From the field to the sidelines, focus and strategy portray the true meaning of a successful team. As the new football defensive coordinator, head track coach, and Pathways teacher, Coach Cody McCauley takes on the good and the bad with the goal to make a mark in the school’s athletic history.
Guiding from the sidelines, Coach McCauley encourages his athletes to shine through effort and commitment. Desiring to create a stronger connection with his teams, Coach McCauley pushes his students to succeed in and out of the sports world.
“It all starts with a relationship,” Coach McCauley said. “You need to be able to reach the kids on the level they’re at and earn their respect, gain their trust, and build from there on sportsmanship, morals, values and respect.”
Seeking new opportunities, Coach McCauley packed his bags last summer, moving from Richland High School in Fortworth, Texas to the Austin area. He was recommended by college friend and head football coach Derek Ward. Bringing 17 prior years of experience as an educator, Coach McCauley quickly settled in at the start of the football season in late August.
“Every school and every place has their own set of little norms that are different,” Coach McCauley said. “It’s like their own little community, [and] it’s just finding [and] getting used to the norms.”
With a degree in exercise and sports science and a minor in history from Texas State University, his resume reads itself. Having taught various social studies classes including U.S. History, World History, and World Geography, Coach McCauley’s fire for teaching has remained lit, this time out of the classroom and onto the field.
“[Coach Ward and I] think we can build something special here,” Coach McCauley said. “[Westwood] is a good place to work. It is a very established academic school [with] a long history of athletic standards.”
With his personal experience in team sports, Coach McCauley is passionate about supporting players who dream of playing at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 colleges. Coach McCauley personally played as the quarterback of Texas State University’s football team, crediting his parents for their influence on him.
“I played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track in high school,” Coach McCauley said. “Football’s a little more intense, scheming, and game-planning, [while track] is more working out and getting people the right events.”
Outside of the scholastic environment, Coach McCauley finds joy in bass-fishing with his father. Similar to sports, strategy and patience are crucial aspects of successful fishing. During these relaxing moments, the achievement is not a college football scholarship, but rather a 10-pound bass gripping onto the wired hook.
“I like getting on the lake and being on the boat, just casting lures out and trying to hook a big one,” Coach McCauley said. “But beyond that, [I like] being out there in the tranquility and the peace of it.”
Seeing the bigger picture, fisherman and defense expert Coach McCauley, aspires to give back to students from the class and field. Quickly becoming a central part of his students’ learning journey, Coach McCauley shows how a positive attitude changes the game, from progress to better outlooks on life.
“Any kind of little kernel I can give kids to help them each day with self-esteem is what I want to achieve [when] helping kids,” Coach McCauley said. “Now, I’m in a situation where I can give back. If you put your mind to it, work, and dedicate yourself to what you’re doing, the sky could be the limit.”
