Texas Football Glory: Coach Ronnie Gage's Unstoppable Journey #103

 Get ready for an electrifying episode of the Finish Strong Podcast as we dive deep into the heart-pounding world of Texas high school football with the legendary Coach Ronnie Gage!

Join us as we explore Coach Gage's awe-inspiring journey from the gridiron to greatness, capturing seven district championships and two state championships along the way. Discover what it takes to be the first coach in history to clinch state titles in both divisions one and two at the 5A level.

In this action-packed episode, hosted by the dynamic trio Dan Wheeler, Brian Roland, and Terry Steen, we uncover the secrets behind Texas football's incredible cultural impact.  Have you ever wondered if a whole town really shuts down on Friday nights for the love of the game? Find out firsthand from Coach Gage himself!

But this episode isn't just about touchdowns and trophies. Coach Gage opens up about his coaching philosophy, the role of faith and family in his life, and how football can shape young athletes into exceptional individuals both on and off the field.

Coach Gage's riveting journey is chronicled in his book, "The Life Coach: Small Town Lessons of Faith, Family, and Football," penned in collaboration with Tom Thompson. From nail-biting victories to inspiring comebacks, this book encapsulates the spirit of dedication, teamwork, and unwavering belief.

Tune in to this captivating episode of the Finish Strong Podcast and embark on a riveting adventure through the heart and soul of Texas football with Coach Ronnie Gage.

🔗 Links Mentioned:

• Grab a Copy of Coach Ronnie Gage's Book: "The Life Coach"
• Coaches Corner

Hit that like button, share your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe for more remarkable stories of triumph and inspiration! 

Transcript

Dan Wheeler: 0:02

We've got a great edition of finish strong tonight. We like to hang out with winners. And we've got one tonight you're about to meet one of Texas high school football's winning as coaches in the last 100 years. He is the Texas high school coaches association, inducted him into their Hall of Honor. He has tons of championships we'll get into it, but if you know anyone who is a sports fan, tell them to listen to this edition of finish strong. I'm joined by two other football fans, Brian Rowland and Terry Steen. Tara, you and I had a pretty good flag football career in college. Yeah, I

Terry Steen: 0:41

was just gonna say this is gonna take me back to my football days, but all I have is college intramural. So

Dan Wheeler: 0:49

we're baseball and basketball. And Brian, you played football till you shattered your knee right

Brian Roland: 0:54

knee and they hadn't broke my thigh and so that ended that. And they'd been a wrestler for a while. Yeah.

Dan Wheeler: 1:00

And there wasn't. There wasn't the NFL career. That's it. All right. Well, if you can imagine this guy won seven district championships, two state championships. He was the first coach ever to win state championships. At the five a level in both divisions one and two in Texas. He goes to Lewisville High School twice voted the Texas high school coach of the year and co author of The Life Coach, small town lessons of Faith Family and football that he co wrote with Tom Thompson. Guys, he's the real deal, because Texas football is a real big deal.

Terry Steen: 1:39

Oh, yeah. Did you ever watch the TV program Friday Night Lights? Did and Dad told the story, didn't it? Yeah. Well excited. Let's bring

Dan Wheeler: 1:49

him on right now and say hi to coach Ronnie Gage, everybody. Coach

Terry Steen: 1:55

Gage, nice to have you and Yeah, welcome. Wow.

Ronnie Gage: 1:58

Thank you look forward to it. This week.

Dan Wheeler: 2:02

You know, Coach Gage, everybody knows Friday Night Lights about Texas football is Texas football, high school football. Is it as big as they say, does the whole town shut down on Friday night?

Ronnie Gage: 2:15

You know, it really is. And it really does. It's always been that way. And you know, we're pretty proud of that fact. To be a coach in the state of Texas and have the opportunities that we get year in and year out is special and aware that our coach is even more special. So yeah, it's big, it is big, but there's parts of it that are a lot bigger than the game.

Dan Wheeler: 2:44

Yeah, that's true. And we're gonna get into that you have a long list of accomplishments. I mentioned some of those which of those makes you smile the most when you hear them when I mentioned that you were twice voted the high school coach of the year first to win the five a level state championships in Division One and Two seven district championships. Is there one that stands out?

