On a beautiful last summer evening in Dublin, Ireland, the Aer Lingus College Football Classic kicked off the 2024 college football season. Aviva Stadium hosted a sold-out crowd of 48,000 fans, with 26,000 visiting from the United States. Under the international spotlight, Georgia Tech Head Coach Brent Key lead his alma mater to a thrilling last-second victory.
Coach Key embodies Georgia Tech football. He was the starting offensive guard at Georgia Tech for four years. He was part of a team that made four straight bowl appearances, finished the season in the AP poll top-25 four times, beat rival Georgia three consecutive times, and was ranked No.1 nationally in total offense in 1998. He was even named team captain his senior year. It makes perfect sense he leads the Yellow Jackets today.
Coach Key's deep connection to Georgia Tech extends to Atlanta. He reflects:
"As someone who grew up in the South, growing up in Birmingham, the South was near and dear to my heart. Even as a young child coming to Atlanta to visit, whether it was the World of Coke, or Six Flags, or going to Braves’ games, all those things, I've always loved the city. Coming to college here. Being a freshman in 1996 during the Olympics. It's a wonderful city. My heart's here. … The better part of my life has been here in Atlanta. … Obviously, the heart and soul — right in the middle of it — is Georgia Tech. Where I call home."
To understand Coach Key's success — on and off the field — it is essential to understand his philosophy. He believes coaches are fundamentally teachers.
"My mother was a teacher for her entire career. Some of the most influential people in my life have been teachers. Really, coaching is teaching. Teaching is the ability to inspire learning. That's what we do every day. We're on a journey to inspire these young men to learn, not just the game of football, but to learn how to turn themselves into better people in the real world when they leave Georgia Tech," says Key.
Positive habits — like routine, structure, focus, discipline, and attention — are must-haves for Coach Key. Conversations with him stress how important it is that he model these habits for his coaching staff and players. Coach Key maintains:
"You focus on the process of improving every day. What we're focused on right now is creating the habits, building the structure that allows you the chance to have success and win football games."
Over time, those habits build individual and collective success.
Experiencing the game in Dublin, a few things were clear. The electricity was palpable. As the teams and coaches took the field, it is not a stretch to say Coach Key felt butterflies. A new season was starting. All the planning and preparation had occurred. He had a new group of players facing their first test. "The best way to say it, is the day I stop getting butterflies is the day I'm going to stop coaching."
Georgia Tech won a hard-fought game in Dublin. I feel certain that Coach Key would say there is no such thing as luck — or perhaps that we create luck by building and sustaining positive habits. Still, I want to argue and invite the luck of the Irish to inspire continued success for Coach Key, his family, his coaching staff and players, and the entire Georgia Tech community.
...the day I stop getting butterflies is the day I'm going to stop coaching.