In the movie “City Slickers” the character of Curly (an Oscar-winning performance from Jack Palance) tells Mitch Robbins (Billy Crystal) the success to a good life is finding “the one thing.” When asked what, he replies that is for us to figure out.
Suffice to say Judith McGill has discovered the one thing at which she is best – coaching volleyball. And McGill does it very well – so well, in fact, that she is among an elite group.
McGill, who has been coaching the sport for more than three decades, recently won her 600th match. Most of those victories have come in the Mansfield School District. She is now the head coach at Mansfield Timberview, and her Lady Wolves’ victory against crosstown rival Summit was the historical win.
McGill said the milestone ranks in the top three of her long and successful career.
“The 500 wins was also really special, along with district championships. I do want to add that even though all the wins count on my record, none of the milestones could have been accomplished without great kids. They play and win the games,” McGill said humbly.
McGill began her coaching career at South Grand Prairie for a decade from 1991-2000. She then made the move to Mansfield High, where the majority of her success came, including a regional quarterfinals berth.
After a year away from the sidelines, McGill returned to coach at Timberview. She has led the Lady Wolves to the postseason in two of those seasons to date.
In all, McGill’s teams have won 11 district championships. She has been named coach of the year six times in whatever district her team was in that given year. Plus, she was honored once as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Coach of the Year.
Two of her former players have gone on to become head coaches themselves. Kristen Pressley at South Grand Prairie and Mallory Sanders at LeTourneau University in Longview.
Influencing The Lives of Students
“We are so proud of coach McGill and her accomplishing the 600-victory milestone. While this amazing milestone reflects her success as a coach on the court, what it does not reflect are countless lives she has influenced during her career,” Mansfield ISD Athletic Director Philip O’Neal said in praise. “She has now established a winning culture, and influenced the lives of the students she serves at two of our Mansfield ISD High Schools. Words cannot express how lucky we have been to reap the benefits of coach McGill and her standard for excellence.”
All in all, McGill summed up her career as a blessing – and one that she’s not ready to bring to an end yet.
“The wins are great but I consider my career to be more than wins and losses,” McGill said. “I have been able to be a part of hundreds of lives of awesome young ladies who have gone on to be coaches, doctors, nurses, teachers, etc. This to me is so much more important compared to the success of a coach.
“I have been coaching for 31 years and each year has been a blessing. I cannot give a solid answer on how much longer I will coach. I just take it day by day and season by season.”