Ronnie Gage: 3:05

You know, for me the biggest accomplishment was was getting elected into the Texas high school Hall of Honor was a result of the success that we had over the years and and you know, I relate that to a lot of things I was around wonderful people and good school districts great kids had a tremendous coaching staff and you know, just did a lot of support along the way but you know, when you look at the state of Texas and you look at its successful coaches across the state of Texas over the years to be included in that group, or main was was was really cute.

Dan Wheeler: 3:47

Well, you won two state championships and you were telling me a little bit about the first one. It was close and you said you couldn't even swallow who are so nervous. Take us back to that game. Tell us what happened in the final moments.

Ronnie Gage: 4:00

Well the game was 43 to 37 in both quarterbacks pretty much took the game over about middle of second quarter on and it was gonna be boiled down who's gonna get all this they scored with two minutes 50 seconds left kicked out to us and we drove the ball down to midfield and we had a fourth in one baseness and it was Do or die we use the last time out we had a sale yesterday Daniel our coaches like your ear on everything and that particular time that particular play, I turned around I felt like I was on an island by myself. You couldn't find a coach or that decision. Coach I can get it this is like a like a movie. We had a play called we just call it a tinker be called any play and it was a naked bootleg. We were going to buy it he was no keep it out back door. And he says coach I get if you're on tape. And I said Chad you gotta get it buddy. He says I'll get it. And long story short, he got hit with a five yard bass bass penalty. The next series, we had a 30 night, completed the bass middle. And we ended up scoring with 21 seconds or 27 seconds left. And right right back to me, we made a great play stop them from running the thing back and held one playing the game was over tough was still one of the top 10 playoff games ever played in the external? It

Brian Roland: 5:31

really sounds like that's great, but

Ronnie Gage: 5:35

spit, man I always my mouth was dry.

Brian Roland: 5:41

What do you think your keys are your successes coach.

Ronnie Gage: 5:45

You know, our number one is is is again being in good places people that believe in that athletics has a place in the educational process. You know, there's a lot of schools that No, and I've always been in places that have had a lot of support out of the administration and the parents. And then surrounding yourself with great people. I've had great coaches work with me over the years, and we had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories. And just working, you know, told me the biggest philosophy is very simple. It's just, you know, set your expectations. Be consistent with those expectations on a daily basis, and level. And if you do those three things, I don't know what else you can do when we worked our kids extremely hard, we love them.

Brian Roland: 6:38

Well, that's interesting, because I was going to ask you her, how you set the tone for a successful season that you're at your first practice, and you get the ball rolling right there. And it's like getting pushed to get respect from your players of who you are and what you've accomplished. But how do you set the tone like that in your first practice?

Ronnie Gage: 6:53

Well, it starts you know, we get an offseason, we get an athletic period down here in Texas. So we get old during the offseason for an hour. And you know, we develop our work habits and our work ethic you're in, you're in the spring, and we're very consistent with that in and again, we, we we hold each kid accountable, we expect the same, whether you're top of the tear or the the bottom of the tear. And we hold them accountable for you know, what they do and, and how they work and the way they approach and I just say like you gotta you gotta be demanding, you've got to be consistent. It's just like growing up. We, our parents had patients of us we had half, you know, work, details we had to do and then you know, you did it every day until the point you didn't have to be told to do it. You just did it. That's kind of the same thing we got to do and working hard and playing hard becomes a habit. And that's that's what we tried to do. Good at.

Dan Wheeler: 7:54

Terry. That's why you're not a coach, you always set the bar low, right?

Brian Roland: 7:58

Yeah,

Terry Steen: 7:59

I continually tripped over it is very hard to a Coach, you talked about parents take us back to your childhood a little bit. I understand you lost your father when you were around 12 and tell us how that affected you. And I know you can never replace a father but what did you do as far as role models and men to help you in your life? Give us a little sense there?

Ronnie Gage: 8:30

Yeah, there was four of us and we lost her dad when I was 12 and I have an older sister and a younger sister and a younger brother. And my mom of course was a hero. She She raised all Foros did a tremendous job. But he was at an age when you're here in you know competitive athletics and they started in middle school here and I just had great great mentors in my coaches are really looked up to the coaches our ad and we came close and just knew that athletics was like you he was kind of a you know, the Fieldhouse was kind of my safe safe place and you know, God was my guidance that filled house was my site buying sin you know, my faith is what got me through and and just developed relationships and attitudes and it was just it was a great experience growing up you know, as a as a high school junior high high school athlete because of the people I had looking Oh,

Terry Steen: 9:35

yeah. When did you become a Christian?

