SOCIAL MEDIA checklist in place. I started unloading the headsets and getting everything ready to go. One of the boosters asked, ‘Where is the tunnel?’ I said, ‘It should be in the trailer.’ I forgot it. I had to break it to the head coach. He had 100 other things on his mind. Surprisingly, he didn’t rip me a new one. He just gave me a look like, ‘Are you serious?’”
ff Is your humorous style on social media in response to people being bummed out by the pandemic? “It’s definitely in response to everyone being bummed out. I had an occasional fun tweet before this. I’m a light-hearted person, and I like to make people laugh when it’s appreciated. I never anticipated it blowing up this big. I thought it was funny when I saw the students using TikTok. They said, ‘You’re funny, you should download the app.’ I was so bored the second or third week, I downloaded it. I started with 2,500 followers, and now I’ve accumulated 12,000 with 3 million views on Twitter.”
Lead with Humor South Texas Coach Becomes TikTok Sensation During Pandemic At the start of the coronavirus outbreak in March, everything came to a halt from a high school football perspective. We know how valuable those relationships can be during the high school years, and in many cases, players look to their coaches and teachers for leadership. A South Texas led with his humor. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN
D
uring the pandemic, many of us in the
coaching community followed Marco Regalado on Twitter. The South Texas coach offered some levity during an otherwise serious time. Regalado is the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at PSJA Memorial High in South Texas. He recently shared his social media strategy during the pandemic with FNF Coaches.
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ff The TikTok video that caught our eye was the one about forgetting the inflatable tunnel during your first year as a coach. Was your story true? “It’s a funny story. My first year coaching, one of my coaching duties – along with many others – was packing the inflatable into the trailer before the game. We were going to play the No. 1 team in the state. I thought everything was good to go; this is before we had a coaching
ff Do you attribute the jump in followers to anything other than the TikTok videos? “It’s definitely the videos. You’ve got to do something to stand out for that to happen. I made a couple of videos, and everyone was asking for the next one. People follow just to keep track of when it’s coming.”
ff Was it easy to figure out TikTok? “I’m pretty good with technology. I’ve always edited videos and produced highlight videos for school. Once I understood the effects and how to use the green screen, I mastered it.”
ff Do you find yourself writing down more ideas for TikTok videos when they pop in your head? “If anybody has a video they want to see, reach out. I’ll never say no unless it’s absurd. One guy suggested I do one about principals. I said no, my bosses are principals. I like my paycheck.”
Podcast Alert Marco Regalado joined FNF Coaches podcast host Dan Guttenplan on the FNF Coaches Podcast in May. Visit fnfcoaches.com to listen to the pod.
