

And so, uh, then I was planning on staying in Glenrose, but, uh, Wimberly called and wanted me back and here we go.

Speaker 2 36:36

I've got to interject something because this, the coaching profession, sometimes it doesn't matter. You could win a state championship, but once you leave, that's it. Yeah. That's the end of your chapter in that town. That's true. That's how good of a guy, Coach Weldon Nems is, he got invited back. And then, yeah, your career was just starting basically.

Speaker 36:58

Yeah. Yeah, we really-

Speaker 2 36:59

Two state championships later.

Speaker 37:01

We were fortunate. I got to stay there 11 years, uh, more, so 15 total and just had amazing kids and amazing coaches and the, and the community that bought in. I mean, they just bought in and believed and it was so fun. In 2005, we played in the state championship at Waco and I guarantee you, there wasn't a person left in Wimberly, Texas. They were all in Wakefield. Who y- who y'all play that year? We played Gainesville, who was a very good football team, undefeated team, and we were fortunate enough to come out on top and, uh,, and then come back in 2006, really had as good a team we did and we just, we, we slipped it up in the quarters that year and probably, probably poor coaching on my part or we probably couldn't- I doubt that. run it. But then we for- you know, turn around in 2010 and lose to Cold Spring in the semifinals and then we go the next year and we get Cold Spring again in 2011, we beat them and then we fortunate to go play Argyle, who was loaded with the- Yeah. guys. They had that, uh, that kid that was, they had a quarterback that went on and he was gonna go to TCU and he ended up going and playing for the Boston Red Sox, played third base.. And then they had the kid that, two of those, the big linemen and a receiver that went on to Texas Tech and did great things. And they were loaded and we were fortunate enough to hold on- Yeah, got 'em. win that one. And, uh, there, and that was the first year that it was to go into Jerry's world- I

Speaker 2 38:28

was gonna

Speaker 38:28

ask you- 2011 and, I mean, I'd never seen anything like it. The locker rooms, the way they treated you and everything. And plus, you know, our guy had a 45 minute drive to the stadium and we had five hours and, everybody, when the superintendent came to me and says, "Hey, Coach Nemes, probably need to take them down on Thursday night and spend the night because Friday, you played at five o'clock in the afternoon." I said, "No, sir. We're gonna, we'll get up early and get us some of them good memos breakfast and I want them in their bed and then we'll drive and eat a pregame in Waco and then we'll get on in there." I said, "I think that's the best thing." And-. it fortunately worked out. Worked out. I'm telling you there would've been probably 200, 300- Parents. parents letting me know about that bad decision. But it was, you know, awesome. And I feel, like I said, I was so blessed and the kids that I had, the coaches, the parents, the communities, the administrators that supported me- and through thick and thin was, I can't even tell you how grateful I am for that.

Speaker 2 39:32

I know they feel the same way. The 2000, was it 2011 when you won it the second time? Yes, sir. That's when I was I've known Monty since high school, but I stayed in contact. I bet I talked to him at least once a week for selfish reasons because I was at Shallow Water- Right. trying to figure stuff out. And so I stole a bunch your stuff, you probably knew idea because you, you never had any secrets, but especially the stop route, I don't know what y'all called it, the six yard-

Speaker 40:00

Yes.

Speaker 2 40:00

on the sideline?

Speaker 40:01

The spot

Speaker 2 40:02

route,

Speaker 40:03

yes.

Speaker 2 40:03

The spot route. That, that was money for y'all.

Speaker 40:07

It was. It was a great route for, and I learned that at co- from Coach Kelly. That was part of our big part of our sprint game was to hit that spot route and, people, you gotta take that, that 45 degree step and get to the, you know, get squared and, you had over the top of the corner and the backside from the drag. And then you, as people started to adjust in the game, then you had the spot and go, you had the curling out, you had the different things off of it, but it all just, you know, it all started.

Speaker 2 40:34

Started with the

Speaker 40:35

spot. And if you had a third down in eight, then you run the route at eight yards.

Speaker 2 40:39

Yeah.

Speaker 40:39

And there were things that you had to incorporate and, and we had to do that. We had to, you know, you had to, you didn't just do it, you practiced it and you had to put situational and I think that's, uh, our quarterbacks knew either, and when we threw that ball and they had to deliver it, it was to the outside. Either we got it or nobody got it. We never gonna leave that ball lingering in where you got a big city or run it back for a interception. So our kids were very well schooled. Monty was a big part of that and a lot of the coaches, but that was part of, the game that I learned from when I was with Coach Kelly. And, uh, and I think he learned that and back when he was, uh, in college playing in New Mexico State when he, that's, that was the, their go- to back in the older times and that's the way they taught it. And a lot of people just said out or a lot of people just had a, you know, whatever, but there was a specific about that and you had to run it, and if you didn't, then Coach Nelms was pretty much a- Uh, well- Don't get up in you. Yeah, it was a goat, and the GOAT in me came out because that was a big deal. Yeah. And we wanted to be able to throw that route any and every time we wanted to.

Speaker 2 41:48

Well, y'all were good

Speaker 41:48

at it. And, it was a big money play in many situations. I can tell you, bailed us out on a third and eight or- Yeah. something or ended up, they, a missed tackle and that kid turns it into, a touchdown. Right.

Speaker 2 41:59

Right.