Ronnie Gage: 9:38

You don't want it was about that time it was actually between 1212 12 Two year I'm sorry, my seventh grade and eighth grade year I was not quite 13 yet. And I went to a church camp that sub and and it just yeah, I could truly say this. People that, that feel that tug or feel that need or knows God's speaking to you that that's real. That's not something you're just dreaming up. It's real and, and he tugged at my heart for a long time and church camp, accepted Christ that that week and came back and was baptized in the church next week. But it was that summer between my seventh and eighth grade year.

Terry Steen: 10:26

That's neat.

Dan Wheeler: 10:27

Yeah, Coach, you wrote a book, I'm wondering if you can hold it up, I want our listeners to go out and get this book. It's called The Life Coach, small town lessons of faith, family and football. And you co wrote it with a guy named eMod. See, Tom Thompson, we're gonna talk about him later, because he's an interesting story. But, you know, you talk about the rewards of coaching, and you talk about it in this book, what rewards did you gain coach, other than just the wins in the championships?

Ronnie Gage: 10:58

You know, every aspect, I think of my lap, I can go back and see God's handle. You know, from the time it Oh, my dad died until the time until now, you know, there's been several things, you know, that, that happens to several Baljeet apt climbs have several adversities you have to overcome. And you've got to learn to deal with success to that all goes hand in hand, but, but everything that's happened me in my life, I can go back and, and know that God had had his hand in it, and was watching over me just little things, you know, took the job. Lewisville is in the system when I was younger, and was offered another job, and I'd already committed to my old high school coach, who was the head coach there at that time, and I stayed in, you know, how prolific if I decided go and take that other job, which would have been, you know, coaching at a higher level, who knows what would have happened, but I stayed in, ended up 25 years there, Lewis for high school, and it's good to mean good tomorrow. Just things bad, you know, and, and dealing with kids, and just just, you know, and there was never a Friday night that I didn't, I didn't, you know, pray before hitting the field for God's got it, you know, never prayed for the wind never just just wanted to do well, and a lot of God's to make sure that I was hitting things right. You know, he'll be the right person at the right time for this group of kids. And that's just the way I've always always approached life. And there's no doubt that he's played and you know,

Dan Wheeler: 12:50

absolutely. You mentioned handling kids. I'm wondering, as a coach, you've got your superstars, your role players, and then kids that I think you referred them as ghost players. Maybe they're not real talented, but they work hard. They put in the time, how do you balance all those kids? And how do you get the ghost players to feel like they're a big part of the team?

Ronnie Gage: 13:11

We know, we had a habit of after practices or after an off tough offseason practice in spring, will you will you? Well, we were trying to build, you know, team, camaraderie and team confidence and we'd recognize kids for their hard work. And a lot of times when you do those things is it's good athletes to get noticed because you know, it comes natural. But we always made sure and I made sure coaches understood that to recognize some of those kids that are called Ghost, k&n and a ghost kid is one that is there for all the right reasons does everything right, believes in what you're doing works extremely hard. He's just not very talented kid, you know, but they they're part of your program. And you've got to have those kids be successful in a program. And I'll see if you recognize a kid like that, and the first thing he's gonna do when he walks in the door at home, he's gonna tell mom and dad say, Guess what, Coach recognize me today said I did a really good job, you know, it builds confidence. And then, so those kids need competence. They need confidence builder to slot good athletes. And on the other side of that, you know, we didn't treat our good athletes any difference our expectations with a site for them and they were accountable if they didn't get the job done, and but we made them feel good about their accomplishments too, you know, just you can still go you still gotta eat it out, and they still got form and do the right thing. So that's just one of the little things that we did along the way.

Brian Roland: 14:46

Yeah, Coach, I think I already know this answer. But what would you say is the high point of your career?

Ronnie Gage: 14:54

Oh, wow. Golly, that's a good question.

Brian Roland: 15:00

Maybe I don't know.

