The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Catching up with Maurice Gordon
08.16.2007 | Football
On what he's doing right now: Right now I'm living in Dallas, Texas. I run a credit repair company that can be found at gordioncreditrepair.com. We've been in business for four, going on five years. What I do is basically work with dealerships and mortgage companies to help turn unqualified people into qualified people, helping them raise their credit scores. Also, we do investment properties. We buy properties, fix them up, then sell them or get good deals on the front side from the builders then turn around and put people in them while we work on their credit. If we have people who really want to buy a house, but didn't have the credit, sometimes we will purchase the house for them as long as they go through our credit program, and once their credit is up to par, we turn around and sell them the house back.
On being able to come to practice and watch the team: This is the first time I've been able to get out here, but looking around and seeing everything that they have done blows my mind. Seeing the new screen and the new stadium, then the smell (of the field) gives you a flash back. For a minute I forgot that I didn't have shoulder pads on. I was waiting for my team to get called to go out. The guys look really great and I'm proud to be out here and proud to see what we were able to start and build up. We're building traditions and I'm proud to be a part of that.
On one of his fondest memories as a player: The thing I miss more than anything is the team. Being on the field and being around the fans were great, but the team was like a second family. Playing wise, I don't think I could forget the Big 12 Championship, when we were able to come back, although we didn't win that game, we came together as close as we could possibly do to make a great comeback. We probably would have gone to the National Championship if we had won; that game and the Texas A&M game that year really sticks out in my mind.
On the National Championship: More than anything it was like for once I had piece of mind. After losing in the Colorado game, we kind of wondered if everything was for nothing, but then to see them win the championship, it wasn't just them, it was us out there on the field with them. It was like finding out something that you had wanted to know for a long time because it was a part of my life. There was a curiosity in the back of my mind wondering how great we really were and it showed that what we did was actually able to help them get where they were recruiting wise, as well as some of the talent they were able to pick up.
On the program growing and maturing under Coach Brown: I think that both the players and the coaches have changed quite a bit. You can tell that some things like some of the rules that use to be here have switched up. Coaches are doing things a lot differently to the point where they're really listening to the players and giving them everything they possibly need in order to succeed. That is one thing that a lot of programs may never have that same opportunity to do. I think it's amazing that every problem that has ever come about, as well as anything the players have ever claimed to need, the coaches have tackled that, and to be able to see that some things that we were wondering would ever happen, they are actually being able to reap the benefits of that.
On seeing the coaches again: I thought it was kind of weird, it was like being gone for a couple of years then coming back and seeing your dad that you hadn't seen in three or four years. Every time I come back it's just like seeing a father figure. These guys were able to not only help me to be a better player, but also a better person, a better man. A lot of the things that Mad Dog (Jeff Madden) taught us about hard work and not giving up and giving a 100 percent whenever we do anything, those things not only relate to football, but to life.
On seeing the changes in the stadium: I think it's not going to hit me as hard until I walk in and see the stands full. Seeing everything come together, especially imagining what it's going to be like having that actually complete and the stadium almost able to hold a 100,000. I already know what it felt like when it was 70,000 and how loud the crowd could get, but imagining a 100,000, I can only envy the feeling that players are going to get coming through that tunnel. It's a whole different level. I think everyone, once they get to that type of situation and even if you were coming out the tunnel and you were red-shirting and you knew there was no way you could step on the field that day, the adrenalin would rush just like you were going out on that field.
On his family: I just had a new baby girl about a week and a half ago. My other daughter was born on the third of this month and I have two boys who I'm looking forward to coming to Texas, as well. One is 10 and one's 11. Since I was here that's all they know, Texas Longhorns and they know that's what daddy's looking forward to. They're growing up very strong, very athletic, and I think time is passing by too quickly. One minute I'm changing diapers and the next we're about to be in junior high after a while. I'm very happy; I've been married for nine years now. I was probably one of the first people on the team to get married. I got married after my red shirt freshman year here at Texas. It was a different experience being married in college, but now it's probably the happiest time in my life. I may not be on the field right now, but at the same time, I'm still getting to use some of the same techniques that we learned on the field in my regular life to be successful in business.
