Sandbrock Spotlight: Zac Connors
Braswell High School Football Coach
It’s no secret that here in Texas we love football. A Texas high school football game is like nothing else for the players, for their families, and for the entire community.
Of course, high school football is about a lot more than game night. It helps our kids build and grow important values such as teamwork, leadership, self-discipline, and fair play. It also teaches them how to be active and healthy, how to make long-lasting relationships with their teammates, and how to find fun in everything they do—which is all very reflective of our Sandbrock Ranch Values!
Here at Sandbrock Ranch, we also love football, and we believe in the values that it instills. That’s why we’re proud to kick off our series of interviews with residents of our community who are making a difference by chatting with Zac Connors, who coaches our very own Braswell Bengals at Braswell High School!
Zac is a resident of Sandbrock Ranch. He’s also heading into his second season coaching football at Braswell High School, where he coordinates Special Teams and coaches wide receivers. He grew up in California and graduated from the University of Utah before making his way to Aubrey, Texas, where he now lives with his wife and two sons, who all love ranch living and the beauty of the Texas countryside!
What led you to Braswell High School? My wife and I wanted a different life for our two young boys, Ries (6) and Colton (4). We knew that coaching high school football in the state of Texas would be close to coaching at the collegiate level. With my wife’s passion for riding and training horses and my football obsession, it made a lot of sense for us to be here.
What is your football coaching background? I started coaching in 2006 as a graduate assistant at the University of Utah. I spent four years there, then spent one season as an assistant at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California. In the winter of 2010, I was offered the offensive coordinator job at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where I stayed until 2012 when I moved back to Salt Lake City to finish my master’s degree. I worked as an offensive coordinator at Snow College in Utah and at Ross State University in Texas. In the winter of 2018, my family and I returned to Texas, where I was fortunate enough to land a full-time teaching and coaching position at Braswell High School in Aubrey.
What tools help you motivate your players? Building relationships, first and foremost. Once you establish trust, mutual respect, and clear lines of communication, you really learn what drives and motivates players on a daily basis. Also, using examples of positive role models and success stories often helps to light that internal flame.
What values do you instill in your players? Honesty and respect are my two biggest values. Our number-one goal as a coaching staff is to develop their character, so building trust and helping them to respect others as well as themselves are of the utmost importance.
What is your coaching philosophy? Develop the athlete as a whole person, not just the physical aspects of the game. I feel that establishing a set of core values and expectations that never waver is the difference between short-lived victory and long-term success. One of my mentors taught me “consistency, thou art a jewel,” and that remains a core principle in my daily life.
What mantra guides your style of coaching? Winning and experiencing success in all things is a byproduct of establishing common goals and expectations, and meeting those goals with laser focus, mental and physical toughness, and an uncommon effort and will to succeed.
How do you define success for a football program? For me, a successful football program is one in which all members of the program continually grow in a positive direction and share a bond and a sense of family. (See Sandbrock Ranch Value #1.)
What inspires and motivates you? My wife and our sons provide me with an abundance of energy every day. I know how important it is for me to set an example in how I conduct myself both on and off the field. I am far from perfect, but they push me to always be my best. Also, seeing others around me experience success and find enjoyment in the process of accomplishing goals inspires me at work and at home.
What part does football play at Braswell HS and the Sandbrock Ranch community? Across the state of Texas, football brings a community closer. Those in the Braswell zone should feel a sense of belonging and pride in the football program, whether they are students, staff or faculty on campus, or members of the community who have kids of their own in the program or feeder schools. Our football program is a representation of all the communities that comprise our neighborhood.
What does being a Sandbrock Ranch resident mean to you? My family and I have a tremendous sense of pride in the Sandbrock Ranch community. Since my previous career trajectory involved living in a lot of different places, this is the first home we have purchased as a family, and we feel very connected to our neighbors and others in the community (see Sandbrock Ranch Value #2).
We are originally from California, and the thought of living near large ranches with cattle and horses was very appealing. With the horses and cattle now literally 100 feet from our front door, we feel as if we struck gold with our choice to live in Sandbrock.
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This is the first in a series of interviews highlighting residents of Sandbrock Ranch who are part of the fabric of our community, so stay tuned for more interviews with members of our community in the future.
Please share this interview on social media so that everyone in our community gets a chance to meet Coach Zac Connors. Be sure to come out and support Braswell Bengal Football in the upcoming season! The first Braswell High varsity football game is August 29 at 7PM. They’ll be going up against Red Oak at the C.H. Collins Athletic Complex!
At Sandbrock Ranch in Aubrey, TX, we believe in the importance of staying active and healthy (see Sandbrock Ranch Value #3) and we know how important sports can be to building teamwork, instilling strong values, and bringing a community together. Plus, we’re Texans, so of course, we love Friday night lights! Come out and join us as we cheer on our own Braswell Bengals!
