TYLER, Texas — Coaching runs in the Traylor family.
Jeff Traylor is a former Gilmer High School head coach and the running backs coach for the University of Arkansas.
Kurt Traylor coached at Gilmer under his brother Jeff before becoming the head coach at Robert E. Lee.
"I've always wanted to be a coach and I've always prepared myself," Kurt Traylor said. "Jeff put me in situations where it helped me a Gilmer to get ready to go to be a coach."
What drives Traylor to perform at such a high-level traces back to his days coaching under some East Texas legends.
"Danny was an unbelievable mentor, a guy that just truly love kids and did everything he could for kids," Traylor said. "In Coach Turner and Wayne Coleman, really, really taught me as a young coach how to coach, how to do everything if you want to be successful."
Win or lose, for Traylor what truly counts is the impact that happens beyond the field.
Traylor says whenever he's having a bad day, thinking about his kids helps him get through it.
"It's been just a blessing," Traylor said. "I think about the kids that show up every day and invest in this program because that's what we're here for."
