SAN ANTONIO – If there has been any constant in quarantine life it is this: what else am I supposed to do now that I’ve watched every video I could possibly watch.
Some of us built hobbies, some read constant news updates and others found every unwatched, (and unwatchable) series on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu.
Then, there were those who took up TikTok fame.
That’s exactly what happened to high school football coach Marco Regalado.
It all started in late March when then Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial football coach decided to download the TikTok app and use his quarantine time for one thing and one thing only: put a smile on faces in the darkest of times.
“This was something I just did for fun,” said Coach Regalado to KSAT 12 Sports last week. “I had videos before, something I’ve done growing up with my friends. Coaches around the world were really missing sports at the time. People shared the videos and retweeted it and it took off like wildfire. I really wasn’t expecting it to get to the point that it did.”
Coaches on Gameday!
— Marco Regalado M. Ed (@CoachRegalado) May 21, 2020
True Story: I forgot the inflatable Tunnel going up against the #1 team in the State. 😅
Tag em! 😂 #COTQ pic.twitter.com/2joW8bw21q
Over 100 videos in 5 months and 3 million views later, the “TikTok Coach” now owns his social media superstar status.
Yes, the videos did their job and helped us forget, at least for a little while, the ugliness that surrounds us with the coronavirus. It also helped Coach Regalado make new friends who have reached out to him and stayed in contact while so many of us have stayed indoors all these months. Some of those new friends include coaches from the NFL, NCAA and the CFL.
“I would have never thought I would be talking to some of these coaches and head coaches,” Regalado said. “It really has been a blessing; you never know what it can turn into.”
Those words turned out to be the truth.
Dozens of videos led to job interviews and one job offer over the summer from 6A V.R. Eaton High School in Haslet, Texas, just north of downtown Ft. Worth, which he took and moved to prepare for the 2020 season.
“It was tough deciding to leave,” said Regalado. “As coaches, we realize that opportunities don’t come knocking all the time. 6A footbal in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area is nothing to turn your nose at. I felt I had to take this job opportunity. I’m just excited to be up here.”
Coaches after spending all summer grilling 🥩
— Marco Regalado M. Ed (@CoachRegalado) August 2, 2020
You know who they are! Tag em! 😂 pic.twitter.com/0ZddivEGkb
Coach Regalado added before the end of the interview that his favorite video to produce was the “BBQ coaching” video released earlier this month. His favorite coach to impersonate is the “Coach Who Refuses To Retire.”
That one coach who just wont retire!
— Marco Regalado M. Ed (@CoachRegalado) April 24, 2020
Tag em (IF THEY EVEN HAVE A TWITTER) 🙄😂 JK pic.twitter.com/15oP996FZX
Every job at every profession has at least one of those.
Coach Regalado, who’s favorite sports movie is “Friday Night Lights,” said he would love to use his acting skills for a movie or television series but on one condition: it didn’t get in the way of his coaching duties.
Daniel P. Villanueva has worked with KSAT 12 Sports for over 17 years and is an award-winning sports producer. To submit story ideas, email dvillanueva@ksat.com