Speaker 41:59

And, that was things that's unexpected, but you gotta make the first thing happen. And that was one of the big things that we work daily on that just when we'd run our, what we call our, roundabout, we'd call roundabout, we'd throw that route, throw the route, throw that route to the right, to the left. We wanted them just to, Most of my quarterbacks over the years were right-handed, but we had to work just as hard to the left as we did the right, because a lot of time you, most coaches, the tendencies to be right-handed, so you run the ball on the boundary. Mm-hmm. So you had to open feel back to your left. So you wanted to be, sometimes you really wanted to be better to the left- Yeah. and you

test MIC 1 01 42:36

put

Speaker 42:36

the right with that sprunt out package.

Speaker 2 42:38

Would you say y'all's, hanging your hat on play, running the ball was the lead?

Speaker 42:43

I think probably the best play I thought that money play was the trap when we ran the fullback trap. Oh,

Speaker 2 42:48

y'all ran it out of the gun

Speaker 42:50

better than anybody. And we, you we didn't care what you c- you know, we'd like to try to, we a lot of times said trap check. If we got a one and a three, we're gonna trap the three.

Speaker 2 42:59

Right.

Speaker 43:00

We got really good at the fact that we could down that, that ACE or that, the AGAP player-

Speaker 2 43:06

mm-hmm.

Speaker 43:07

and bring that guard and we, we could call it trap backer or we could call long trap. And so we got to where we were good at both and we, depending upon what their personnel was, that determined what our trap check was that week. So a lot of people would try to, when we'd come out with a back to the right, they set their three-

Speaker 2 43:25

Yeah.

Speaker 43:25

because they, and then they would shift it. As we started cadence, they'd shift.

Speaker 2 43:29

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 43:29

And we would figure out that guy was coming down and we just, we'd always go to that other side and they, and then we'd go same side trap with our back-... where we had to, and, and all, I think the key to that, and again, I'm not an expert by any means, but we always had to teach our quarterbacks, had to go to the ball and trap to hand the ball into the line of scrimmage to give our fullback a chance to make that- To hit it. Quick cut. He didn't have to be fast. He had to see what that guard and we had this terminology that we always call real simple, follow the big butt. If the big butt's in the hot, you're up in the hope. The big butts that on the log, then you were outside. And we call that all the time with our backs and our linemen, we work that grill, follow the big butt, follow the big butt. And I think that taught some average backs into being really good backs because they utilized the big hogs up front where their butt was, that's where the hole was.

Speaker 2 44:22

Hmm.

Speaker 44:23

And that was a good thing for us. And we always felt that trap was money. Now we did run, we ran the belly H, belly lead, we ran the, we ran the buck sweep with, uh, but- A

Speaker 2 44:34

lot of the wing

Speaker 44:34

T to the gun. It was a wing tee that we just adverted to the gun. Yeah. And a lot of that was Larry Hannah taught us all the terminology from the legends came down and taught us that because I was, when Monnie knew, Monnie and them had a good grasp of the spread-

Speaker 2 44:49

mm-hmm.

Speaker 44:50

and Coach Warren and Doug and those guys had a good terminology, but I did not want to change from what we did.

Speaker 2 44:57

Right.

Speaker 44:57

And being old school and old fashioned, and probably anal I guess, but it transist where we didn't have to turn, change our terminology and the kids adapted much quicker. Now, Monty can tell you that after about the first seven days of two of days, he w- him and Doug were in there like, "He's gonna change. We're gonna go back to Wing T." Because we weren't getting the snap. So, so-

Speaker 2 45:20

That's

Speaker 45:21

the worst feeling in the world. So we figure it out, we gotta take our centers and our quarterbacks every single day-

Speaker 2 45:27

mm-hmm.

Speaker 45:28

and do the first five minutes bad snap drill. Mm. And we told them, "There is no bad snap." Mm. And we said it, and we said it and we said it and our kids bought into that and our quarterbacks bought into that. They had to go get it. And if that quarterback took a left step to go get the ball, our back stepped with him. If it was a right, if it was high, he stepped back. Genius. If it was on the ground, he moved forward. And we did that over and over and over till we practiced from the varsity to the JV and especially in the seventh grade. My gosh- Ooh. Having a center in the seventh grade is

Speaker 2 46:03

about- That'd bring out some bad

Speaker 46:04

habits to me. Yes, it did. And we had to change to be able to structure to say, and then when, as a wing tea coach, it was three yards in a cloud of dust and if we got the third and one or fourth and one, we gone get it.

Speaker 2 46:18

Yeah.

Speaker 46:19

When we went to the gun with the wing T running game and we changed our passing game obviously to fit the spread, uh, kinetics of it, then we said there's not a bad down because in the other way, we had to be third and short.

Speaker 2 46:35

Yes.

Speaker 46:36

And the gun, I don't care if we was third and 15, we still believe we gonna make a first down. That's a great

Speaker 2 46:41

point.

Speaker 46:42

That's a great philosophy that you gotta teach if you're gonna do something-

Speaker 2 46:45

mm-hmm.

Speaker 46:46

you gotta go with it. You may not be the best, but your kids have to think you're the best and that's what we, you, you actually brainwash them into thinking that. And, you know, we weren't, our offense wasn't any better than anybody else's. We took ideas executed and we took it into perspective of what we did best and the execution, but we also took those little things like bad snaps about alignment and things and pressed that as a big issue. And the little things make big things happen. Oh, man. And so when I got comfortable with that, we just got better and better and better. And we, and we were also, we could, if we wanted to run NASCAR and go fast, we could go as fast as anybody or we could slow down and look to the sideline and get a check. And we had to grow to that though because kids, especially offensive linemen, when you don't huddle up their ants.

Speaker 2 47:38

It's different.

Speaker 47:39

And those kids have to under- you know, you have to see what you're doing with it and believe in it.

