One-on-one with Texas Southern University Head Football Coach Cris Dishman

coach Dishman we are here to talk about the Labor Day classic coming up between Texas Southern University and prayview A&M so we were at a press conference yesterday and the vice president of the interc Colgate Athletics for TSU said that this game kicks off football season tell us a little bit about what we can expect for the upcoming Labor Day classic well we gonna have two two good teams battling and out for the pride of Houston you know in certain family members is going to be against each other you have some family members with TSU and some with the prayview so for the last nine years the family members who would went to prayview has been having up on the TSU family members because the last nine years prayview has been winning coach mcdal has hinted to me that it only starts a rivalry when the other team has won a game or two unfortunately for the last nine years we haven't so we're g to try to start a rivalry starting this year yeah that sounds really good that sounds like a lot of friendly competition going on how are you getting your players excited about game one and the season overall Well everybody's excited about game one no matter if we well is extra excited because we're playing prview but no matter who we playing in game one it's the start of our season our guys are primed they rep they ready to go uh we've been hitting each other we've been tackling each other we've been fussing at each other and we've been going after each other now we get to go after someone else so it's they're excited about that I think our team is going to be uh emotionally already but we have to control our emotions I told our team that we're not g to go down there and have a pregame fights and all this other stuff as you see when two rivales get together most of the time you hear you see a big scuffle in the in the on the field and all that we're not going to do that we're here to do a job our job is go down there and win a game and that's what we're going to try to do so like we said you're at an HBCU in the Houston area y'all are in Houston PV is a little bit up the way still the Houston area talk talk about how important events like this are to the culture of historically black colleges the bragging rights you know as you're sitting around sitting around at the at your house is the bragging rights is for the Lums for me personally it's a recruiting it's a recruiting tool um we we both go after the same players and it's recruiting tool for me for me I can tell them look we done won the last two years or we won last year and with your help we can contines to beat grav VI so it's a recruiting tool for everyone um coach bub coach mcdal and I are good friends but I think we're got we are very competitive people also we can be friends but also want to beat be beat each other for the bragging rights that we have I want to be I want to be able to see coach mcdal uh during allseason and let him know that the Rivalry has started that's a good thing a lot of good clean fun I like it so how's campus feeling how are the other fans feeling are the other students getting riled up for the event too I think so you know I think so uh our band want to outperform their band our fans want to show up in High Spirit and outperform them and only thing I ask everybody to come in peace uh let's don't have no Riff Raff after the game or before the game let's come in peace and let's just go down there we're GNA come down there as as enemies but you know we all leave as fans of the game of football this game and this game in particular is the start of something very special for Coach McDow and I that you know whoever wins it always going to have the up on each other and that's what we want to always be the up we're in we're in the heart of Houston you know uh prayview is in a for Country we're in the heart of Houston so we as part of the heart of Houston have to be able to uh take care of the business now about the game are there any Star players that we should look out for anybody we should be keeping our eye on for this game any matchups between maybe two rival are there any siblings at pray review and wanted TSU what should we be looking out for no it's not I don't think it's any sibling rivalry it's probably their moms and dads but now are the uncles and cousin I mean uncles and aunts but as far as team far as players I don't think there's no silver rivales as far as players like that but it's it's gonna be good matchup it's not just the individual it's going to be a good team our offense versus their defense their defense versus is our offense and special team wise it's going to be a battle special team wise of you know of all the Special Teams it's going to be a game is going to come down the fourth quarters I advise you to go to the bathroom if you're gonna watch it on TV I advise you get all your snacks and everything you have to do um in place so therefore you don't have to get up because the game is g to be four quarters and it may go fifth quarters I don't know uh we're going to try to we are we are going to try to end the game in four quarters so but if it's decid to go Fifth Quarter we want to be the ones on top as long as long as the score favor Texas Southern University I'm okay with it coach you getting me excited about the game coach I'm not gonna lie to you I'm excited well we gotta see what colors you're gonna wear because I know you're gonna be at the game so you can't have no half and half you can't have half got to do a half and half Jersey something I love both schools and also coach we heard that this is your first game as the head coach there at TSU speak about your career background a little bit and how exciting it is to be coaching the Tigers well it's very exciting to be here yes this is my first coaching uh head coaching job but I've been coaching almost 20 something I mean excuse me almost 19 years I have been a defense coordinator I have been position coaches so now is the next level is right here the head coaching job and thank to the committee members uh and the Board of Regents of naming me uh Texas Southern head coach it's a it was a huge honor it's a great honor and I'm going try to uh hold up to their expectations of me not only me but my expectations of myself because I'm a I'm very secure with myself I'm a firm believer that no one can expect more of you than you expect of yourself I expect us to win this game I expect us to win the swag I expect us to go down in Atlanta and face a me ex goool and beat them and win a celebration Bowl those are my three expectations for this season that is amazing coach and this is the last question from me now like you said earlier I did not know coach bubble was your friend I heard you guys are really great friends besties at that so speak a little bit to coach speak a little bit about the relationship first how you guys know each other how you guys used to play together and then tell us a little bit about what you would say to coach Bubba today ahead of the game well you know um b b and I've been talking almost once a week he is very instrumental of helping me uh along this journey as a Texas Southern head coach you know him and I don't really talk football anymore we talk about issues that's going on in his school and my school we talk about how can I do this what should I say here how how I go along in doing that because he's been at a HBCU almost 16 years now uh 11 years is his his third I think his third year there as a head coach but he's been there almost 16 years at at prayview so he knows all the ends it out and even though it's prayview andm and it's Texas Southern even though the names are different it's still HBCU and some of the issues are different we talk about nil we talk about uh financing funding uh what are they doing to get their Lums to uh donate money so we talk about stuff like that what I could be doing to get my Lums to donate money because today football is changed it's not oh the school is relied to do all the money we need our Lums we need our Lums to give back to each and every school to be able to give to the schools for for the players that's on this team because as parents we always want something better for our child and as a Lums we should want something better for the people who is behind us yeah if you had to Trash Talk coach Bubba one more time what would you say to him well get ready for that uh quadruple reverse throwback pass that's I so we go we got some stuff up our sleeves that we're gonna pull out for Coach mcdal uh one of one of the plays he actually know but right now he's probably be thinking about is he really gonna do it because we ran it with the Houston Oilers so I can't tell you what it is but one of the play he actually know and when we do it and and very successful with it then uh I'll be to give him the I got you wonderful thank you so much coach best of luck to you and your team for this upcoming Labor Day classic thank you so much