Bruce Bush — San Marcos High, Football

YEARS AT SAN MARCOS: Three
AGE: 51
DOB: 7/14/48
YOUR START IN COACHING: As an assistant at Sweeny High in Sweeny, Texas, in the early 1970s
YOUR PLAYERS WOULD DESCRIBE YOU AS: “A strong disciplinarian, a good organizer.”
STUFF THAT FIRES YOU UP: “Big games, close games.”
A LESS-THAN-OBVIOUS TRAIT YOU LOVE TO SEE IN A PLAYER: “One who hustles, one who pays attention and responds.”
YOUR BEST MOTIVATIONAL TOOL WHEN TRAILING: “Show confidence, don’t panic, talk to the kids in civil tones.”
YOUR COACHING HERO: Father, Travis Bush, who coached football in East Texas
FAVORITE MOVIE: “Rocky”
FAVORITE BOOK: Lee Iacocca’s autobiography
BEST MOMENT AS A COACH: The 1994 season at Gregory-Portland High, while coaching son Travis in a 10-0 season
TOUGHEST LESSON LEARNED: “Realizing that coaching is a lot of stomach aches and headaches, but it’s a good life.”
WHAT SPORT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO COACH OTHER THAN YOUR OWN: Track

Bruce Bush has a favorite saying: “You’ve got to win sooner or later, and the sooner the better.”

The San Marcos High football coach has backed up those words and then some. After his first coaching job as an assistant at Sweeny High in the early 1970s, Bush served under legendary coach Doug Ethridge at Port Neches-Groves High for five seasons, including the Indians’ state championship year of 1975.

Bush has taken a piece of that winning tradition for himself, compiling an overall record of 186-78-8 as a head coach. In his first season at San Marcos, in 1997, the Rattlers went to the playoffs for the first time in 33 years. This season, they are 8-1 and ranked No. 8 in the SchoolSports Top 10.

The key to success, he says, is discipline.

“The kids seem to have a lot of respect,” says Bush. “That’s something we demand as coaches. ... I think kids respond to organization, they respond to discipline. They know what we’re doing is sound and solid.”

That discipline and preparation was never more apparent than in a thrilling 49-42 win over District 27-4A favorite New Braunfels Canyon High on Oct. 8. The Rattlers hung tough and made the big play near the end of the game, when Frank Quintanilla intercepted a pass and returned it to the 1-yard line, setting up San Marcos’ winning score.

A week after that game, the Rattlers lost starting quarterback Marques Jackson for the season with a broken arm. But with his discipline and unwavering confidence, Bush has met that challenge like all the others: head-on.

— Stephen Kerr