Speaker 2 47:43

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 47:44

And, that was a hard thing for this old guy because I was always used to breaking a huddle- And center, split in and tidy and going, you know, and all that. And it was a change. And those guys had, and, and Monty and Doug and several of those coaches that, throughout my career, they were great at teaching and they would even I can remember Coach McDormand who now is the head coach down there in, uh, Granger.

Speaker 2 48:08

Mm.

Speaker 48:08

He played for me at Glen Rose and then he coached for me at, uh, Wimberly and then coached with me at Weatherford. And the little things he taught our receivers about beating the drum and running and because we were not very fast at Weatherford and how to beat, get that cornerback to move without movement. And it was that, just that little, little drill. And he taught it and worked it and those things like that, you gotta put them on that shelf and take that shelf bigger and bigger to make you, a more effective offensive football team, I think.

Speaker 2 48:39

You brought up a good point. I think Hall of Honor guys like you, Coach, one thing that you just described was how you had to adapt-

Speaker 48:50

Yes.

Speaker 2 48:50

Your approach to the game. Not the nuts and bolts of it. That was always the recipe or the blueprint was always the same, but the drawings might look a little different, that to me is the sign of, take our brows, for instance. I think he's an innovator. Oh, yes. A genius, but to be a great coach, you don't necessarily have to have that DNA. I do think one of the biggest qualities you have to have is you have to be adaptable to the game, but also to your players and the talent.

Speaker 49:22

Yes. And I think, the number one thing that I I've asked to speak and I've talked to faculties about this, you gotta be willing to change. Yes. Change is hard. Moving out of a house to another house-

Speaker 2 49:35

Hard.

Speaker 49:35

getting married- Hard. the toughest thing that I ever did. I had to pick my underwear up and all those things that I, you know, that is, that is a big deal. And if you're committed to change and let it work because it's not gonna happen, I mean, Rome wasn't built overnight and I've said that many times to many football teams, but you gotta be willing to commit to change, stay with it, and then adapt. If a kid's not very good at pulling, and he's playing guard, and then we like to pull guard, we change it to a center and a tackle.

Speaker 2 50:06

Yeah.

Speaker 50:07

Fit what fits. And it kinda goes back to what my mom used to teach us. If you're gonna cook it, you eat it. And that's the Nam's theory. If she's gonna cook it, you're gonna eat what was there. Oh, that's great. And I think that's what coaching is all about, is if you're gonna create all these handbooks and the bootcamps and all the different things that coaches come up with, I'm not talking bad about them-

Speaker 2 50:31

Right.

Speaker 50:32

but if you're gonna live that and you better cook it, you better eat it. Mm. And coaches have to do that because if you're gonna spend that much time putting kids in situations to prove that they're, that if you're gonna cook it, you better eat it.

Speaker 2 50:46

That's great advice. Great advice. So you go from Womenly to Weatherford, how many years you've been retired from the sidelines now?

Speaker 50:56

In 2017 was my first, uh, was my last year.

Speaker 2 51:00

Yeah. But-

Speaker 51:01

And, uh, and then-

Speaker 2 51:02

Like you said, when we played playoff games, you were running the stadium, you're still very involved.

Speaker 51:06

Still involved. I, uh, I took one year, the, the 17 year, I kind of took a, away and then all of a sudden I, I did a little bit of turf stuff, I starting track meets.

Speaker 2 51:18

Yeah.

Speaker 51:19

And then that itch was still there and I kind of felt worthless kind of sitting at home and, Sims calls me and wants me to meet with the president of the school board and the superintendent. And then I was like, "What in the world wasn't, you know, why am I-

Speaker 2 51:32

Coach, hey, coach Sims smart guy. He knew what he was doing."

Speaker 51:35

Great man, a great coach. And so they told me, and I, you know, I tried to everything, well, I'm not, I don't wanna have to go in the classroom. I don't, I ain't listening to these parents and all those different things that were the irritants and every time the superintendent said, "Nope, nope, you don't have to do nope." And so they talked me into it- Yeah. a year ago and it's been the best thing for me. I feel better, I feel younger, I feel involved-

Speaker 2 52:02

Good for you,

Speaker 52:03

Coach. I'm glad that, uh, I'm getting to do it. I don't know that I know anything, but it, I just feel like sometimes those young coaches, they get up against a wall and they're looking and now they figured out that I'm not there to get rid of them, I'm there to help them and they fall back in the, especially probably from the junior high girls because it's a tough path, they're married, they're thinking about having families or they're having families, then they got these little sassy girls that are, that can be, and you have to deal with

Speaker 2 52:35

them

Speaker 52:35

and you don't let it overgrow you and trying to help them through those situations has been fun to me.

Speaker 2 52:41

I know they know how, how lucky they are, but they don't know. 20 years from now, they're gonna know, even more than they do now and I know they, they love you and respect you and appreciate you, but not like they will down the road, I promise you. Yeah. But that, they're lucky to have you there. And so, okay, I'm gonna interject commercials here and there when I edit this. So do you have a name for your, I know you're starting track meets this spring, do you have a name for your company that you start track meets?

Speaker 53:13

I just, it's just-

Speaker 2 53:14

Just welding thems.

Speaker 53:17

And it's, uh, you know, take it if you dare, I guess, or you, I've been, I've been very lucky on that a lot of, I mean, I got to start the first ever regional meet there in Springtown and I've done it every year since- Really? when they got it again, I'll be doing it again.

Speaker 2 53:33

It's that Spring Lake Air connection between you and O Hewlett isn't it?

