Palacios Longhorn fan shows off his football pride
A Colt McCoy autographed football helmet, a picture with Vince Young and some signed team pictures are just a few of Figirova prized possessions.
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Coach Gary Figirova is a graduate of Texas A&M - Kingsville, and not afraid to admit he is one of the biggest Longhorn fans in Matagorda County.
"Graduating from that school has never stopped me from being a fan," he said jokingly.
At the gym where he teaches physical education, he displays a table with photos, autographed footballs and jerseys of the University of Texas Longhorns and has small orange traffic cones surrounding the table.
"The cones are kept in place so that people can just look, but not touch," he said.
Other items include pictures of him with Vince Young, who now plays for the Tennessee Titans and UT quarterback Colt McCoy. A picture of him with coach Mack Brown is displayed with a frame that says #1 Coach.
This is a display he keeps up on special occasions and as a form of motivation for the children he coaches at Palacios East Side Intermediate School.
Figirova is also the special teams coordinator for the Palacios High School Sharks Football team. He also coaches defensive tackleS, running backs and the kickers.
"I even have a Longhorn barbecue pit that we bring out every time they play," he said.
As a kid, I grew up a Longhorn fan, but because Oscar Giles is from here, I am a bigger fan, he said.
Palacios native Oscar Giles is in his fifth season as defensive ends coach at The University of Texas.
"Their program is such a class act," he said. "Everyone is great and friendly."
For the last five years, Figirova and his friends have driven to Austin to watch the team play from the sidelines.
"The first time we went they won the National Championship and we felt like if we didn't go, they were going to loose," he said.
They didn't feel they brought the team good luck, but they didn't want to mess up anything, so they have made a tradition to go, he said.
"We usually go for a day and check out their plays. We see some of their drills and we try to emulate what the Longhorns do with our team during practice," he said.
But practice moves and autographs are not just what he holds dear to his heart. He also possesses a few feet of practice turf from last year's practice field.
"When bulldozers were pulling the turf off the practice field last year, I reached out and got a strip off of it," he said. "To think you have a piece of practice turf and knowing who has practiced on it, that's a big deal."
Figirova cut some of the turf into squares and distributed them to his closest friends as drink coasters.
One of his most memorable moments was from a few years ago when he met coach Mack Brown. "We were eating at a barbecue place and he came up to us and started talking to us about high school football," he said.
He plans to have a few friends over to watch the National Championship Game. "We will all have our game faces on as we watch the game," he said. "And be ready for the win."