Our Life

Sunday, October 8, 2006

NMFN

Family and Friends,
There has been a lot of big changes in my life the past couple of months! In January, my football career ended after five great years playing for Mack Brown. I loved every minute of it, and am so grateful that I was a part of that program. It was an awesome time in my life, and loved that football games were a family affair for the McGees. Throughout my career, only a handful of games did not have all four of my family members sitting in the stands routing me and our team on. It would not have been anywhere near as enjoyable without their support and excitement.
In May, I graduated from the University of Texas with a great degree in Sports Management. This means that I am allowed to sweep floors at a basketball arena, maybe even mop. Basically, it means that I need to go back to school, and get a graduate degree, and get the “real” Sports Management degree that would allow me to find a good job! Although schooling and education has been my passion and held utmost importance to me since I was a tike, I have decided to take a different route and be done with school forever.
So this takes me to the next phase in my life, finding a real job. No more kicking lessons, or working at the auto shop, I needed a job that actually came with a paycheck. I have liked being on scholarship at UT and getting a little monthly allowance from the school, and have REALLY enjoyed my parents giving me money when I need it, so I was a little shocked when my Dad said that I need to get off the family payroll. It was heartbreaking to know that he did not enjoy it as much as I for so many years. So that lead me to go job hunting, and I have taken a job with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. I really love it so far. I never new about this “professional” work world until now, its pretty impressive how many people go to work everyday! I am going to write all of my friends that are still in college and tell them about it.
After the shocking news my Dad gave me about not giving me any more money, I realized that there is one huge incentive for me to start funding my own expenses. There is not as much drive for me to be able to support myself, as there is for to support someone I love. I have found that someone, and I will be getting married to Ms. Rachel Shaheen on April 28th. I am very excited about this, and want to be a great provider for her. This will get me up every morning to go work hard.
So I stopped playing football, graduated college, found a job, and am getting married! If this wasn’t already enough, my sweet fiancé decided to move to California to go to graduate school! Though there are many fine institutions in the great state of Texas, the state I love, the state where everyone I know is, she wanted to go to Fuller Seminary, in Pasadena California. It really is a great school, and I am so happy she decided to go, and I am excited that I decided to move out to California as well! She will be getting a Masters Degree in Family and Marriage counseling from their school of Psychology. If she wasn’t so darn beautiful it might have been a deal breaker, but I decided to follow her out here and start my career in the Los Angeles office for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.

Northwestern is a full service financial institution that has been in business since 1857 and is based in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Our mission is to provide financial security for a lifetime of changing needs. They are teaching me to employ a comprehensive approach to planning and to solve with high quality products. I will be utilizing a network of specialists to insure that my clients receive the proper guidance. Northwestern is ranked best in class and is the “Most Admired” company in it’s’ industry according to Fortune magazine. (20 of 20 years!) I am proud of my association with this institution and am looking forward to the future.
This is where I need your help. Working for Northwestern Mutual requires me to meet a lot of people, and to build relationships off of the natural relationships that I already have. Since I do not know anyone in the State of California, much less LA, this is going to be a lot harder for me getting started. This is where you come in, if you know anyone in California, Los Angeles in particular, could you please help me out by sending me their contact information. I am looking for good people to meet to help me get my career started off on the best note possible. Based on what you know about me, and my family, our walks with the Lord and our character, please know that I will not use these names inappropriately or make you regret giving them to me. I know it is a huge favor that I am asking from you, and I really appreciate any help you could give me with contacts. Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing back from you with a list of people that I can call on!

Sincerely,
Richmond McGee

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Letter to Coach Brown

Richard L. McGee

2821 Apple Valley

Garland, TX 75043

214-727-6084

June 10, 2006

Coach Mack Brown

UT Football Office

P.O. Box 7399

Austin, TX 78713

Dear Coach,

I am writing to express our thanks—from his sisters Megan and Mollie and from Bonnie and me—for all you have done for Richmond, for your excellent leadership of the UT football program, and for just being the quality of person that you are. Last month Richmond graduated from The University of Texas. It has been quite a ride for all of us these last five years. You are an integral part of it and of our memories of this wonderful experience. His college years have been beyond our wildest expectations. We are grateful for it and we are honored to have been associated with you and your program.

Thank you for giving Richmond a chance as a freshman walk-on—to be on the squad and to compete for a spot in spring training. Thanks to you and to the quality coaches you hired, he got a look, a fair evaluation of his potential and a chance to compete. Richmond’s starting for three years kicking off and three years punting at such an elite program as UT is something that looked extremely unlikely back in 2001. To finish by playing and lettering four years on a team with a Cotton Bowl win, two Rose Bowl wins, the 45-6 best four-year record in UT history and the national championship is just unbelievable.

Thank you for sticking with Richmond this year. Because of his back, he was not at his peak performance, but apparently you decided it was best for your team to continue with him on the field. How sad it would have been for him (and for us his family!) if he had missed playing in this very special and historic season. You have shown that people are important.

Thank you for the quality program you have built and led at UT. Your mission statement, “Win championships with good kids who graduate,” is one of the most succinct, crisp and focused mission statements I have ever seen. I have shared it with many people I know, both in ministry organizations and in businesses. With this year’s team, you did something few people ever actually do—you in fact reached and fulfilled your mission statement! You won the Big 12 and National Championships with good kids, the vast majority of whom have or will graduate from one of our country’s elite universities. We are thrilled that Richmond could be part of this team that embodies your mission statement and helped you achieve it.

Thank you for having the character—the values and the personality—that you do. I first noticed your integrity when one of the compliance officers called me in 2001 asking about a $1000 scholarship Richmond received that year because he is a minister’s child. The thoroughness in your program, even checking out an obscure walk-on, impressed me. Also, your friendliness and kind demeanor has always been an encouragement. I can’t think of another head coach that I would have rather Richmond played for. I definitely can think of a number of them that I would have not wanted him to be around!

Thank you for showing Richmond and the other boys what character is. You have shown them what it looks like going through tough times and defeats as well as many victories. You have taught them by your example what to say when people are talking badly or nicely about you.

Your and my paths first crossed in 1975 when you joined the coaching staff at the University of Southern Mississippi, although I’m not sure we actually met. I had arrived there a year earlier to direct the student ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Bonnie and I met and married there, and years later while visiting her parents in Hattiesburg, I had Richmond in USM’s stadium practicing his punting. That was when he was in high school, at about the same time you arrived at UT. The year after you started at UT, our daughter Mollie became a freshman and we attended our first football game with her. She made sure we wore orange, as you had mandated! So our paths began to cross again, culminating two years later when Richmond enrolled and our college football adventure began.

Mack, I trust that our paths will continue to cross, and that you will feel free to call on me if I can ever assist you in any way. We are so very happy for this National Championship for you—you richly deserve it. I hope you are still savoring it, as we are and always will.

Thank you again for letting Richmond and our family be a part of your life and your program these last five years. We pray that the love of God through Jesus Christ will surround you and your family, and we wish you every continued success.

Very sincerely,

Richard L. McGee