Cooper McGough
Cooper McGough has his feet in two worlds. The Lake Highlands neighbor and graduate of Lake Highlands Junior High is a senior kicker on Jesuit College Prep’s football team and a forward on their soccer team. He’s collected friends from his home neighborhood and from the high school which cheers him on. He says supporters from both worlds have helped make him the young man he is today.
Cooper is captain of his Elite Club National League (ECNL) Dallas Texans soccer team, where he earned first team all-conference honors and helped win a national championship. He’s been the state’s fifth-ranked football kicker according to Chris Sailer Kicking School, and he was Team MVP on Jesuit’s state semi-final soccer team last year. He’s using his talents to raise money for Men of Nehemiah, a Christian organization that works to rebuild men’s lives torn apart by drug and alcohol addiction. For each kick he makes this season, your pledge to “Kicking for a Cause” will go directly to Men of Nehemiah.
Last year, Cooper’s brother Noah created a similar campaign for Men of Nehemiah, and by the end of the season he had raised $56,000. As one might imagine in a household of competitive boys, Cooper is hoping to top that amount.
If you’ve spent time with former D10 councilman Adam McGough and his wife, Lacy, you may have chatted with the talkative Noah. Cooper tends to be more taciturn and introspective — for years, he let his dad and his brother do the talking. Now that Noah is in Orlando kicking for the University of Central Florida, the floodgates have opened, and Cooper shared his thoughts with me.
“Some of my earliest memories are on the soccer field at Moss Fields,” he told me. “I had to watch my brother play for a year before I turned 3-and-a-half and was old enough, but I remember my first coach Tom Goodale asked my dad to hold my shoulders on the sideline to slow me down from scoring too many. Soccer just came naturally to me.”
Cooper and his teammates would play rap music and pray before each game, and he loved having family on the sidelines to watch.
“Coaches have always told me that my greatest talent was how hard I hustle, my coachability and how I just win balls and never quit. I loved playing other sports, but soccer was just different. Even when I play basketball, it’s the energy and scrappiness that I learned playing soccer that brings the most value to my team.”
Last year, Cooper played back up kicker to his brother — lugging the bag of footballs, retrieving the tee and providing water and towels. This year, Cooper will carry the mantle and be responsible for putting points on the scoreboard.
“I recently heard the phrase, ‘pressure is a privilege.’ I have had the privilege of playing in significant games, from international championships in Norway and Denmark to Texas state semifinals to ECNL national championships. I love stepping up in pressure situations.”
Instead of resenting playing backup, Cooper said he was lucky to learn from “one of the best.”
“My brother is an inspiration to me. I may not want to admit it, but I would not be where I am today without him. I love that he is getting the opportunity to kick for a Power 4 D1 program and live out a dream…He was one of the top kickers in the country, and I was often called ‘McGough #2,’ or something similar. While it would occasionally get under my skin a little, I did get to watch a great kicker work hard to perfect his craft. His dedication and passion for kicking even in the face of adversity helped me realize what kind of man he is.”
The brothers remain “extremely close” and text or talk on the phone before games and special events. They share bible verses to stay focused on what matters most.
“I am still learning from him,” Cooper said. “It is harder with him halfway across the country, but I love learning from his experiences.”
Cooper said his opportunity to attend Jesuit has been a “blessing,” but it’s not about following his brother. Blake Anderson, a family friend who died of Type I diabetes complications after graduating from Jesuit, was the boys’ inspiration.
“When Blake worked for my dad’s first campaign, he dedicated himself to our family and our service in Lake Highlands. He was such a hard worker and had a big impact in our family in such a short time. When his life was cut short, we got close with his family. Blake was a ‘Man for Others’ — it was his influence and that of his family that opened the doors for Noah and me to attend Jesuit.”
For Cooper (and Noah), supporting Men of Nehemiah isn’t just about writing a check. The boys and their family have been involved with the group for several years.
“We have always been inspired by the guys, and I loved participating in the worship,” Cooper said. “When Noah decided to dedicate his senior season to supporting the guys, it really changed something in me. Instead of just attending the worship and learning from the testimonies, I felt a connection with the men. I saw stories that started when they were 17, 18 and 19 years old. I saw men who had totally lost their way, and who in many ways had reached total desperation. I also saw men who now have a personal relationship with Jesus. I have witnessed life transformation and families restored. I saw the way those guys welcomed Noah. I saw the impact he was able to have and the relationships that formed.”
During his time interacting with Men of Nehemiah, Cooper has seen that addiction and struggle does not pick favorites. People at every socioeconomic level get stuck in the painful cycle of addiction and need help to break the chains. Cooper said he wants to send as many footballs as possible through the uprights and raise as much money as he can, but his true goal is to see lives changed.
“I believe these men helped change Noah’s life more than he helped them. I watched Noah’s faith grow, and I want to do the same. No matter what, God will use us in this journey.”
Cooper isn’t sure if he’ll get an opportunity to play football in college. He’d love to kick at a D1 program and achieve his goal of graduating college without debt, but he broke his leg in the high school soccer playoffs last spring and was unable to kick at the college camps and kicking competitions over the summer. He dropped in the national rankings, so he’ll need a great season to get back on the radar of college coaches.
If you’d like to donate to Cooper’s Kicking for a Cause, you may pledge per kick here or make a one-time donation here. Jesuit’s football schedule is here.