Ronnie Gage: 15:03

Well, you know, when you when you when you when you feel good about it and as I said earlier, especially in the state of Texas, you know, to win a championship, it was the first one ever and LSD and there was huge you know, being married to my high school sweet sweetheart 46 years and that ranks pretty high on the because pluing children in the success yes, that we've had. And, and then again, you know, being elected into the Hall of Honor and then, you know, the biggest thing was being Biennale accepting Christ is my art style.

Brian Roland: 15:53

That's great. Was there ever a time coach that you felt like you wanted to quit?

Ronnie Gage: 15:58

You know why? That's good question. But now, I told Dan, I talked a little bit yesterday, and I told him, I'm very passionate about this title of coach. My grandkids call me coach. That's what they call me. And you know, we impact more kids, you know, and and a day than most people do at a year, Billy Graham said that himself. But it's really important to me and I got in it for I feel like all the right reasons, I had great guidance. And at the end of the day, I just hope that you look back on your career, and I just hope that you might, you know, I made a difference in a positive way. But yeah, there's been some some rough times, there's no doubt about it. There's been, you know, talking about memories. There's some tough losses that stay with you, and they're hard to get rid of. But just know, I enjoy being around kids. I enjoy that coach's office, I enjoy that competitive part of the game. You know, and watching the movie radio the other night, and the old coach came in to resign to the public hearing. And he told me said, you know, I love Friday nights when you're looking for that win and love Saturday mornings after you found one, man, that's just so true.

Terry Steen: 17:24

So well in some of that coaching some of that process what I know you played football over the years, what were some of the life lessons that you learned through football and through the coaching that you can apply from a life standpoint

Ronnie Gage: 17:41

to work at it, you know, to give it all you got not not going to it defeated for years to get started, you know, I was 100 Peach pound center and site deatta Decatur and there wasn't a big bone center. I wasn't gonna get that opportunity. So, you know, I knew the next coach. But, you know, there are so many things in and there's so many words that talking again yesterday that that kids get that you don't necessarily teach out of a book that you get every day, they're getting part of these words like loyalty work at commitment, you know, they love, fortitude, leadership, just Oh, attack, consistency, continuity, all those things. You know, you go, I can give you a list of 25 words. Kids are get a part of that every day they go out participate in athletics, whether it's practice game or whatever. And those are things they're not learning out of a book that was or lifeless. And to me, that's such a great question. Because there's so many lessons to be learned and you can hold better way to help a kid grow and mature and get through problems and to grow and be a good young man or a good person. That's it. I just, I just don't know that there's a better profession out there.

Terry Steen: 19:09

Well, as a coach, you know that you never know what a day hold today. Take us back to that day in a year of coaching in college, and a 59 year old man comes walking in your door, asking to be on the football team. Give us that water boy. It's a great long story. But you might have to compress it because we only got six to eight minutes left, but give us the big story.

Ronnie Gage: 19:35

And it's a great story. He walks in and sits down my desk and introduce who says I want to play football. And somebody asked me so what did you take? And I looked at him and I told him I said what do you think? So I thought the guy was crazy. And you mentioned a book written at that time that was kind of controversial and I thought well, this guy's got an agenda of some kind or you know you You're always leaving you looking for that reason, you know, are you right, I think was a bucket list saying and he wanted to do it. And he had I actually had a year of eligibility and he got involved. We ended up letting him come out. And he was actually good support for the locker room for those younger kids. Practice. You know, he was a self made kicker. He wasn't very good at all. And honestly, I let it kick the last game. I was at Austin College. We play in Trinity, and we scored and I said our goal is last game of the year, you know, only and this is yours. And he goes in and he'll tell you he kicked it wrapping the uprights right down the middle. But it scammed the laptop right and got over below the wrist. And really good branch house friend after it was all said and done. And he convinced me to wrap this, isn't he in the record book books. He is in the record books. He is in the NCAA? Yes, sir. He was the oldest player in NCAA score on in the NCAA game. And if I'm not mistaken, he's jersey is now in Atlanta college. I

Terry Steen: 21:22

you guys became great friends. And he helped you write this your book?

Ronnie Gage: 21:26

Yes, for sure. And he'd written a couple and the lady that wrote the book with us are forests that Ghostrider see a couple of books, or even it's got a son. There'll be a senior this year that plays and he calls me every Friday I talked to him every Friday we have Yes sir. And you know, once a year my son coaches but out out like a night and go to cocktail where his son plays and watch him play and and Wow, that's great. But now we still stay in touch and and Alice become a really loyal friend.

