“My son, on his letter to Santa, it just says, ‘Win Natty.’ I’m like, come on, Santa, it’s not that hard: Make it happen! Call the North Pole!” Kate Dykes stated.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Ask Kate Dykes to explain, in a single phrase, how this TCU soccer season has gone, and the reply isn’t straightforward.
“I mean, I don’t even know: Unbelievable,” Dykes stated. “I mean, every day you wake up and you’re just like, is this real? Are we really getting to do this?”
Dykes is the wife of TCU head soccer coach, Sonny Dykes.
In his first season in Fort Worth, Sonny Dykes led the Horned Frogs to an undefeated common season.
Despite a heartbreaking additional time loss within the Big 12 Championship, TCU held on to its No. 3 rating and have been chosen for the College Football Playoff.
The Horned Frogs tackle No. 2 Michigan within the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31.
“In football life, we always say, if you have nothing to do in December, it’s not a good thing,” Dykes stated. “So, it’s a good crazy.”
Kate and Sonny first crossed paths at Texas Tech. After nearly 17 years married, three youngsters and 6 strikes – all associated to Sonny’s teaching jobs in Arizona, Louisiana, California, Fort Worth and Dallas — the household is joyful to be in Cowtown.
“We’re very thankful to just be able to be here,” she stated. “Hopefully for a while.”
The Dykes’ most up-to-date transfer was a brief one: Just 35 miles west on Interstate 30. Sonny took the job at TCU in Fort Worth after teaching 4 seasons at SMU in Dallas.
“In a weird way, because we were so close, it almost made it harder a little bit because you knew you could get back to Dallas for (the kids) to see their friends, where if we move far away, it’s out of the question,” Kate Dykes stated.
But making Fort Worth “home” has been a breeze.
“Fort Worth has been so special because we had lifelong friends that were not associated with football that lived here already, and that is really special,” Kate Dykes stated. “Everyone is so welcoming and the whole town really rallies around TCU and TCU athletics.”
The Horned Frogs have given all of North Texas one thing to cheer for: They are the first team from Texas to achieve the College Football Playoff.
Oh, yeah: There was the undefeated common season, too.
Did Kate Dykes see all that coming?!
“I don’t know that I would have said every game, but you could feel the shift happening where you were like, this is going to be special,” she stated.
And Kate’s not afraid to present credit score the place credit score’s due: That consists of embracing the ability of the Hypnotoad.
“I mean, it’s the weirdest thing, but I love it,” Kate Dykes said. “But it does work. Like in games, when the Hypnotoad comes out on the screen, everyone goes wild. So you’re like, I don’t know, play it the whole game!”
After losing the Big 12 Championship, the team had to sweat it out at a watch party at the beginning of December, praying the choice committee would select them for the College Football Playoff.
“I remember looking at Sonny right before and our oldest daughter was like, do you think Dad’s about to pass out? I’m like, no, he looks good,” Kate Dykes stated. “But I just think it was like this nervous energy that you thought, please let it happen.”
And when the Dykes’ household noticed the title ‘TCU’ flash on the TV screen throughout the ESPN broadcast on the watch get together?
“I jumped so high. I was in my church clothes, and I don’t even remember jumping that high. I guess I’m lucky I didn’t sprain my ankle in high heels, but I just exploded off the chair. I was so excited for those kids because they were so excited,” Kate Dykes stated.
The Horned Frogs have loved unimaginable success this season, together with Sonny successful seven main “Coach of the Year” awards.
“He’s not a micromanager. He’s not that way as a parent. I don’t think he’s that way at his office. He just hires people that he believes he has faith in, that they’re going to do their job and he’s ever present and everything. But he’s not a micromanager,” Kate stated of her husband’s teaching model.
“It’s not uptight. That’s not his personality. He would prefer to be in a hoodie and tennis shoes over anything else every day. So I just feel like kind of who he is, that’s also how he coaches.”
All of the successes and wins this season have been ‘unbelievable,’ Kate Dykes instructed WFAA. But they’ve additionally served as a reminder of how grateful the Dykes’ household is for his or her journey.
“We were 9-3 our last year at Louisiana Tech and in our first year at Cal, we were 1-11. And to go from the high to the low, you second guess yourself. You think, are we doing this correct? Should we make changes? Even as a coach’s wife, you think, am I not intentional enough with these wives who are giving their time and working really hard to help the team and their husbands?” Kate Dykes stated.
“I think it’s been good for our kids to see, too, that it’s not always easy and you have to keep working hard. Life’s going to have challenges. Can’t give up. You might get sidetracked a little bit, but you have to get right back up and keep working, so it’s been a real blessing.”
The season isn’t over but: Next up is Saturday’s sport towards Michigan. A win in that sport will earn TCU a bid within the FBS school soccer nationwide championship sport on Monday, Jan, 9, 2023.
“My son, on his letter to Santa, it just says, ‘Win Natty.’ I’m like, come on, Santa, it’s not that hard. Make it happen! Call the North Pole!” Kate stated smiling.
Dykes’ contract at TCU, only a yr into its run, has already been extended through 2028.
“I really love being a coach’s wife, and I’m not perfect. But I do try really hard to be a good mom,” she said. “I’m really proud of Sonny for how he leads our family and leads the football program.”
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