BACK TO INTERVIEWSCOACHRobert MurphyMarch 4, 2025HumbleCoach Robert Murphy. Humble High School, Texas.BEST MOMENTS“Athletics really saved my life. I grew up in a single-parent household and didn't have a lot of positive male role models. Those coaches took time with me when I had a lot of anger I didn't know where to channel.” PLAY AT 1:13“If I can't trust you to do the small things right, how can we trust you on fourth and one not to flinch on defense, jump offsides, give them a first down?” PLAY AT 14:21“I lost my mom two years ago. We had an athlete who was not a believer, and he said, 'Because of the light Coach Murphy has shined going through this process with his mom, I know there has to be something out there.'” PLAY AT 14:49CHAPTERS0:00Meet Robert Murphy, Humble High School head coach1:09Why coaching: 'Athletics saved my life'2:23The joy of seeing kids grow — and attacks on the job4:53Be true to yourself and don't give people bullets5:44Culture starts with intentional character development6:55Program kids over four-stars: how he defines success9:06Hold the standard: accountability, teaching, service14:36Faith, losing his mom, and the people who shaped himTRANSCRIPTHide −0:00hey I've got the opportunity today to uh interview one of my good friends somebody I have a so much respect for he is the head coach at Umble high school and uh his name is Robert Murphy and um so I'm just gonna go ahead and get this started give you a coach's perspective by Robert Murphy uh coach uh tell me about yourself who you are and how long you've been coaching uh Robert Murphy uh this is my going into my 12th year coaching um starting off at new kany0:31Middle School uh with Coach Potter and uh uh coach uh Brady penon uh coached there for seven years total between New County Middle School and new County High School been at UL got here he's a defense coordinator for two years and this is my second year uh as the campus coordinator head football coach here at um High School originally from Lin Texas uh East Texas boy proud of that um and so yeah so it's a little bit about me have a son who's going to be 20 on April1:0215th and uh he's in college sophomore in college and so um just happy to be here why did you choose coaching I chose coaching because I had a I think that uh Athletics like really saved my life I I grew up in a single parent household uh and so didn't have a lot of positive uh male role models in my life and I believe uh the coaches such as uh coach Ty quick coach Chris Lashley uh coach Sim coach John Outlaw um coach Foley just I can go on and on Coach randelle1:35those guys played a huge role in my life uh coming up when I had a lot of anger that I didn't really know where to Chanel that to and so those guys actually took time with me uh outside football just to you know have conversations and kind of Mentor me and so I think that football actually kind of Saved Me From You know taking some wrong turns that a lot of my other friends uh may have and some did uh didn't involve themselves in Athletics so again I think football and Athletics2:02as a whole taught me a lot but also kept me out of a lot of trouble so again I just want to you know pay back um this great profession that provided so much love and insight for me coming up so that's one of the big reasons I got a coaching because again it was I remember being that young guy um needing some direction and a lot of L direction did come from the athletic program what are you enjoy about cup the biggest joy for me of my culture is2:29seeing uh the growth in your athletes and that's not even as far as on the athletic side just uh from the personal standpoint um and and and just seeing the growth character wise those kids come in you know you get some kids com in with all kind of different issues from different backgrounds and just to see those kids grow to themselves and also seeing them come back uh after they've graduated and and you see the the the things and the lessons that they may were not receptive to when they were2:57in your program but it's it's said I I H moment that they come to uh once they leave you and and and to know that you played a pivotal part and um helping that young man young lady uh become a positive member of society is always the biggest uh thing for me uh so for me it's just being able to help mold our Future Leaders I think that's the most important thing uh wins and losses uh comeing Diamond doesn't but to actually save souls and I'll actually uh be able3:25to express the good thing for me is I've been in U uh districts where I've been able to be open uh about my religious beliefs and so just being able to um be aik to those kids I think is the biggest thing for me uh what do you what are some things that you really don't like Chief man you know the thing about it is that when you when you talk about the N likes uh when it comes to that I think it's more so on the side of some of the3:52attacks that we had on our profession Now with uh with different things coming down from uh people who haven't been in education and so they don't truly know what um the day in and day out activities involve so on my end on that as far as the the profession then uh I love it on a day and day basis but it's some of the the outside sources who uh don't know the the ins and outs on a day-to-day basis that are trying to make uh recommendations and putting things in4:21place uh for not only