Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy holds one of the most high-profile jobs in football. Still, he’s kept his family out of the spotlight after leaving Green Bay and resettling in North Texas.
McCarthy's wife, Jessica, was critical to the family's move and establishing a new life with a new team. For the first time, she talked about the move and how the family found their footing in Dallas-Fort Worth.
In McKinney's historic Cotton Mill, artists work their craft. Among them is Jessica McCarthy.
“It's not something that I announce, but yes, I'm proud of my husband," Jessica said.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
The former art teacher thrives on the creative collaboration here, a long way from her hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
"I went to college at the University of Wisconsin," Jessica said.
A lifelong Packers fan, when the Dallas Cowboys came calling in 2020, she said that Texas seemed like such a change.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"I was happy for him. That was my first reaction. I was very happy for him, to see him smile and be excited. That's his passion. But then the wheels started turning like, 'Oh, gosh. Well, let's take it day by day,'" Jessica said.
The family moved to North Texas in the summer of 2021 with two of the couple's five children, middle schoolers Gabbie and Izzie, in tow.
"That was my biggest concern. They had been with the same kids, at the same school, same families, and you know, in middle school, those are tough years, just growing and trying to find your way," Jessica said. "But this is their home now, and they have really embraced it, and they've made some really good friends, and they couldn't be better."
Jessica said her girls have even started saying "y'all" in their transition as Texans.
"Oh, yeah, that's their thing now. They have a very busy social life, busier than mine. So I'm happy for them," Jessica said.
As for coach Mike McCarthy, he devotes much of his summer to his family, away from the intensity of football season. Jessica said he finds peace on the lake.
"That's Mike's happy place. The lake and the boat. Just being with everybody. He's very much a family man. He's funny, and he's a teddy bear. He's just got a heart of gold. He loves to just watch movies and hang with the kids. He just loves being with everybody when he's home and never talks (about work), even after a loss. He's never negative," Jessica said.
The coach agreed that "Football Mike" is different from "Boat Mike."
"I think it has to be, that's for sure. If 'Boat Mike' coached football we wouldn't get a lot done, that's for sure," Mike said with a laugh.
The couple shares Alex, Jack, George, Gabbie and Izzie. Coach McCarthy said football is family, but being a father comes first.
"It is family, first of all. I was raised that way and, you know, I coach our football team that way, family and football. I think you can never lose sight of that," Mike said. "Dads and daughters. I clearly understand the importance of that. I'm very into that because those young ladies need to have that relationship so they can excel in their adult life."
On the home turf, the whole family watches together on game days.
"I pray a lot. I pray even when we're winning because I'm grateful that we're winning. I pace," Jessica said.
There is another ritual before each game for the head coach.
"I always call my parents before I go out, pregame, and then I always call Jess and the girls after pregame," Mike said. "We're kind of on a clock. That's just kind of always how we've operated. It's a nice, peaceful voice before you get going."
Jessica echoes the importance of this call.
"He just tells us he loves us, and we give him our words of support, and hopefully it works out," Jessica said.
Win or lose, the McCarthys said they are a team.
"We're here for a reason. I'm a big believer in that. To have the opportunity to be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys just speaks volumes about, you know, the blessings in our life," Mike said.
"I never would have thought we'd end up in Texas, of all places. But, boy, it's been a wonderful thing for our family. I'm very grateful to be here," Jessica said.