Dan Wheeler: 22:01

Super, we've just got a little bit of time. But I think you mentioned your son coaching. And here's an amazing thing that's happened with you, over 50 At least 50 Maybe well over of your former players went into coaching, including your son and daughter, how does that make you feel?

Ronnie Gage: 22:19

You know, it it makes me feel really good. And I certainly don't take credit for that. But a whole that the reasons I got into coaching with the same reasons I did is because they had a great experience coming up through the program in high school. You're in their their career, and it helped them decide what they wanted to do, because that's certainly the reason I got in. And it's fun to watch them I'm very close to most of them and enough to worry, you know, I talk to them on a daily basis and see them and actually my little quarterback, that co star 96 championship team is now the head coach at last school where you know, team played it and they are the kids things like that are really the kid that got the first stone

Dan Wheeler: 23:11

Do you run into your former players often?

Ronnie Gage: 23:14

Yes, you're caught Balan, I just got back Houston are our annual coaching school. And they started several years ago. They got it from Hardin Simmons where they got it but it's just a little get together and he's basically daughter, my wife and I and it's nothing more than a social hour and we get together and those that are there they can come you know, we might have 10 Show up take a year or we might have 30 It just depends I'll invite the tree up who's down there and they won't take time to come over. So I get to see several level men and see new faces every year I'll see one or two that I hadn't seen in several years. Still have several of them that will call me STLC several well, it oh coach and and and play it and not play but Coach and but yeah, I try to stay in touch with with with a bunch of women. You know, I've had one or two that actually wrote in my book as a lead in Hawaii is just it's it's it's just such a great room. There's so many rewards out of this thing. It's just one out.

Dan Wheeler: 24:21

All right, Coach, we are in the fourth quarter and this is a two minute warning. We got to really speed through the next few HopeLine

Brian Roland: 24:27

I'm gonna do a check here at the line of scrimmage here and go to faith and talk about the talk about your faith journey. I know you said you were saved that 13 But were you raised in a Christian home?

Ronnie Gage: 24:38

You know a lot I know a really one I lived in a home that was split most of the time my dad mom just just couldn't get along better. Honestly my dad was war better and he drank a little too much. But we were split a lot of time my brother and I'd live with him while we you know when you Uh, my two sisters would stay with my mom and we were still close. And our parents were both really good. I'm not, you know what happened between them had nothing to do with us they were good parents. But my mom was baptized in a river and Oklahoma, she came from a family of eight and the only girl in the family and my dad was a Christian, nada, nada devoted Christian at all. But, you know, I was able to surround myself with with a lot of those type people, it's a lot of good people laugh at me through so many so many tough times.

Brian Roland: 25:40

Well, how is your faith affected your coaching?

Ronnie Gage: 25:45

I couldn't, I just don't think I could, I could have made it without my faith. And I was one of the few they are they they frown on this now for whatever reason, but we prayed before and after every game I coached as a group in the unmanned it till actually wanted to be a part of that we didn't foresee, but I don't think ever had a young man stepped out of the huddle. But we prayed before and after every game had been lost. Like I said, I prayed before ever again, just for the guy, that's to be the person that I need to be during that, that time and you know, my family has guided us we lost a daughter several years ago to cancer and golly, these coaches support and and without, without my faith in God, I don't think I could have survived. But it's been it's been, it's definitely been the rock that seen me through my career.

Terry Steen: 26:48

That's Nate coach. We, as you know, our our podcast is called finished strong. And I want to just take a minute and hear what you're doing. Now I know you've recently retired. And how are you finishing strong. I know you've written this book. But tell us a little bit how you're finishing strong as you getting up in the years?

Ronnie Gage: 27:11

Well, right now I'm working from Oak high school, or school district. Mentoring SEC first and second year coaches, they started the program three years ago, and I have about eight of them each year. And it's been fun to watch them grow and be able to help them and share things with them and, and kind of show them give them direction. And because this day in time, it's needed more than ever, they're just not get the preparation that they used to get a lot of marks here, you know, it's a tough job. So I'm enjoying doing that. Immensely. I speak a little bit here and there. And when I get the opportunities, that's something I'd probably like to do a little more of the opportunity presented itself. And Locke said, just being a good husband and a good good, good dad and a good granddad, you know, that's really important to me, too. And my wife and I really enjoy our time together now that we both retired and we enjoy our time. That was great.

