The American Dream Story of Joey McGuire

Published on August 29, 2025

By Office of Communication

University of Texas at Arlington alumnus and Texas High School Football Hall of Famer Joey McGuire is living his American Dream as Texas Tech University’s Head Football Coach.

The 17th head coach in program history, McGuire was named to the position on Nov. 8, 2021, by Texas Tech Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt. Since then, McGuire became only the second head coach in program history to lead the Red Raiders to a bowl appearance in each of his first three seasons, all while winning more conference games (16) than any other coach during that span.

“The American Dream to me is having something that you wake up to every day and that you're passionate about can make an impact on people's lives, in a positive way,” he said.

Coaching was not the initial plan for McGuire after he graduated from Crowley High School.

“At the time, I thought I wanted to be a nurse and a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists),” he explained.

McGuire started his postsecondary journey at a junior college and then transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington.

“I joined Kappa Sigma,” he said. “I think back about those times, and we had such a good time. The Greek system at UTA is really a vital part of that university, and they have a great nursing school.”

McGuire wanted to transfer to Texas Tech his junior year to attend college with a friend but that changed one day.

“I ran into this little blond from Duncanville, Texas,” McGuire described. “She was a Zeta. My wife now of 31 years, Debbie McGuire.”

While McGuire continued his academic journey at UT Arlington, his career aspiration shifted.

“Whenever I was growing up, everybody knew 'Coach McGuire' as my dad,” he recounted. “I was helping him, on the side, as I was going to college. I kept just getting this yearning like I need to coach, and so I flipped everything.”

While McGuire earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the UT Arlington in 1995, he turned his focus quickly to coaching. He was an assistant coach at his alma mater, during 1995 and 1996, prior to his move to Cedar Hill High School as an assistant coach.

At only the age of 31, in 2003, he was promoted to head coach at Cedar Hill. Cedar Hill had not recorded a winning season in the eight years prior to his promotion, a streak he quickly ended with a 6-4 campaign in his debut. He created one of the most-memorable turnaround stories in Texas high school football history during his 14 seasons leading Cedar Hill. The Longhorns not only won at a high level under McGuire, but they transformed into one of the state’s most dominant programs with its first state title in 2006 and then back-to-back state crowns in 2013 and 2014.

Following a stellar 14-year run at Cedar Hill, McGuire became an assistant at Baylor University.

McGuire is a 2020 inductee into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor and a 2022 member of the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.