Speaker 53:36

Yes. And so he asked me and the, I'd started with Coach Bullion and I'd started the Tarleton State meet for, uh, the regional for Long Island and it shut down because they built a new track and they moved it and just, I was at the DFW Glen of all things and, and Coach Hewlett asked me, he says, "Well, hey, and we're gonna start having the regional meet, would you build?" And I said, "Well, if Coach Bullion I can come, we'll- One day he starts the girls, I start the boys and flip it. And now Coach, Serveto, since Coach- Bob? passed away, big Bob, Bullet, he's helping

Speaker 2 54:12

you? I

Speaker 54:12

didn't know that. We do district meets, area meet and regional meets together and, and-

Speaker 2 54:17

Oh, Bob.

Speaker 54:17

If you go with Bob, you better, you better get ready to laugh than you guys the most, uh, I've never seen anybody that's more jovial. And he

Speaker 2 54:24

never

Speaker 54:24

stops. And he's got more jokes than anybody I've ever seen him on.

Speaker 2 54:27

And Coach, he never stops.

Speaker 54:29

No, he doesn't.

Speaker 2 54:30

So he befriended me when he was at Dublin it wasn't ever in football, it was in the winter and spring sports. We got put in there when I was at Bangs and I'd just been through all that mess at Brownwood, and I was down and out and trying to find my why and my purpose and Bob was one of the, for real, he was, he just came into my life at the right time and he never judged me, never-

Speaker 54:53

No.

Speaker 2 54:53

He was just always there to uplift me.

Speaker 54:56

Yeah.

Speaker 2 54:56

And our district meetings, he would see, he would get On a roll.

Speaker 55:01

Yes.

Speaker 2 55:01

And that's how I got to know Bob.

Speaker 55:02

Yeah.

Speaker 2 55:03

Cervedo. Does he ever have a bad day?

Speaker 55:05

No, I don't think so. I've talked to his wife and I've been a, and, you know, he's just, he's so positive and, and, and when you get to hear his life story of where he came from and how he ended up in Stephenville, it's an amazing adventure. And the kids and, and coaches, just like us, the lives that he's touched, it's, it's larger than I, you, you talk, you're talking about a guy that, uh, that's, uh, that's really special and, and he always has with, I don't care if it's a kid, coach, parent or whatever, he always has something that's funny but meaningful that catches attention. And I-

Speaker 2 55:49

He does.

Speaker 55:50

He got a gift for- It's amazing. He's got a gift of that and, uh, he's, you know, riding with him in the car, your stitches on your side because he, it's, it's amazing.

Speaker 2 56:01

I'm not sure if he's, he has a different approach to humor than you do, but you're one of the funniest guys that I figure out. All of you old guys, you have more of a low key, funny joke kind of guy. Bob's more in your face.

Speaker 56:16

Yes, he is.

Speaker 2 56:17

But it's all good. So if I was to give a commercial, say you started a track meat and everybody's bidding for the Olympics or whatever, what's three or four things you gonna tell the people that y'all are bringing to the track meet that makes it a great meet?

Speaker 56:33

Well, I think you, in any job you do, you take it serious, but you still can laugh at yourself. I found out the first- Great

Speaker 2 56:41

advice.

Speaker 56:42

one of the first time I started a track meet, I'd done pulled the trigger and it popped. And everybody in the whole stadium's like, "What's going on? And I could've panicked or I could've looked like a fool, but instead I made a joke out of it and I had to laugh at myself. I'm too stupid to know that you don't pull that trigger until you pull the trigger.

Speaker 2 57:00

Right.

Speaker 57:00

And then the third thing is that those kids are competing and you want them to know that you're gonna run the race. where everybody's fair, but listen to me- and be serious because if you're not in charge, kids don't know who's in charge. And if they don't know who's in charge, when the cat's away, the nice place, so to speak, and I think that's in, in a track meet area, you gotta have that... command. That's a challenge to have that

Speaker 2 57:29

too. Yeah,

Speaker 57:29

go ahead. It's that, it's just that, whoever you work for, if it's a invitational meet, you always make sure that whoever that director is-

Speaker 2 57:37

mm-hmm.

Speaker 57:38

what they want. If they're, if they don't want scratches, they don't wanna pull anybody out or so that everybody knows the fair playing field... and then at the same time, you always try to be a gentleman and visit with kids because they come across that line and they hadn't won or they come across and they're excited. There's some

Speaker 2 57:55

emotions

Speaker 57:56

involved. It's emotions and sometimes those emotions lead over to that starter.

Speaker 2 58:00

Yeah.

Speaker 58:01

And I think as a starter, you have to sometimes separate-

Speaker 2 58:04

Mm.

Speaker 58:05

some of those things and, and put it in perspective. And I think that's, for that, for the most part, I think those are the things that Coach Jackie Bullion taught me-

Speaker 2 58:13

Mm.

Speaker 58:14

as a young starter about it because I think sometimes I didn't, was too quick with the gun or my reflections and starting and now I've gained, whether it's a fake, confidence or whatever, I d- I can go out and do it with my eyes closed- Yeah. because I've done it and I know what I'm gonna do, when I'm gonna do, and then, then,, the expectation of people that hire you to do it, then you better do it, do them a good job.

Speaker 2 58:41

Dude, that's why every weekend and every track meet is booked up with Coach Dems because everybody trusts you and you're gonna do a great job. One of the greatest things you can attend is a well-ran track meet where kids are competing, one of the worst things you can be a part of as a coach is a bad-

Speaker 58:57

Yes.

