Becoming a Better Man, Matthew McConaughey, Coaching 1st-Round Picks with Brent McDonald

My guest is Brent McDonald. He is the Principal at Summer Creek High School in Houston, Texas, and former Head Baseball Coach at Cypress Falls High School. He & wife, Angie, have two kids, BreAnna, 17 & Dominick, 15.

“Coach Mac,” or “Mac,” as his number is saved in my phone, is someone I’ve always respected & admired. For over 25 years, he’s been a real-life influencer—not to be confused with wannabe modern-day social media “influencers.”

As a former baseball coach at Cy-Falls High School, Mac greatly impacted my life’s journey. Therefore he’ll always have a place on my Wall of Gratitude, which I discuss in the Intro.

Coach Mac was the Varsity Assistant Baseball Coach when I was at Cy-Falls. In 1999, the year after I graduated, he became Head Coach. His stories from those days are incredible—he coached two first-round draft picks in 2002 and took many Cy-Falls teams deep into the state playoffs.

In 2007, in a decision that would impact more kids’ lives, Mac accepted a position as Assistant Principal at Cy-Falls. Timing of the career change suited he & Angie as they’d just started a family. His new administrative job meant getting home earlier to spend more time with them.

In this episode, we spend considerable time talking baseball and Coach McDonald’s coaching career at Cy-Falls. We recall the incident in 1998 involving Kyle Rutherford, our quarterback & star pitcher. Rutherford was benched in our final playoff game because of something he’d allegedly written in the yearbook about our Head Football Coach & Athletic Director. A lawsuit followed that gained national recognition—it was mentioned by ESPN Sportscenter’s Bob Ley.

Coach also talks about how kids are quick to transfer schools now when they don’t play Varsity as a sophomore. He says kids manipulate their mailing addresses in order to enroll in another school.

Also, since I’m a new parent, we discuss the most valuable thing you can give to your children: time. Mac says time is the greatest gift he’s given his kids. That resonates with me in a big way.

The reason? You cannot buy kids things that would replace your presence in their life. Toward that end—we discuss investing strategies for college, equity buildup and a long & happy retirement.

It was an honor to have Coach McDonald on the podcast. Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Questions asked:

Have you ever been told you sound like Matthew McConaughey when you speak?
Have you ever kept a journal?
What was the highest our varsity baseball team was ranked that year [1996]?
Do you remember when we had our ace pitcher write something in a yearbook that “ticked off” the Athletic Director/Head Football Coach?
Why did you come and coach us on a trip to Klein Forest High School? And do you remember the speech you gave on the bus after the game?
Do you remember when I got into trouble for going to work at Burger King instead of going to our JV game?
How do kids lie on their mailing address when transferring to another school for athletic reasons?
What happens when you’re voted against [transferring to another school for athletic reasons]?
Were you hoping to get the Head Coaching job at Cy-Falls?
Do you remember when you got that call [that Coach Hayes was stepping down]?
How soon did you recognize—after you assumed the role of Head Coach at Cy-Falls—that you had serious talent?
Did you struggle with partying issues with Everts & Kazmir when they were seniors?
Was it a stressful time having two phenoms that you’re coaching and making sure you don’t screw them up or ruin their arm(s)?
Did Everts & Kazmir talk to you about money at all?
What prompted you to ask me what I thought about one of my teammates dating the girl that I had dated for six-and-a-half years?
What happened after you lost those tremendous talents [Kazmir & Everts]?
At what point did you decide to get out of coaching?
Was it a tough transition to be away from baseball?
Is what you’re going through right now with COVID similar in magnitude with what you went through with Hurricane Harvey?
What is Title 1?
What is your philosophy on state-mandated testing?
Can you talk about what options high school kids have now that I was so amazed by [when you gave me a tour of Summer Creek High School]?
Do you feel that as you go about your day, everything you say is going to be remembered [by the kids]?
What did you learn from your dad about investing?
Are there any other investments that you’ve made through the years?
Do you have any concern about overshooting the mark (or working too many of your prime years)?
What will you do if your kids get significant scholarship money?
Do you think about getting back into coaching after retirement?

Fun Questions:

Social media – net positive or net negative for society?
Do you find it harder to communicate with kids nowadays than when I was in school?
Do you think Jeffrey Toobin of CNN should have been fired for accidentally exposing himself on a Zoom call?
What is the best donut you’ve ever had?
What is one piece of travel equipment that you would recommend if someone only had $100 to spend?
If someone offered you $100,000 worth of one of these stocks, which would you choose: Spotify, Tesla, or Airbnb?
If The University of Texas could sign Nick Saban to a 3-year deal or Bill Belichick to a 6-year deal, which would you choose?
What is your opinion of the Sarkisian hire at UT?
Do you think not wanting something is just as good as having it?
If you could organize a dinner party of 6 guests, and have either everyone you’ve hurt or everyone who has ever hurt you, which would you choose?
What is the likelihood or % chance of being true that the Coronavirus was deliberate?
If China were at war with us, do you think they would tell us?
Do you have a favorite book?

Listen here:

“I tell you what,” he said . . . battling to control his emotions, “Our feet are on the ground, but our faces hurt from smiling so much. I feel about as good as I have ever felt as a coach.” – Coach Brent McDonald, after beating No. 2-ranked The Woodlands High School, in 2004 Region II-5A Quarterfinal series