Roots
I was born in San Antonio on June 27, 1997, and my family moved to Waco when I was going into fourth grade. Waco was home until a year after I finished college. We were a good Baptist family. Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night, we were at church.
I was born into a military family. My dad served in the Army, and so did both of my granddads and several great-grandparents. Half of my bloodline has been here since the colonies, with Daughters of the American Revolution and Civil War veterans in the family tree. The other half has only been in America three or four generations: my dad's dad's family came from Greece and my mom's dad's family came from Mexico. I also have an adopted sister and cousin from China.
My dad became a physical therapist, and he has always been my superman. My parents are both hard workers, and they did a great job balancing work, church, family time and fun.
At a glance
- Born in San Antonio, raised in Waco
- Son of an Army veteran and physical therapist
- Baylor University, B.S. and M.S.
- 10 seasons coaching, 5 Texas certifications
- Owner of four businesses
- Chief of Staff on two campaigns for governor
- 15 half marathons and a full marathon
- Lives in Fort Worth
A walking miracle
I was born with a genetic heart condition and had surgery for subaortic stenosis when I was three. While I was on bypass I had a series of strokes that left me with severe sensory issues, and it took years of work with an occupational therapist to overcome them.
That was just the start. Before I graduated college I had cracked my head open at two, broken my left arm twice, had an emergency appendectomy, had my tonsils and adenoids out, suffered four concussions, broken a foot and broken my nose.
A family with a child going through all of that faces real strain. My parents stayed rooted in their faith and helped me any way they could, without doing things for me. I didn't get to play the victim or cry "why me." I was taught to keep my head down and keep grinding, one day at a time.
The week before Thanksgiving my freshman year of college, I was driving to volunteer with FCA at a local middle school. A King Ranch F-150 didn't see me, blew through a stop sign, T-boned my Ford Fusion and flipped it onto its roof. One of my dad's coworkers saw the wreck and was sure the driver had died. I wasn't even taken to the hospital.
I am a living, walking, breathing miracle. There were so many moments when the enemy and the brokenness of this world tried to stop me. But God.
Baylor and the call to coach
I grew up dreaming of playing sports at a high level and becoming a physical therapist like my dad. As I got older I realized playing wasn't realistic, but there were other roles in sports: coaching, business, athletic training.
At Baylor I worked six years in football operations under three head coaches. I hosted recruits on campus tours, ran video production for recruiting and coaching review, supported sports nutrition, and helped run game-day events. I also started coaching for the first time and fell in love with it, because it gave me the chance to love and serve young people and help them grow into the leaders of tomorrow.
I earned a B.S. in Education in Health & Kinesiology and an M.S. in Education in Sports Pedagogy, both from Baylor.
Coaching and teaching
In ten seasons I've coached football, basketball, soccer, softball, tennis, golf, flag football, and track and field.
In Waco I was program director at Vanguard College Prep, leading football, soccer, track and softball to a district championship, a regional final and all-state honors. At Reicher Catholic I coordinated special teams, equipment, recruiting and video, and taught business math during a run to the state championship game. At Live Oak Classical I ran strength and conditioning for a basketball team that reached the third round of the playoffs.
At Troy High School I taught 6th grade social studies and coached defensive ends, JV defense, special teams, junior high basketball and track. My class average went from 58 to 93. At Carter-Riverside in Fort Worth I taught business, coached a 3,000-yard career rusher, and rebuilt a near-dormant tennis program to more than 30 athletes. At Burleson High School I was associate head coach, quarterbacks coach and director of football technology. My quarterback completed 72% of his passes and accounted for 1,000 yards passing and rushing.
I've also taught freshman world geography at Arlington Heights, raising class averages from 46% to 84%, and served a special education caseload at LD Bell. I hold Texas certifications in Social Studies, Health & PE, Special Education, Family & Consumer Sciences, and Business & Finance, plus USA Weightlifting Level 1 and CPR/AED/First Aid. I was selected for the We Will Win Coaching Future Head Coach Academy.
Building and serving
In 2024 I co-founded the One Back Offensive Clinic, and in 2025 I acquired the Lonestar Coaches Clinic. Today the Lonestar Coaches Network serves coaches nationwide through clinics, a video library and consultations, with a team of six interns and five coaches. I also built Coaching Openings, Game Openings and School Sports AD. I'm a Dave Ramsey Certified Financial Coach.
I've served as Chief of Staff on two campaigns for Texas governor, writing education policy and speeches without pay, because better schools are reward enough. I'm also involved with SOS Liberty.
Faith runs through all of it. I directed a special needs ministry at Highland Baptist and First Woodway, I've volunteered with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes since 2015, I serve with Special Olympics, and I'm an usher and communion server at Northway Church. I received the Heart of a Servant award, I umpire high school softball, and I've run 15 half marathons and a full marathon.
I'm writing a book about all of it. It's called But God.
Official bio
For event programs, introductions and press.
Andrew Gochis is a Texas educator, football coach and entrepreneur. A native of San Antonio raised in Waco, he earned a B.S. in Health & Kinesiology and an M.S. in Sports Pedagogy from Baylor University, where he spent six years on the football operations staff. In ten seasons of coaching he has worked with athletes in eight sports, most recently as associate head coach and quarterbacks coach at Burleson High School, and he holds five Texas teaching certifications. Gochis is the founder and owner of the Lonestar Coaches Network, home of the One Back Offensive Clinic and the Lonestar Coaches Clinic, as well as Coaching Openings, Game Openings and School Sports AD. He has served as Chief of Staff on two Texas gubernatorial campaigns, writing education policy. A heart surgery survivor and marathoner, he is writing a memoir titled But God. He lives in Fort Worth.