Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Bobcat defense is a family affair for McKinneys

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Friday, December 10, 1999

Bobcat defense is a family affair for McKinneys
Father coaches, son plays linebacker for 2A semifinalist Refugio
By George Vondracek

Caller-Times

REFUGIO - If there is silence inside the walls of the McKinney household, all is well.
   If not, rest assured that Matt McKinney is hearing it from his father David. Whether it was the youngest McKinney or one of his other Refugio High School football teammates who erred on the field, the elder McKinney, the Bobcats' defensive coordinator, will be dissecting the effort.
   "If he doesn't say anything after a game, or we're just talking about something else, we're all right," said Matt McKinney, Refugio's linebacker and defensive play-caller. "If he's talking about this and that, or who did this, who didn't do that, I know we didn't play too well."
   It has been relatively silent as far as football talk in the McKinney house this season. There hasn't been much negative to dissect. And the youngest of the three McKinney brothers is a major reason for the success enjoyed by the Bobcats, who face Elysian Fields Saturday night in the Astrodome in the Class 2A Division II semifinals.
   "It's just like having a coach on the field," Refugio coach George Harris said of having McKinney in the game. "He's so familiar with all the defenses and formations we run, he gets everybody in the right place at the right time."
   McKinney, the reigning 2A shot put and discus champion, has been in the right spot often this season for the 13-1 Bobcats. He has averaged 15 tackles a game while doubling at tight end. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound McKinney has been the spark on a defense that has been scored upon only four times in the last 44 quarters and is limiting teams to less than 140 yards of offense.
   "Matt recognizes the defense we need to be in and the proper adjustments we have to make," Harris said. "He's an outstanding leader."
   Last of the line
   David McKinney also coached his two older sons, Will and Burl, at Refugio. Will redshirted at SMU this season and likely will start at center in his junior year next season for the Mustangs. He was the Caller-Times 2A/A Offensive MVP and an all-state selection in 1996.
   Burl is playing at Mary Hardin-Baylor University and was on the Crusaders' JV this past season after earning all-state honors at linebacker with Refugio. He was the '97 Caller-Times 2A/A defensive MVP.
   "You get to watch him every day and watch him play," David McKinney said of being able to coach his siblings. "You're there when you have the ups and downs. I've drug 'em along even when they were little, to be a ballboy or whatever.
   "Coaching takes a lot of time and the fortunate thing is they've all been boys. They've been around it and know what it takes. I'm kind of dreading when Matt does graduate. He'll be the last one."
   That doesn't mean McKinney the elder doesn't slough when it comes to criticizing McKinney the younger.
   "You have to get on him like you do anybody else, because you don't want to seem like you're favoring anybody," David McKinney said. "The other kids see me get on him and they know they can get it, too. You have to treat them all the same.
   "But Matt's been starting since he was a freshman so he pretty much knows what's what."
   Said Matt McKinney: "I've grown up around it, the way he is. It wasn't a total shock when I screwed up my freshman year and he tore into me.
   "In a way, I guess you could say he's kind of demanding. But he wants us to do the best we can, myself and all my brothers," McKinney said. "As long as we're playing to our potential he has no problem. As long as we're doing the best we can. If we're happy, he's happy."
   Forty-one and counting
   Saturday's game against Elysian Fields (13-1) will be Matt McKinney's 41st start for the Bobcats. Will McKinney started 56 games, meaning Refugio would have to advance deep into the playoffs in Matt McKinney's senior year to match that.
   That experience gained by Matt McKinney has eased any added pressure the elder McKinney may have had helping to coach his son.
   "If hasn't been difficult at all," said David McKinney, also the Bobcats' boys track coach. "I can tell him things and he probably understands a little quicker. He pays attention to the defenses and knows what to call."
   Matt McKinney said having his father as his defensive coordinator can get old, although David McKinney tries to limit the football talk outside of the locker room. The benefits of having his father along for the postseason ride outweigh any negatives, Matt McKinney said.
   "We're going through everything together. Going this deep in the playoffs, a lot of people don't know it's like," Matt McKinney said. "It makes it even more special to be going through it with my own dad."



Staff writer George Vondracek can be reached at 886-3731 or by e-mail at vondracekg@caller.com

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