Speaker 2 58:57

Coach, it could last 10 hours-

Speaker 58:59

Yes. And, and when- People that- When it's unorganized and people are there to watch their kids and they've already, especially when parents that have a distance kid, for example, they start at the 3200 and they end their day to 1600 and it's unorganized and then all of a sudden it comes to a time constraint and guess where the, all the coaches always want to cut out, wait a minute.

Speaker 2 59:20

Yeah.

Speaker 59:21

That kid's waited all day to run.

Speaker 2 59:22

All day. That's a great point.

Speaker 59:24

So I think that I've learned in that pattern, you may have to clump the g- and we do that a lot of times- Yeah. we put them in on the seventh grade girls and, or the seventh grade boys or however we do it so that we use time wisely and to catch up or so, but don't let them not compete- No, right. after they've been there all day.

Speaker 2 59:43

I'm gonna try to sign a package deal while I got you here because I'm going for the dollar signs right here, coach. If you start a track meet, I'm gonna have a crew run the concessions, junior high track meets, that's all I want. The concession stand. Yes. You give those kids 20 bucks, they gonna spend 20 bucks.

Speaker 59:58

They gonna spend not $19 and 99 cents, they gonna spend 20 cents and look if they can get one piece of gum more. That's in junior high, that's the concession you want. Yeah. High school, you have different, uh, kids with, different things, but if you in junior high track meet, every kid is gonna spend every penny that mom and dad or whomever is giving them.

Speaker 2 1:00:20

I wished I could come up with a business to where you go into junior high track meet because some schools have a lot of volunteers, but they're getting harder and harder to find. Yes. And go in, maybe like these stadiums, these D1 stadiums contracted out, we run the concession stand, y'all get a cut, we supply all the labor and the food, I think it's a gold mine.

Speaker 1:00:41

I do too. And I think that if, more stadiums would go to that and get one person- mm-hmm. just one, because if you The thing about concessions, you get-

Speaker 2 1:00:52

Too many

Speaker 1:00:53

hands. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians. It always ends up in a quarrel.

Speaker 2 1:00:58

Yeah.

Speaker 1:00:58

And I found out over the many years, if you can find one person that'll take that charge and it's worth putting a stipend or the booster club paying somebody-

Speaker 2 1:01:08

Yes.

Speaker 1:01:09

it's well worth it.

Speaker 2 1:01:10

Well worth

Speaker 1:01:11

it. And, and then of course as everybody, nowadays in common terms, everybody has a credit card, everybody has a debit card.

Speaker 2 1:01:18

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1:01:18

So if you're gonna run them, find a machine- Gotta

Speaker 2 1:01:21

have

Speaker 1:01:22

that tap. Yes. And tap and go, make where the kids don't have to collect money, where you don't have to worry about-

Speaker 2 1:01:29

No cash.

Speaker 1:01:29

You don't have to worry about people putting money- Stick your fingers. Let them do it. It runs it course. It pays better dividends. You don't worry about that insecurity.. and that'd be my total advice to that.

Speaker 2 1:01:41

Yeah.

Speaker 1:01:42

But I wished I was smart enough to know how to do it because I think that'd be the best money making

Speaker 2 1:01:46

around. I do... like for us here at Brentwood Christian, we don't have a track on our facility, so we go twice a week to, oh, Coach Cheatham over in Round Rock, let's just go to a middle school track. Yes. But there's so many, uh, opportunities out there because A lot of people don't know how to run a track meet It's a lot of work.

Speaker 1:02:06

Yes, it is.

Speaker 2 1:02:06

But it's, it's worth it. If you, if you get somebody that knows what they're doing and have the If you don't have the starter, that's how important it is. If you have the wrong starter that takes three minutes in between a heat and it's the 100 meter dash, it's gonna be a long night.

Speaker 1:02:23

Yeah, it is. And if you don't have a starting mechanism that go- that- understands the urgency of getting that white flag back up or whistle or whatever it is... to get it going, that's what I like being- If I get a guy that does that and I, like I just started that district track meet for junior high at Wimberly and that guy and then the next day, the text and relays and those guys, they know and I know, okay, when do you know, some guys want to wait till you get thumbs up, but he comes over and tells me on the 400 meter, don't wait for me as soon as you get them lined up, because you know, as well as I do, some kids, it's gonna take them forever to get in the block. And you as a starter, you have to make that demand too. You got one run out and get your blocks and then stand behind them. If a starter doesn't do that, those kids will go four or five times out of those blocks.

Speaker 2 1:03:11

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1:03:11

So you have to initiate that.

Speaker 2 1:03:13

Those

Speaker 1:03:13

little junior high

Speaker 2 1:03:14

aliens.

Speaker 1:03:15

Oh, the junior high, you got, it's like chasing cats, you know? They, you know, one might be the other day I started one and a kid has the blocks going the wrong way. I have another girl that thinks that she, as soon as I see set, she's three steps down the track, you know? You still have to confine that. And again, that goes back to controlling it. Don't, you can't just walk away and say, "Oh, well, that's junior high kids." You still, they still gotta learn just like you did. Yes. And so- It's

Speaker 2 1:03:46

a great teaching

Speaker 1:03:46

moment, yeah. It's a teaching moment of understanding and, and like utilizing the blocks or stand up start or whatever it may be, it still has a rim of challenge and a rim of teaching and you've gotta be a teacher as well. And you're not just a starter, you don't say, "I shot the gun oh well." It's gotta be more than that. Right. Because if a track is gonna be continuing to be successful with track, you gotta be teaching track. Yes, sir. Coaches gotta coach track. And-

Speaker 2 1:04:13

Yes.

