There is always a first for everyone, and for Wynnewood Savages assistant football coach Nathan McCurley, that first has now arrived.
McCurley, who has had two assistant coaching stints with the Savages as well as being an assistant coach at both Holdenville and Ada, is getting his first head football coaching job as he has become the new Gore Pirates coach.
McCurley said he needed to wait for the right moment to apply for a head coaching job, and he believes that time is now.
“I applied for a couple of others,” McCurley said. “I haven’t ever really put my name out there. I wanted it to be a place that was right for myself — and be a successful situation and right for my kids. The reason why I applied for (the job) was it’s a smaller Oklahoma town. That’s kind of where my roots are. This will be my first head coaching job. I haven’t applied a whole lot, and that’s on purpose. I don’t apply unless it feels right, and Gore felt right — so I applied for it. I’m super excited to get going. I’ve been trying to get everything prepared. It’s been busy, but it’s been a blast. It’s kind of what you dream for. I’ve thought about this moment for a long time. Now that it’s coming to fruition, it’s a pretty neat experience. It’s been super exciting. The few times that I’ve had an opportunity to come to Gore, there’s a positive roar going on — so that excites me. I was really impressed with the facilities and what they have going on. I think they’re set up for a lot of success. The excitement has been great for me and my family. It’s been a fun crazy.”
The first thing that interested McCurley to apply was actually what he had heard through the grapevine about the Gore football program.
“I’ve always kind of been in this south central (area of Oklahoma) — maybe a little bit of the southeastern world (of the state),” McCurley said. “I kind of heard through a third person about the job. When I saw the word ‘vacancy,’ I actually remembered Gore from when we played them a couple of times from my time at Wynnewood. I knew the name from there. I didn’t know a whole lot about them outside of that. When you think back to the last 10 to 15 years that I’ve been around in the game, it was a school that historically may not have a lot of gold balls in the trophy case, but historically has been pretty competitive. As I started inquiring about it, I heard some good things and heard that they had good, tough kids there. I knew they have had success in the past. I just heard some really good things about it (the Gore football program), so it was one of those situations that it’s a bit removed from where I’ve always been — it piqued my interest. So, I applied for (the job) and here we are.”
The new Gore Pirates football coach said he definitely will be with his new team by the time spring practice begins in May, but he would like to arrive even sooner. It all will depend on how soon he can get out of current contract with Wynnewood Public Schools.
“I teach math here at Wynnewood, so it’s kind of a hard subject to just get away from,” McCurley said. “That’s the process we’re in at the moment.”
McCurley, an East Central University graduate, currently is in the process of making the move to Gore from Wynnewood, but another thing that sold him on applying and subsequently accepting the position was the Gore Public Schools administration.
“I have had the opportunity to get over there a couple of times,” McCurley said. “I got over there obviously for the interview process, which was one of the reasons I accepted the job because they have some fantastic administration over there. It made the whole interview process amazing. They made it feel right. I did get to come back over when the board approved (me being hired) to see the facilities. They were having junior high basketball at the time, so I was able to meet down there (at Gore Event Center). I got to shake the hands of a few kids and parents. I was obviously excited at what I saw.”
Tuesday was slated to be a big day for the new Gore Pirates football coach as McCurley was scheduled to get a true face-to-face meeting with both junior high and high school football players as well as getting to meet with other parents and Gore Booster Club members and fans.
“I actually will have a meet-and-greet,” he said. “I’m actually going to come over the full day and get my eyes on the whole operation. See the weight room and see the kids. I’m going to have a players meeting with my junior high and high school kids — all kids grades six through 12, whether they think they’re going to want to play football or not. I want to see them with my face in front of them and try to get the kids out who might be on the teeter-totter. I’ll get to be a part of the basketball games (against Webbers Falls at Gore Event Center) and meet some parents and community members. That will be a huge day for me.”