for the sports side and also uh on the Academia side that I think that really rubs me the wrong way when it comes to uh this profession but as far as you know the coaching and uh the day-to-day activities man I love every part of it you know just uh being able to see a kid that morning who may be in a bad mood and you know may you know say some Choice words to me but then see that same kid later and they got the biggest4:44smile and the biggest hug on you know so it's just I love every part of it when it comes to I love the imperfection that I with yeah uh what are some guiding principles that you recommend uh for a coach uh I think one thing about it is you got to be true to yourself you can only be the best you I think sometimes we get into professions and we try to be the virgin of someone else uh I think it's great to take things from um um5:09different people and add it to you will but for sure the God princip is being true to yourself being honest uh one of the biggest things I can always remember Coach P said when I was in County was don't give people bullets and so you want to make sure that you know you make the main thing the main thing and keep it there uh and always be fair and honest in all your decisions and uh I think if you if you guide you if you maneuver on that route it takes you and5:32keeps you out of a lot of nonsense a lot of trouble if you just honest uh and you make the main thing the main thing you make it about the kids I think at the end of the day I think all that kind of Works hand in hand how do you develop the right culture in your athletic programs for me I believe that it's it starts with character development I I believe that uh in order to have a good culture right you have to first teach uh kids how to5:58be good people a lot of times we assume that kids know what character is we assume that kids know right from wrong uh but if you go down the hallways in in a lot of schools and just in general um they have earphones on and you listen to the music that's been played and that's the things that they're listening to there the things that they're izing and so we have to take the time out of our day to make sure that we're poting to those kids the the the the right uh set6:22of core values and actually moding those things so I think when it comes to developing a winning mindset a winning culture it it first starts with the car development program I think you have to be uh intentional about actually doing it you can't just say that you're going to do it it has to actually be in your schedule and it's something that can be pushed to the back burner because you want more grass time I think it's important uh that you make sure that you actually spend that time with those kids6:49poting to those kids so those kids have an opportunity to be successful awesome I would play for this guy uh what does success look like how do you define find success I think success for me uh again it goes to uh the progress of the athlete because each athlete has its own set of um abilities measurables uh I always talk to my coaches about ensuring that we coach um U the the the the L guy on our team Jess Hardman coaching the three fourstar athlete so for me when it comes to7:23program success I live for program kids and those kids right there are maybe not your you know here a 6' 62 um uh defensive end linebacker they may be the 5'4 uh kid who shows up every day from strength conditioning account shows up every day to practice the biggest encourage you but seeing the progress of those kids is how I determine success of a program because a lot of times those kids are overlooked a lot of times those kids may not be coached the same way as7:51others but we want to coach coach them all the same so when it comes to program success on the athletic side we want to find that guy who may never play football and see where the progress is whether it be terminology of the game uh whether it be you know maybe they couldn't get through a speed ladder but those are the things that I think you know build up success because once uh you start building those program kids those kids are important uh to your program but I again I always stress back8:15the biggest um thing of success for me is is the Academia inside the building uh seeing our GPA High progresses um when we we still have a no pass no play even after the football season so we we're we're checking rais on the data so I think the character and the academic piece are beyond the most important so that right there for me is the overall success when it comes to the overall athlete one thing for you guys to to know about Coach Murphy I coached with8:44him and what he's saying I've seen it over and over he he literally takes the time to coach every single kid hard and fair and love all of and uh gosh he he's so right about what that does for your program I really I respect this guy a lot and what he's saying I've seen it in action uh coach uh as a coach what are some of the ways that you can help a student athlete be successful in life so I think the biggest thing is is by9:16holding them accountable uh because a lot of times you know as coaches sometimes we say you know what we'll let things go but in life it doesn't work that way so I believe the biggest thing is holding kids accountable setting the standard making sure the standard is always met not loow a standard uh and holding a kid to that standard