“There’s so much more to it than the game…football prepares you for life,” Johnna De Los Santos said. “It’s about working with a team, it’s about being disciplined, it’s about the grind that they go through; the kids and the coaches. [It’s about] learning to be a part of something bigger than [yourself.]”
During the summer of 2021, the De Los Santos family relocated from Dallas to Dripping Springs when Eric De Los Santos received a coaching opportunity at the high school. Now known as Coach DeLo, Eric has been involved with football for the majority of his life. He and his high school sweetheart, Johnna, attended Lewisville High School together and graduated in 1997 after the Lewisville football team earned the 5A state title.
“I watched [Coach DeLo] play football his senior year,” Johnna said. “We grew up in a huge football town, so I kind of got immersed in football in high school and always loved it. [The] team that Eric played on went all the way to state and won…which I think is very unique for most people because it’s really hard to get there.”
Their 15-0 win was advertised on the back of a team Cheerios box, a campaign done by Cheerios showcasing amateur sports teams and highlighting their success. Coach DeLo is number one, third row up, first on the left.
“Eric’s team [was] a team that nobody expected to do much of anything, all small guys, not super top talent stars, but they just had this dynamic that was amazing,” Johnna said. “[Team Cheerios] came to our school [and] they did a big event, they came with a helicopter and dropped Cheerio boxes and stuff on the field. They wanted to highlight a team that kind of had a unique story wasn’t expected to do much…as a team they just worked so well together.”
Eric and Johnna have two boys, Gage (17) and Bodie (12), who have both grown up playing football as well as multiple other sports such as baseball, basketball and track. Gage is the starting safety for the high school football team, giving him the opportunity to interact with Coach DeLo in ways that foster a unique relationship between the father and son.
“[Having a parent as a coach is] a good experience to have; I wouldn’t really trade it for anything,” Gage said. “There’s a certain balance of, you know, he’s dad at home, but he’s coach at school, and so you just have to be able to handle the two different personalities.”
Over the course of his 22-year coaching career at both the middle school and high school level, Eric has had the opportunity to coach at six different high schools, some of which pose larger-scale struggles off the field.
“[Different high schools] all have their own challenges,” Johnna said. “Eric was the head coach at Irving High School; it was a low socioeconomic school, [and] we learned what it’s like to not have winning seasons and for the focus to be on making sure kids have dinner on the table at night. So [we were] feeding them, we sent peanut butter jelly sandwiches every day after school for the kids.”
At the beginning of his coaching career, Eric was under the mentorship of his former coach, Texas football coaching legend, Ronnie Gage. Coach Gage is now an author and motivational speaker and named one of the most successful high school coaches in Texas, making a pivotal difference in Coach DeLo’s career.
“We were fortunate to kind of come up underneath some really great coaching leadership,” Johnna said. “We learned a lot being under their mentorship…[our son] Gage is named after Coach Gage.”
Though the trials and tribulations of inconsistent win and loss streaks can take a toll on both the athletes and their support systems, over time, the DeLo family has built an experienced perspective and respect for the game, regardless of its outcome.
“I think over time you get perspective on what’s really important.” Johnna said. “Winning is definitely important to us, and we get upset if we don’t win, but…at the end of the day, it’s a football game and football teaches you a lot of life lessons… we’ve been in situations where you’re not winning very many games and there’s kids that are…not going home to parents or needing food on the table and just like, ‘what’s really important?’ And so when we get frustrated or, you know, down, it’s like we have to remind ourselves, keep perspective.”
Being a football coach’s wife is a unique experience that requires sacrifice, dedication and unwavering support. During the football season, Coach DeLo leaves the house before the sun comes up and comes home with work to do, leaving Johnna with extra responsibilities. After 20 years of marriage Johnna explains how the athletes that Eric coaches become like a second family to them.
“[Most people] have this assumption that when you get married it’s 50-50: ‘You should be doing 50% and I should be doing 50%’, but that’s not really how it works.” Johnna said. “Depending on what season of life you’re in, it’s like 80-20…I just know during football season I’m going to carry as much of the weight as I can to alleviate the pressure and stress as much as I can for him…I have a season in work where I’m super busy and Eric picks up the slack. It’s just kind of this understanding like we’re gonna help each other out and lean on each other…it’s a busy season, but it ebbs and flows and we just kind of lean on each other to get through it.”
Though the De Los Santos family may not be from Dripping Springs originally, they know how to bring the players and community together. The strong support of the DeLo family will make an impact on the football program for years to come.
“We have this saying ‘love tough.’ People say tough love, but we say love tough because you have to really love on these kids, but you also have to be tough and teach them and help them grow,” Johnna said. “That’s really what a coach’s role really is at the end of the day, we want to make them better people.”
