By: GREG HIGGINS
www.eParisExtra.com
Logan McGill – North Lamar’s Tight Ends and Defensive Ends Coach
If you watch a North Lamar Panther football practice, you might be intimidated by Coach Logan McGill. As a matter of fact, while conducting an interview with McGill I sat there a little intimidated at first. He coaches with a level of intensity that is fun to watch. You will see him bark orders like a drill sergeant on the field, however it’s done in a way that the student can learn and grow.
McGill coaches Tight Ends and Defensive Ends for the Panthers and while talking to him, I realized something: He is passionate about whatever he talks about. Perhaps this is what makes him a good fit at North Lamar and good at what he does.
“I’m blessed to have this job,” McGill tells eParisExtra.com. “I’m crazy about this job.” He continues to make the parallels between the game of football and life. “When it’s 100 degrees outside and some old guy is yelling at you to hit the sled, that’s a hard thing to do. It’s a lot easier to sit inside the air conditioning and watch TV,” he says. “Life can be hard, and I like to tag that into life and how it works.”
Having a family in the oil field business, McGill grew up around West Texas. He attended college at McMurry University in Abilene, where he played football. McGill found himself in North East Texas coaching in Clarksville until three years ago. It was then that coach McGill made the change to North Lamar to work for Coach Felty. It was a move that both McGill and Felty are happy with.
“He’s a big part of our weight program,” says Felty. “He coaches with a lot of intensity and he takes a lot of pride in his coaching. He’s done a good job for us.”
Having competed in several body building competitions over the years, McGill does know what he’s talking about when it comes to lifting weights. Before our interview was done, he was offering me some pointers on proper technique. McGill is also one of the power lifting coaches for North Lamar. If power lifting and football aren’t enough, he also is a track coach.
“I try being involved as much as I can,” he says. “I like athletics. I don’t care much for sitting around the TV, so I try to get out and do things. I just enjoy it.”
In our conversation, McGill starts talking about his other passion in life, Jesus. His eyes light up as he talks. The same intensity comes out as if he were talking about his teams big win the week before.
“In everything I do, I want to glorify Jesus,” he says.
Along with all the athletics, McGill teaches US History at the North Lamar middle school. As we’re ending our interview, one of McGill’s students from last year walks up. The coach asks a history question to the student, and the two of them go back and forth with each other on the date and what happened. Perhaps what sums up coach McGill best, though, is what that student told me.
“[McGill’s History] class is the class I’ve learned the most in, out of any other class I’ve had.”
A pretty telling statement about a man passionate for, not only football, but teaching values to his students. Values that he hopes will carry them from the classroom and athletics out into the real world.
Greg Higgins - Sports Editor Greg has lived in the Paris area for most of his life and is a huge sports fan. He loves talking about sports and writing about it. Greg has been a part of eparisextra since the beginning of 2012. He is also very active in his church. When he's not writing about or watching sports, you can find him working out or hanging out with his wife.
follow: RSS