Speaker 1:04:14

that's one thing I tell the junior high guys, we're coaching track, we're not showing up just for an afternoon workout. We're coaching track. If you're the jumpers coach, you find out. If you're the, distance coach, you find out and that's important. And same thing with football. If you, if an offensive line coach doesn't know-

Speaker 2 1:04:30

mm-hmm.

Speaker 1:04:31

and he's just abiding his time when he's on Indy, I don't like that.

Speaker 2 1:04:34

No.

Speaker 1:04:34

I'm gonna utilize every second of whatever he drill or whatever play calling or whatever and, I want that guy doing that. Yes,

Speaker 2 1:04:42

sir.

Speaker 1:04:42

So that's, uh, I think that's important.

Speaker 2 1:04:44

Yes, sir. This has been a great we're probably about to wrap it up. I wanna ask you some random questions that I ask people, and I apologize, my tradition is to bring a good dessert. You said cookies, any kind of cookie, right?

Speaker 1:04:57

Oh, any kind of cookie.

Speaker 2 1:04:58

I'll send you a card through the mail for a cru- my favorite is crumble cookies.

Speaker 1:05:03

I like them too. Cookies are kind of, they adopt to me pretty good.

Speaker 2 1:05:09

But, okay, do you have a favorite college team that you've rooted for?

Speaker 1:05:15

I have always kind of been a, a, a mixture of Texas Tech Red Raiders- Yeah. and now that Joy's there and we're friends, I'm big- Yeah. Texas Tech Red Raider.

Speaker 2 1:05:25

Yes, sir.

Speaker 1:05:26

I always love the Texas teams. Mm-hmm. Uh, so any kind I liked, uh, you know, I like TCU, I like Texas and I like A&M. I like, you know, anybody from Texas is, is good. I guess really and truly though, Hardin Simmons is kind of my team because Coach Whitehead- Yeah. coach under me is the offensive coordinator and Jesse Burleson is a great coach with kids that want to play, I mean, they want to play division three. No scholarship. They're not getting paid. They're not getting NIL. They're just good kids and I go back and talk and go back and see them play. Mm-hmm. To me, it means, uh, you know- And I, trust me, I went to the Big 12 Championship. I was right up there hollering with everybody for Texas Tech and BYU, but going to Hardin Simmons where the kids and the parents appreciate the small time-

Speaker 2 1:06:15

They have a love for the game.

Speaker 1:06:17

Yes, that's what I love.

Speaker 2 1:06:18

Yes. That's a great point because, and they got it going on right now.

Speaker 1:06:22

They do.

Speaker 2 1:06:22

Conference championship,

Speaker 1:06:23

right? Three in a row.

Speaker 2 1:06:25

Three

Speaker 1:06:25

in a row. In a row. And, uh, and I wouldn't be s- I, there may be better this next year than they've been in the last three years.

Speaker 2 1:06:32

Wow. Good for them. Well, I had hip help me with a lot of stuff on the offensive side of the ball back in the day. He's been there forever.

Speaker 1:06:39

Been there and probably, I would, it wouldn't surprise me to see him be the next head coach-

Speaker 2 1:06:44

Oh, that-

Speaker 1:06:44

Jesse steps down.

Speaker 2 1:06:45

That'd be great. Uh, he's earning that right?

Speaker 1:06:48

Yes, sir.

Speaker 2 1:06:48

I hope, I hope they do, do that. Um, all right, favorite, if you go out, favorite restaurant to eat at, do you have a favorite?

Speaker 1:06:58

Ooh, I love them all. Uh-

Speaker 2 1:07:01

Or, or-

Speaker 1:07:01

I, uh, you know what I, I really like, and my grandkids kind of got me onto this is, uh, is Japanese steakhouse. Ooh. I love to go to that hibachi where they- Hibachi

Speaker 2 1:07:12

grill.

Speaker 1:07:12

They had that hibachi and that fried rice and all those veggies and, and that steak and shrimp, I, that's my, that's my If I had, if you said, where are you gonna take me right now, that's where I'd say we'd go.

Speaker 2 1:07:24

Oh, boy.

Speaker 1:07:25

But that's-

Speaker 2 1:07:26

Shoot, if we have one close, I'd take you.

Speaker 1:07:28

Yeah.

Speaker 2 1:07:28

That, those are good.

Speaker 1:07:29

But I, that's probably, my extreme good. Right. A good, a good steak, chicken fried steak, Mexican food-

Speaker 2 1:07:38

Oh yeah. You can get, you can probably get that in plains back in the day, a good chicken fry or a-

Speaker 1:07:43

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 1:07:44

Inch a lot of plate.

Speaker 1:07:45

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 1:07:46

Leo's up in Millsure. Oh,

Speaker 1:07:48

man.

Speaker 2 1:07:48

It's still the best I think.

Speaker 1:07:50

Yes.

Speaker 2 1:07:50

I think so, coach.

Speaker 1:07:51

And they try to create one in Lubbock and it's still compete. But the Leos, the original Leo's there in mil shoes. Real shoes. Hard to beat.

Speaker 2 1:08:00

Yeah, you can't beat it.

Speaker 1:08:01

Yeah.

Speaker 2 1:08:02

Um-

Speaker 1:08:02

Marcado- Mercado Juarez in Fort Worth, have you ever eaten there?

Speaker 2 1:08:06

No.

Speaker 1:08:07

You go there and you may change for what's- Really? Yes.

Speaker 2 1:08:10

It, it's battling for number one.

Speaker 1:08:12

Yeah, it's battling. And it's, uh, it's plenty good and, and has, has probably the best chips and salsa and, and, and margaritas that you ever had. Hmm. It's, uh,

Speaker 2 1:08:24

My middle daughter's a nurse at Cook's Children's Hospital, her and her husband live in downtown Fort Worth, so-

Speaker 1:08:29

They need to go.

