Photo: John Rivera/Icon SMI
Q&A with Texas coach Charlie Strong
Texas coach Charlie Strong has the Longhorns bowl eligible at 6-5, and they have a chance to pull a season defining upset against No. 4 TCU on Thanksgiving. Strong’s first season at Texas has been eventful, as he’s dismissed nine players, rebounded from a 2-4 start and juggled the balancing act that comes with being Texas’ coach. He took a few minutes to talk to The Inside Read this week about everything from his fashion critics to meeting Bill Clinton and the emergence of star receiver John Harris.
Your sideline outfits have become quite the conversation piece in Austin. Can you illuminate?
I wore an orange mock turtle neck against North Texas and Iowa State. The week after Iowa State, I put on white we got beat by Kansas State. Next one, I put orange back on. We were getting ready to play West Virginia, and people were like, ‘What’s he going to wear?’ I came out (for warm-ups) in an orange and white striped polo. Everyone was like, ‘Nooooooo. You can’t wear that.’ I came back and changed to orange and everyone was clapping. Clearly, the turtle neck is what started us winning. (Laughs).
You’ve met some cool people since getting to Texas. Give me a quick thought on meeting each one. Jim Brown.
I met Jim in Louisville and again here. You watch a guy when he ran the ball and then you see what he’s done for the community and as an activist and how he’s been a part of so many communities and helped with racial issues and tension.
Matthew McConaughey.
Matthew. (Laughs). He’s someone who has so much pride in how much he loves being a part of this university. It means so much to him.
Bill Clinton.
I grew up in Arkansas. We were talking about that, and had a chance to sit at the table at a lunch. It was amazing. You don’t realize how smart he is. He doesn’t forget anyone. We sat at a table and remembered everyone’s name and asked what they did. I told him I was from Batesville and he said he’d been there. It was fun.
Roger Goodell.
We had a chance to sit down and talk about different issues. Not only on the college level but on the professional level. The issues that we have, they trickle back down to the college level and high school level. We were having discussions on how to deal with these issues. As a college coach, what can we do on our end to make it better for you?
OK, back to Texas football. John Harris had 190 career receiving yards before this season. He’s on the cusp of 1,000 this season as your leading receiver. What’s that been like to see?
It has been so much fun watching John Harris come on and become the player he’s become. When we got here, we didn’t really know who the players were. I don’t even think we had him on the first team in the spring. He was backing upMarcus Johnson at the X receiver. That’s where John was playing. Now that I think about it, wow. For him to come on, and he’s become our go-to guy. The thing about it is that he’s not only big, but he plays big, physical and he’s hard to bring down. He makes the tough catches. He’s 24 yards away from having a 1,000-yard receiving year. You can tell now his confidence is better. It’s just fun to see that happen.
What about star linebacker Jordan Hicks, who leads your team in tackles? Have you been happy to see him shake off injuries and really produce?
Jordan has fought through the injuries that he’s had here. He’s able to finally go through a full year. Everyone knew that he had the ability. It was more about him going out and playing up to that ability that he’s been blessed with. It’s been a fun year for him. The thing I love about him is his leadership ability. He’s tried to get the defense going and other things going. He’s played well, and his play speaks for itself.
What’s been the evolution of your relationship with the team? From the outside you’ve been branded as a disciplinarian for the suspensions and dismissals. What’s it been like behind closed doors?
From the moment I took this job, there’s always been a bond with this team. Everyone hears about me being a disciplinarian and taskmaster and running these guys off, but that’s what happens when you have a team and a group of guys kind of doing it their way. The team is looking at you like, ‘What are you going to do about it?’ If you allow it to go on, you are just going to have more issues. Really, at the end of the day, kids are looking for discipline. The kids doing it right want to see if you’re going hold up your end of the bargain. We’ve always had a bond, and a lot of times we have a lot of fun. From the outside, people see the suspensions and dismissals. But within the program, guys are joking and having fun every day.
What was the turning point after starting 2-4? Was it that start against Oklahoma?
We played well against Oklahoma, and that game kind of got us going, even though we didn’t win. But if you think about it, we played well in Red River and against Iowa State. But if I were to say there was a turning point, it would have been Kansas State (a 23-0 loss). You could see it from the players and the seniors at the time. I told the team, we’re not going to change this team until someone develops ownership in this program. A few guys voiced opposition and weren’t very pleased. That was where we woke up. We have the talent, but we were holding ourselves back. We had not done a good job coaching and playing until that point, and then we went out and won the last three.
What would a win against TCU on Thanksgiving mean?
What I’m looking for is for our seniors to go out the right way. Things changed here because of the leadership provided by the seniors. We want them to leave the right way. That’s what I want to see happen. The game is at home and senior night for those guys, the last time they play in this stadium.
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