An Old Interview with Texans HC Gary Kubiak

A few summers ago, the coaches at Houston's St. Pius X - Gary's alma mater - asked (now Houston Texas head coach) Gary Kubiak to come to town and do a coaching clinic for private and parochial high school football coaches. I had the chance to ask Gary a few questions. I almost had taped over this interview after talking to Gerardo Mora on tape during the Fired Up 5K. So I transcribed it and thought that I'd share it with everyone.

What's attributes from your days here at St. Pius X have helped you have success even today?

I think I learned a great value going to school here. The athletics was tremendous. There were great coaches and stuff, but the academics I received every day and my faith being part of my every day experience of school, I think made me a better person every day. And I try to continue that on with my kids. My kids attend Regis Jesuit in Denver and I just think it is a great positive atmosphere. The one thing that I know when I left home years ago to go off and do my thing, so to speak, my dad didn't ask me to do a lot of things, but he said, "I want you to make sure you put your kids in a Catholic school." I'll never forget that and I know it did a lot for me and hopefully it will do a lot for my kids.

A lot today is made in high school athletics here in Texas with public and private schools so there was never any doubt in your family that you'd attend a Catholic school because you were there in the middle school already.

That's what I grew up in. I went to Christ The King, which I don't even know if it is open anymore to be honest with you. I grew up in that evnironment and my mom and dad working extremely hard to send me and my sisters to the school because it is a financial commitment as well. Like I said, it is just a tradition that I want to carry on and I've been a few places because of coaching in San Frncisco and Devner and College Station, but my kids have remainded in private schools throughout.

What keeps you as personable and humble as you are?

I think it has a lot to do of where I come from. I have a true appreciation for the people that have helped me along the way. I love ... this will always be home to me and my roots. Just driving around the north side these last couple of hours and come in here today, I mean this is what I am and I'll never change. This is what I love. This is what I am. This is where I grew up and I'll owe this community and the people here a lot because they're responsible for me. I'll never forget that.

There's been a lot of talk about, with you being an offensive coordinator now for quite a few years, and where is the next big step for Gary and that's not my question, but what is the right opportunity and the right situation for Gary Kubiak to make that next step?

I don't really know to answer it bluntly. I'd love the opportunity to be a head coach. That's why we do what we do, but I also have a great appreciation for what I'm doing. I love my work and I'm a football coach and my kids have basically have gone to one school and not many football coaches can say that. That's worth a lot to me and anything that I do will have their best interests in mind. I'm not going to bounce all over the country and do that to them. I want to coach football. I want to teach. I want to have a great time doing it. But I also want to make sure that those three kids grow up in the best environment they can grow up in and if that means Dad having to sacrifice a little bit more than them, that's ok, that's what I feel like I should do.