Since UTSA announced the hiring of Jeff Traylor in December 2019, the Roadrunners have had a 30-10 overall record and have won back-to-back Conference USA championships.

With the on-field success, Traylor has become a well-known face in San Antonio. Whether it’s on weekly iHeart radio shows every Wednesday at Chicken ‘n’ Pickle, passing out food outside the Sombrilla or riding on the float in the Battle of Flowers Fiesta Parade, Traylor has built the UTSA Football brand up to be one of the most successful programs in the state.

Entering his fourth season at UTSA, spring practices, recruiting visits, public events and defending conference titles takes a lot of time out from Traylor to show his personal life.

Whether you are a die-hard Roadrunner fan or unfamiliar with Traylor altogether, here are eight things you did not know about the esteemed coach.

Q: Explain what your life looks like off the field.

A: “I’ve got a wife whose name’s Carrie, we’ve been married 31 years. We have three children. Jordan is our oldest son, he’s 29. I have a middle son named Jake, who is 26. He’s an associate producer for NBC. My daughter JC is 23, and we do have a dog. She weighs about 10 pounds, and her name is Izzy. I didn’t want her, but now I’m in love.”

Q: Favorite sports icon and why? Do they impact your coaching decisions today?

A: “The one I’ve studied the most is John Wooden. I’ve read every book he’s ever written. I like what he stood for, his sideline behavior in basketball, his beliefs. I do believe that the game of football is an analogy of life, and when you use a football correctly, it’s a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, a lot of men miss that.”

Q: When you get in the car, do you gravitate toward music, podcasts or silence?

A: “On the way home, it’s music. The kind of music depends on my day; if it’s been a rough day, I put on my Christian music. If it’s been a good day, I’ll put on some oldies country. On the way to work, it’s always a podcast about the culture pillar of the week. I listen to it to get my mind ready on what I’m going to speak to my kids about during the team meeting.”

Q: What sparked your love for sports? Did it start at an early age or were you a late bloomer?

A: “I always knew my entire life that I wanted to be a coach. My mother wanted me to be a lawyer, but I never wanted to do that. I’ve always wanted to coach, and I was psychotically competitive to a fault. I knew my passion was to coach, but when I realized my purpose could be to influence boys to become men, I lined up my passion of being psychotically competitive and then realized I can get my purpose with that. That was a great peace for me to realize that I could get my purpose and my passion in the same alignment. I’ve always enjoyed coaching and teaching. If there is a ball involved and somebody’s keeping score, then I want to play.”

Q: Do you have a favorite quote? 

A: “I have a ton, but my favorite one is ‘Your dreams should always be large, but your prayer life has to match it so that when your dreams come true, no human can take credit for it –– only God gets the credit.’”

Q: What do your pre-game and post-game rituals look like? 

A: “We’re usually at a hotel the night before. I go to my room, and I try to watch the last couple of things that I’m still worried about. So it’s just me and my room, just my computer and just finishing up my thoughts. Just nervous energy. After the game, my wife will be waiting on me. We usually go out and eat somewhere because we’ve won so much that it’s okay to go out and eat. If we lost, I’d go get some street tacos by myself and cry.”

Q: Movies or TV shows? List your best recommendations. 

A: “I love movies, big movie guy. Life is too short to watch a scary movie or a sad movie. I want the underdog to win every time, and I don’t want to be scared –– I want to laugh. My favorite is when the underdog wins at the last second; that’s why I love the ‘Rocky’ movies.”

Q: When Sundays roll around, what jersey are you rocking?

A: “Well, my son coaches for the Saints. I used to be a Cowboys fan only, but my son has worked for the Saints for five years. But I’ve got so many players in the NFL and I keep up with all of them, so I’m always cheering for those guys as well.”