Speaker 2 1:08:30

I'm gonna remember that. We may go up there for Easter anyway.

Speaker 1:08:33

Yep.

Speaker 2 1:08:34

Uh, any, any, any words of wisdom that I skipped over, you hit so many good points. Uh, uh, so I can edit this out too, but there's one, one thing Coach Pierce said to ask you about bullfrog.

Speaker 1:08:53

Bullfrog was something that Coach Mancini taught me when I was at Western New Mexico played and, and every program with up till the point of after the first couple of years at Weatherford, I had to cut it out because kids were, they didn't get it and didn't, it didn't do the effect that, but when I called Bullfrog, it was live. Everything above the waist in front, no cheap shots, it was full speed. Yeah. And the reason I taught that was the same thing that you would teach anybody in life. You always ready for the unknown. And as a football player- because if somebody may come take a cheap shot or it may be a big play of tackle, a kid breaks a tackle or stand on a block, then I wanted that sudden burst. And as soon as I called Bullfrog and as soon as I blew the whistle, it was done. Not any other coach could call it. But it was live and it was only for me. And the one time that I know what Coach Pierce is reflecting to, we're playing a big game in a district game and the team come down the end zone trotting down there, singing some little deal and, you know, eyeballing my ids. Oh, don't

Speaker 2 1:10:03

do that.

Speaker 1:10:04

And immediately I called bullfrog and our kids went to going and dad it, boom, boom, boom, you could hear it like, I mean, it sounded like 22's going off of a shell and, uh, that other team got to midfield and turned to look and I knew right then, I said, "Boys, we got them."

Speaker 2 1:10:20

Yeah, I had

Speaker 1:10:20

them. And we com- commenced to put a butt whooping-

Speaker 2 1:10:23

Opened a can,

Speaker 1:10:24

a whoop. Yeah, a can of whoop A, and it was all over but the crime. But that's, uh, you know, we did the, in the smaller school, it was even better because the kids and even in junior high, you know, it wasn't bull in the ring where you tried to take advantage of guy. Instead, it was open and when I blew it, usually it was when close quarters, not deep quarters.

Speaker 2 1:10:43

Right.

Speaker 1:10:44

And then you found out the ones that would jump on the ground and chy and then the ones that would-

Speaker 2 1:10:48

Man, I've never heard that. That's genius.

Speaker 1:10:50

But that's, uh, that was Coach Mancini's that taught us that at Western New Mexico's live when he said it. He might not have say it very often.

Speaker 2 1:10:58

Yeah.

Speaker 1:10:58

But when he said it was live and, and if the kids, two kids that been arguing and kind of punching and pushing, they need to settle something real quick, but it got it settled. And we went on about business. So- that was, that was something I did. Like I said, I, when I went to Weatherford, the kids just were, they, they cowered down to it. They didn't, uh-

Speaker 2 1:11:18

Yeah.

Speaker 1:11:19

Uh, and, a kid got hurt because he got pushed in the back and, and- Of course. and that happened, of course, it brought up and then why I was doing it and so it, and just to forego the sensation of bringing that program and the kids didn't regime to it everywhere else, they loved it.

Speaker 2 1:11:40

Right.

Speaker 1:11:41

At Spring Lake Earth, at Rotan, at Wimberley, at Glenrose, at Iowa Park, those kids can tell, you could go nearly any kid and ask them what bullfrog meant, and they immediately would tell you. And- but that was, yeah, that was-

Speaker 2 1:11:54

I can't believe I've never heard this story, because that's gotta be common knowledge.

Speaker 1:11:59

That's

Speaker 2 1:11:59

great stuff.

Speaker 1:12:00

I think the only time I remember that Coach Warren, uh, Steve Warren-... abilene, when I spoke at that regional meeting, he brought it up that Coach Posey told me, and I told about it, and ev- and as soon as I got off the podium and went out there, everybody wanted to know about it. And I told them, uh, you know, the full, full story, and, uh, but it came, you know, Coach Mancini did that to us at Western School and it was-

Speaker 2 1:12:25

The guy that never ages.

Speaker 1:12:26

No, 88 years old, uh, last week. Yeah. And we still go, he and I go to Redosa and- Yeah. his wife and we have vacation and stay, we talk every single week and, uh-

Speaker 2 1:12:37

That's awesome. He's another guy that's just al- always seen positive-

Speaker 1:12:40

Oh, yes. He was, just- Upbeat. Upbeat and, and he just don't, he don't age. Yeah. And he loves football and he loves, he loves kids and he loves people and he's a people's person all the way. And, and he came along in my life when I was fixing the I just played my junior year and the coach left and, uh, he came in. I'm sitting on the steps up. I can remember right in front of the dressing room weight room and here he comes and me and my roommate were sitting there and he looked at us, "You two aren't going anywhere. You're playing for me. And, and we were, we were considering going back somewhere in Texas at that time because he grew up in Fort Stockton. I grew up in Plains and

Speaker 2 1:13:19

Coach- Both

Speaker 1:13:19

deserts.

Speaker 2 1:13:20

Desert climates.

Speaker 1:13:21

Oh yeah. Yeah. The sand and the whole nine yards, so

Speaker 2 1:13:25

I know our time's about to wrap up.. We'll have to do this again because you, you have too many stories and to get into one episode, this is what I envisioned this podcast being coach, cutting it up on the back porch, not in the coach's office necessarily, but getting great wisdom and insight to the game of football and, your journey and what you've been through. I said it in the beginning, you're at the pinnacle right now of getting inducted into the Texas Coaches Football Hall of Fame, THSEA, Hall of Honor.