Dan Wheeler: 28:16

Coach. Do you have any advice for parents of young athletes real quick? Do you think young athletes are being pushed too hard?

Ronnie Gage: 28:23

Absolutely. Back, I'll back off, let them be kids, let them go fishing, they'll ride their bikes, and we'll help them get out of the house and go do something like my mother, go find something to do it on their computer. But, you know, everybody's trying to lay the path for their kids. You know, they like scholarship is the way somebody's parents spend enough money in four years of high school that they could send them to the best colleges in the country. Just let it all happen. If it's meant to be it'll happen, you know, the white guy involved they need to back off it just let their kids enjoy it and deal with things like National Guard to deal with the same failure.

Dan Wheeler: 29:08

And advice coach, I've got to say, coach, we're at the end of the show, but hold up your book one more time. And just tell us a little bit about the book Life Coach, small town lessons on faith family and football by coach Rodney gage with with your good friend that the kicker I forgot his name. Tom Thompson Tom Thompson.

Ronnie Gage: 29:33

It's a book about overcoming adversity. It's a book about how to deal with situations. It's a book about dealing with kids. It's a book about dealing with tragedy. It's a book about big success successful not only in your profession, but being successful at home and the things you do in the community and it's a Uh, just just got some some good knowledge in there I think some good good thoughts and some good ideas and some good stories and you know this good, it'll be good to you.

Dan Wheeler: 30:12

I want you to mention Coach's Corner just give me maybe 15 seconds what that's all about.

Ronnie Gage: 30:18

Well, you know Coach's Corner is just thoughts and ideas and

Dan Wheeler: 30:25

just just

Ronnie Gage: 30:26

given a way to deal with things to deal with it can be good, bad. You know, we always tell our kids and I'll finish it so okay to be the good guy and then meant it's okay to love your mom and dad. It's okay to kiss your mom and dad. It's okay to believe in God. It's okay to trust in God and have faith. It's okay. It's brother classroom. It's okay to teach your girlfriend right? It's okay to pick up a piece of trash and throw it in the trash can. It's okay to be the good guy. And you can still be a badass on Friday night. And we weren't afraid. We'd love don't mean appreciate. I don't think his parents is special. Everybody else coach. We do enough. We need to do more.

Dan Wheeler: 31:15

Coach thank you so much. We're gonna put up links to your book into Coach's Corner. We appreciate you being with us. And we'll look forward to talking to you down the road. Okay,

Ronnie Gage: 31:24

nice. I really enjoyed it. I appreciate you having me on.

Unknown: 31:27

Thanks, coach. All

Terry Steen: 31:28

right. Coach

Dan Wheeler: 31:30

was so there you go guys. 70 years old lot of fire you can tell he had fire on the on the field but his players knew he loved them.

Brian Roland: 31:41

Now that's definitely and that's that's the difference. I think in coaches today and even coaches that I had and I'm sure that you had. That's it was all about get out there and win win win. And it wasn't really the compassion of this is one of my one of my kids. You know, we've ever got that from my coaches suffer one. But other than that, no,

Terry Steen: 31:58

yeah, I just think it's neat that God puts a man like that a godly man into a position to have the kind of influence he's been able to have on all those 1000s of kids.

Dan Wheeler: 32:10

Yeah, I think the verse see reminds me of his Philippians 313 and 14 Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. And you know, when we have success in the world and people see our work ethic and our devotion to God, we can change lives. Well guys, another great addition and I'll tell you, we've got an another super one ahead. So tell your friends about finish strong. That's what we want to do. We're three friends, we've known each other how long guys like 50 years 50 We're still friends and we're able to do ministry together. So we thank the Lord and we thank you and we hope you'll join us for the next edition of finish strong.

John Matarazzo: 33:00

Thank you for listening to finish strong. For more information about finish strong and fearless faith. Check out their website F faith.org. Make sure that you rate and review this podcast to help more people accomplish their God given purpose so that together we can finish strong