Fellowship of Christian Athletes is honored to announce Texas Tech University’s head football coach, Joey McGuire, as the recipient of the Grant Teaff Coach of the Year Award.

Named after Grant Teaff, former Baylor University coach, a FCA executive director and Trustee Emeritus of the FCA Board of Trustees, the Coach of the Year Award presented by FCA recognizes a football coach who exemplifies Christian principles and who is involved in FCA. The award is also based on the success and performance of the coach’s team that season.

“Fellowship of Christian Athletes is honored to recognize Coach McGuire, who has used his coaching career to build a football program that puts the Lord first and opens doors for his players and staff to grow in their faith,” said FCA President and CEO Shane Williamson. “It is clear that Coach McGuire lives out the qualities and characteristics highlighted by this award, as his Christ-like servant-leadership is evident to all who know him.”

Now in his fourth year at Texas Tech, Coach McGuire led his team to a 12-1 record in 2025, ranking No. 4 in both the College Football Rankings and AP Top 25 poll. He is in the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame for his successful tenure as a Head Coach in the Dallas-Fort Worth area at Cedar Hill High School, where he won two State Championships. He has won many Coach of the Year awards and helped rebuild programs into title contenders at Cedar Hill High School, as an Assistant at Baylor University and as the head coach at Texas Tech University.

“I’m honored to receive the FCA Grant Teaff Coach of the Year Award. To be recognized with an award named after a legend such as Coach Teaff is an honor I don’t take lightly. I can’t thank FCA enough for this tremendous honor,” said McGuire. “In everything we do as a program, we always put our players first. For some, that is a deep involvement with FCA, an organization I have partnered with dating back to my time at Cedar Hill High School. We end every practice here at Texas Tech with a prayer, and it’s important to me that our players see my faith on a daily basis and know that there are resources available for them with a great partner like FCA.”

Haydon Wiginton, Texas Tech Football wide receiver, shared, “Not only is Coach McGuire a Godly man, but he also pushes his players to be so. He doesn’t let a practice or game go by without having the team be prayed over, as well as making sure there is a Sunday morning chapel for players and staff weekly. God says love is the biggest tell in a follower of Christ, and Coach makes sure his team and staff know every day that they are loved every single day by serving them and telling them directly how much they mean to him. When talking about servant leaders, he is the first person that comes to mind. He is the perfect embodiment of ‘washing his brothers’ feet’ in the way that he deliberately seeks ways to promote his players and friends in every aspect of life, not just football.”

Josh Cochran, tight ends coach and run-game coordinator at Texas Tech University, remarked, “Coach McGuire has proven to be a man of discipline, character and integrity. The way he integrates his faith into his daily duties as Head Football Coach, and the way he lives out scripture on a daily basis, proves that there is no one more deserving of the award.”

As for his involvement in FCA, Coach McGuire is a donor and supporter of the FCA area ministry in multiple ways. He gives personally to FCA staff both locally in Lubbock and back in Dallas, where he was connected to FCA staff as a long-time high school head football coach, before becoming a college coach. Coach McGuire is also personally part of a weekly Coaches Bible Study, where over a dozen coaches and staff members in his program join weekly to study Scripture. The Texas Tech Football Team also has a weekly player-led Bible study Huddle by one of the football players on FCA’s Student-Athlete Leadership Team. Coach McGuire allows Texas Tech FCA to use the football facility for the weekly multi-sport Huddle.

Coach McGuire has also allowed FCA West Texas Multi-Area Director Corbin Young to serve as Team Chaplain and travel with the team, where he leads pregame chapels and prays with the team in the locker room both before and after every game. Coach also provides an optional chapel at the football facility for all of his players every Sunday that is typically led by different Christian coaches on his staff. He has been a keynote speaker at FCA’s large annual statewide Coaches Breakfast at the Texas High School Coaches Association Convention. He wears an FCA bracelet with “The Four” on one side and “Jesus Won” on the sidelines of every game and in every media interview and often gives his bracelet away to fans each week.

“The values that Coach McGuire consistently reinforces through their program's culture that they call ‘The Brand,’ ‘The Player-Coaches Oath’ and ‘The Plan To Win’ are all built on biblical principles that prepare his players and staff to be successful in football and every area of life,” said FCA West Texas Multi-Area Director Corbin Young. “Coach McGuire is one of the most transformational coaches I have ever met. The standard for integrity and excellence he sets for his players and staff is high, but he models it and motivates everyone in the building to live up to those standards by how he leads with love and humility.”

-FCA-

Photos courtesy of Texas Tech Athletics