Speaker 1:13:57

Hall of Honor.

Speaker 2 1:13:58

Hall of Honor. And I'm gonna be there in H Town, right? H-Town.

Speaker 1:14:08

Yeah. I was kind of hoping it would have been in San Antonio- because my mom's an assisted living there, but- You know, who, I mean- I would've never thought that I'd even be-

Speaker 2 1:14:18

I think you're gonna be surprised how many people show up in your honor on your behalf. I'm so happy for you and thank you for being a mentor to me. I know, you have mentors like Coach McAdams, a male that I talk to every other day, and then you have mentors in your life like you are to me where, stay track meet or playoff game in Weatherford and you're, always just a great guy, You're friendly to people, and that's what I loved about Mel. He would treat the janitor just like he was the assistant head coach. He treated everybody the same. You're out of that same mold, so I appreciate your friendship.

Speaker 1:14:53

I don't know that I'm that far like Mel. Mel was, there wasn't nobody didn't, that didn't know him and but he was he's just one of the, when I f- found out that he was sick, I just, it just broke my heart. Yeah, well,

Speaker 2 1:15:05

we called and, and I talked, I, we talked over the phone about it.

Speaker 1:15:08

Yeah, too many, there's too many guys that, that, that are still in this world that weren't as effective as him, and I guess the good Lord just needed him up there because-

Speaker 2 1:15:16

Yes, sir.

Speaker 1:15:17

he was, uh, that he was,... I met him way I mean, I'd met him, seen him at Redosa because that was my family's path of vacation- Right. Renosa and Mel was always up there.

Speaker 2 1:15:30

Yeah.

Speaker 1:15:30

And then-

Speaker 2 1:15:31

Race track?

Speaker 1:15:31

Then when I went to Iowa Park and he was at Burleson. he come from Forney to Burleson, I, then he ran the wing, wing tee. I ran the wing tee and we sat and talked one night. I, and both us are about to fall out of the chair and-

Speaker 2 1:15:47

Y'all probably spent an hour on trap.

Speaker 1:15:48

Yes.

Speaker 2 1:15:49

He was a big trap

Speaker 1:15:50

guy. Yes. And just all the different things and in between that, people would come by and he talked to every, everybody knew him and everybody-

Speaker 2 1:15:58

Mm.

Speaker 1:15:59

it was just, he just- You in the same boat. those guys that everybody loved him.

Speaker 2 1:16:03

I'll say the best nickname, and then I'll shut up and we'll tag out. But the best nickname, I think, you've had a lot of good nicknames for coaches, but John Contrusie World-

Speaker 1:16:14

Wide John. Yeah. I know why.

Speaker 2 1:16:16

You talked it made me think of him when you said Bell knew everybody.

Speaker 1:16:20

Yeah.

Speaker 2 1:16:20

I think John has him beat.

Speaker 1:16:22

Yeah.

Speaker 2 1:16:23

I mean, maybe I

Speaker 1:16:25

think so. I know. Well, John never seen a stranger in his life.

Speaker 2 1:16:28

That's very true.

Speaker 1:16:30

He, John I hate to see him get out of coaching, but-

Speaker 2 1:16:33

I do too.

Speaker 1:16:33

you know, he, uh, his, he's got two boys right now that are gonna be- They're

Speaker 2 1:16:38

gonna be men.

Speaker 1:16:39

men and Oli play, but even they don't really understand how his dad, his dad was-

Speaker 2 1:16:48

mm-hmm.

Speaker 1:16:48

you know, he's the same one day as he is the next. He's just not gonna change.

Speaker 2 1:16:53

Yeah, that's very true.

Speaker 1:16:54

And, uh, but worldwide John's always, uh,

Speaker 2 1:16:57

he's- I'm gonna get him on the show.

Speaker 1:16:59

Yeah, me too.

Speaker 2 1:17:01

And I tell him, I talk to him about every other week, because he still has coaching in his blood, but he likes And I would, too, talk about his boys. Every time he brings them up, I said, "They're gonna overcome their DNA if Coach McQueen and Temple would've had, his boys instead of him-

Speaker 1:17:18

Yep.

Speaker 2 1:17:20

But I,

Speaker 1:17:21

but yeah, he was a good, he's a good ball coach and-

Speaker 2 1:17:25

Yes, sir.

Speaker 1:17:25

his, those kids have, he's raised them right and his wife is a very- Oh. a great person and a great athlete. Yeah. And, but yeah, all those guys are, they've been very special to me. I've been grateful. Like I said, I've been surrounded by so many good coaches, good friends like yourself that, it, you asked me coming, there'd probably be some guys that would, I might not even- consider, but when you ask me, I- I

Speaker 2 1:17:54

appreciate it so much.

Speaker 1:17:55

I'm glad that given the opportunity to probably, probably everybody will throw it in the trash. I wouldn't blame them,

Speaker 2 1:18:01

but- No, this is gonna be, it's gonna platinum right here this episode, coach. I, I know, you gotta run. I appreciate your time, coach. Thank you so much.

Speaker 1:18:09

Thank you for having me and, just keep on rolling.

Speaker 2 1:18:12

Yes, sir. Keep on keeping on. I had a sign off, you know what they say, it's kinda corny, and then my guest would say, "What's that? And I say, "If you're gonna be kicking it, might as well be kicking it to the max."

Speaker 1:18:25

That's right. That's right. Yeah.

Speaker 2 1:18:27

Thanks, coach.

Speaker 1:18:28

Thank you.