I think that'll carry the kid a long way in life when it comes to them having a job showing up on time uh making sure they're doing a little bit of things9:39right make sure they they they they finish they start I think that's one of the biggest things that you know as a society that we can do better with our our young people is just hold them accountable and and hold them to the fire hold them to their standard and and let them know it's okay right to be held to a standard and to be you know critiqued in a way for you to be better so I think well that's one of the biggest things we can do and our program10:01is hold our kids accountable uh don't lower the standard and make sure that those kids are upholding standard in the program good stuff uh what do you think it takes to be a good coach I think what it takes to be a good coach is you got to be a good person uh and so coaching is teaching so you got to be a great teacher and so we stressed it a lot with our coaching as far as when it comes to um uh the grass we want to be just as10:24good in the classroom if not better than we on a grass and I think as a coach you have to make sure that you don't overlook look uh the classroom piece because you spend a lot of times with those kids in the classroom and a lot of us that's the big that's the base part of our salary and so we want to make sure that we're great teachers and if you're a great teacher you can be a great coach you can't be a great coach without being a great teacher because10:44coaching is teaching and so we want to make sure that if you want if you have admirations and and and a passion to be a coach that you first must be a great teacher in order to be there and also you got to have great uh more values because the thing about it is is you know when I interview people uh I want to know the person first before we talk ex andos uh you know we can teach you ex andos we can teach you ski but we can't11:08teach you how to be a great person you know and so we can bring you through our character develop as well but again you are a beacon right you are the source that pointed to our kids we got to make sure that you are a great person and gra great character in order to be in this profession so I think those two go hand in hand Great Character and also be a great teacher good stuff what is a winning program what clock uh winning program to me looks like for one being a11:33serving lead uh making sure that you're serving the community that you're in I think it it goes without saying that um we have to serve uh before we can lead uh I think a lot of times that is overlooked so successful programs me as our kids interacting and getting out into the community making sure things are done the right way all the time I also think that that successful programs looks like uh high GPA uh making sure that the the the the standard is a standard uh making sure that our12:00character development is is high not only in the building but also in the classroom we want to make sure that we are uh the pivotal leaders inside the building uh we want to be able to walk down the hallway and teach us talk to us about the good that our kids are doing I think that those are all pieces of success for a program because I believe that the wins and the losses come you know based off of your character based off of how are you giving back to the12:24community based off how are you acting in the school building I think that a winning program a winning culture looks as that and also the biggest thing for us to be talking about we don't walk over trash and so if it's trash in the floor and in a school building our kids know that we take pride um in facilities we take pride in our house because I'm high school is our home so we want to make sure that that right there when I get emails and stuff from the principls12:49and saying hey your kids stay back after lunch and they cleaned up the lunchroom like to me that's a winning culture because the kids understand that it's bigger than just uh winning games on the grass we want to win games in the school building want to win games in the community on a day-to-day basis so that's kind of how I judge it of course we are want to win uh but in my opinion uh if you winning state championships and you're not winning souls and branding kids close to Christ I think13:14that you're just kind of like spinning your wheels at at that moment yeah so is there something that you stress to your players every day coach oh man we talk about doing the little things right uh and so we we talk about doing the little things right on a day-to-day basis how you do some things how you do everything that and so we want to make sure that regardless of what it is no matter what that that thing may be sometime you may think it's it's it's it's so small to13:37turn the projector off when we you know get out of a meeting but that's a big thing uh and so we we always talk about the Adam who spoke at the University of Texas um commencement speech and he talked about the the the the goal of making you bed every day and how you start the day off with completing the task and so we talk about things like that it may look it may seem so small that making your bed is something that you can Overlook but again it gives you14:02a task to complete on the day and that way you can get your day started we want to make sure we're doing a little bit things right we stress that on