Dallas Fourth Graders Ready to Cheer on ‘Coach Max’ in College Football National Championship

They are a group of boys connected by football and inspired by a coach they’ll never forget.

“He was super nice. Very mannered. He taught us very well,” said Hayes James, 9.

“He was really nice. He never yelled once,” said Andy Brackett, 10.

“If we wanted to run the ball, we could. If we wanted to be quarterback, we could. We could do really whatever we wanted to do. He was an awesome coach,” said Adam Lee, 10.

“He’s the best coach I could ever ask for,” said Pierson Dwyer, 9.

They spent the summer playing flag football with Next Level Sports and soon realized they had a next level coach.

“I heard one of the teammates say, ‘Yo! This is the TCU Quarterback! TCU? I like TCU!’, said Zachary Ross, 10.

“I knew he was QB at TCU but I never thought I’d get him as my coach. So, I was really excited,” said Holdyn Potter, 9.

“They finally found he was Max Duggan and it became a big deal,” said Tripp Scott, 10, as he explained it was a couple of parents who’d made the connection.

“The kids started talking about how great he was almost immediately. They were so excited, and I think at first, it was because he was a quarterback but as they got to know him, they liked him more and more and more,” said parent Brian Ross.

Back in the summer, Max Duggan wasn’t QB-1, not a contender for the Heisman Trophy, wasn’t about to lead his team for a national championship.

But there he was, championing a group of fourth graders from All Saints Episcopal and show Duggans Destroyers how to play the game and how to be a team.

“It’s a team that trusts each other and has confidence in each other. Even if we won or lost, it was a fun game,” Potter said.

“I remember he told me, try your hardest. And even if you lose, it’s just about being out there and having fun,” said Gus McCorquodale, 11.

It’s a lesson for life – but a national championship for their Coach Max would be pretty fun, too.

“No one knew about TCU and suddenly they’re in the championship! I’ll bet Georgia’s like, who is TCU? Well, it’s a small little college in Fort Worth. So go, TCU!” McCorquodale said.

“I’m pretty pumped about the championship. I’m definitely gonna be watching it,” Pierson said.

“I”m pretty excited to go to cheer on Max at the national championship game. I hope they will destroy Georgia,” Scott said.

Scott and his family along with friends Lee and Ross will in SoFi Stadium and cheering louder than they ever have for Coach Max.