a day in and day out basis we're taking the trash out for Mom making sure yes sir no sir we're still believeing those little bitty things and so we want to make sure we we focus on the small things and and not always try to jump to the big things because if I can't trust you do the14:22small things right how can we trust you on fourth and one you know not to Flinch on defense jump off sides give them a first down whatever the case may be so we stress by the major and the minor it's the biggest thing for us we got a major in the minor We Major the minor the major things come out to be a lot easier amen uh how important is Faith in our profession that could be faith in your coaches faith in uh players others or faith in God I I I think it's like14:47pivotal uh one of my favorite stories is you know I lost my mom two years ago and it was a hard time for me uh we had an athlete he was not a Believer uh and in our program we don't we We Don't Preach at the kids we just share our faith and we we lead by example uh and as kid we had Fields of Faith out here at our at our Stadium um and the kid he actually came up to um the the pastor uh which is15:14um coach um uh Chris tuber over at uh United City and he asked him about you know he wanted to know more about Christ and he told him like Hey I wasn't a Believer and asked him like why now and he said because of the light that coach Murphy have shine when he's going through this process with his mom he said I know there has to be something out there and so for me I believe that right there in itself uh shows you know the importance of you know what I'm15:41saying whatever Faith whatever you believe in you know with me uh I believe that it's it's pivotal in our profession uh when it comes to when you're leading groups of men women uh to be able to lead in a faith-based way um to be able to lead those kids in the right direction and so again like I say I I believe it's everything uh having faith in your coaches to give them a task to complete it to be able to trust that once I give them something and I leave16:07that I know it's going to be completed so I believe Faith um with whatever it is that you got you got to have something to be able to push you through those days to where you may not have as much uh Charisma and much energy and and but having that faith-based peace to knowing to plug into the source and for me the source is Jesus Christ and so again I think that that's important uh again I said again with we we just leave an example uh and by that I feel like we16:32bring kids closer uh to Christ and closer um to their faith so all right coach last question will you share some thoughts on what helped you become uh the well you kind of already have but the person that you are and the coach that you are today uh I mean my mom was like one of the most given people that you would ever see we we didn't have a whole lot uh but growing up we I never knew we were poor uh but now as grown16:59older I understand like we didn't have a whole bunch uh but my mom always cared about others like she always put others F when it came whether school clothes shopping whe was feeding the community whatever the case may be my mom was like the pivotal piece uh in why I'm so selfless uh now uh as an adult because of just growing up and being around her like she was my hero you know what I mean just watching her you know work two jobs going back and forth walking to17:26work I remember working at uh waterburger and she working in Pilgrim pride and ly and she would walk to and from work at all times of night and just seeing that work at the man just just kind of molded me uh into um understanding the importance of going out and going to go get it and so and then when it comes to coaches man just you know as as a young adult man coming out coach John Al Coach quick I spent so much time with those guys uh and just17:51seeing the way that you know they they they they interacting with the kids the way they held us accountable of things wrong we had go visit Old Spike uh which was a big old Tire if things was right uh but those things man help build character and so I say those guys and then getting into the profession as a young coach uh and working under you and working under coach Von and being able to be entrusted with more and more duties um as as I was coming to the18:17profession as a young coach being able to to see the things in action and not just seeing coaches just talk about it but actually seen coaches that did mind rolling up their sleeves and getting into the pit with you so I believe all those things play a into the way that I coach uh the way that I am in my program and the way that I run it was just seeing the way that coach penon man just kind of it was a loving family atmosphere when it came to uh wives and18:41kids and coaches and the kids in the program the parents in the program and just seeing all that man it's kind of molded uh what we're trying to build here at um High School coach um I I take it as an honor to be able to uh to interview coach Murphy uh he's all heart and uh I I got mad respect for this guy uh he he's he's so humble and he's got just he's just he's really on the right track and I've enjoyed just seeing him be just seeing19:17him work and uh anyway I counted a real privilege to be able to interview him today and uh so today you have had a coach's perspective by Robert Murphy yes sir Earth
