Where does a former NFL coach who won a Super Bowl title go over the New Year holidays? Of course, Wrexham.
Paul McCord and his family commuted from Florida to North Wales to attend a League Two match against Barrow after becoming keen fans of the club through the documentary Welcome to Wrexham.
It meant leaving behind the Tampa sunshine and daytime temperatures of 22C (71.6F) to reach a high of 9C, but Paul, wife Mindy – a successful coach in women’s lacrosse – and nine-year-old son LJ couldn’t be happier. Could have happened.
“It means a lot to be here in Wrexham to ring in the New Year,” says Paul, a member of the coaching team that led the Baltimore Ravens to Super Bowl glory in 2001. He wears a commemorative ring he received after the 34–7 victory. New York Giants.
“This is our second visit to Wrexham. We first came to a Southend United game in March 2023. Then, we toured the US last summer and saw games in Chapel Hill, Los Angeles, San Diego and Philadelphia.
go deeper
Wrexham, Chelsea and the $20m match
“It was great because we got the chance to meet again with people like Wayne (Jones, the turf landlord and breakout star of the documentary), who we met on the first visit to Wrexham.
“We fell in love with this place and the people. In a world that can be too cynical, a place that is authentic and full of gratitude makes you want to stay. This is what brought us back.
“What brought us here in March was the documentary but it is the people who brought us back.”
Paul and Mindy’s respective careers in elite coaching initially attracted the couple to watch a series of shows co-owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
“As coaches, we both love watching sports documentaries, like (ESPN’s) 30 for 30 series,” says Mindy, head coach of the women’s lacrosse program at the University of South Florida.
“Paul was the one who said, ‘Let’s watch this documentary.’ He is writing a book on Dalit stories and the show had that element. Simply, we both could relate to the story.
“I loved the ‘blue-collar town’ element. My father was an electrician and my grandfather was a coal miner who came from Yugoslavia. I also love the community aspect, and how authentic the fan engagement is, especially in Wrexham.
“It’s a real personal element, with players walking through the fans before every game, posing for photos and signing autographs.”
The McCords spent New Year’s Eve at the Turf pub which is located near the club’s STOCK Cay Ras home, but both Paul and Mindy look remarkably happy.
LJ is also excited, as he has brought a gift for Paul Mullin, with whom the youngster enjoyed an impromptu kickabout after the summer tour match against Chelsea in Chapel Hill.
“This gift is for Albie,” explains Mindy, Albie is Mullin’s young autistic son. “We wanted to thank Paul for treating LJ so well. “That’s what we love about Wrexham, the authenticity and the welcome to everyone.”
The McCord family will always remember their first visit to Wrexham.
Southend’s game only went ahead at the eleventh hour after volunteers and club staff worked throughout the night to make the pitch playable. Snow had covered the area.
But there was another issue: the tickets Paul had bought online turned out to be in the area reserved for supporters of the away team.
Standing 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm) tall and still as powerfully built, Paul laughs, “We only realized when we got to the turnstiles in all our newly bought Wrexham gear, as you would for someone who Who once signed for the Dallas Cowboys.
“The gentleman explained that we had accidentally purchased tickets in the Southend section and then looked at me and said, ‘You’ll be fine, as they won’t give you too much trouble, but I can’t say the same about the other two.’ .
“It was completely my fault. I didn’t know it was a remote part. I just watched ‘Wrexham’ and clicked for three tickets. The club was fantastic. They took us to another part of the stand, where all the reserve team players sit.
Mindy quickly interjects: “The funny thing is that we got a second season of the documentary as a result. We were watching at home, when suddenly, on the screen, we looked like complete tourists, sitting with all these players in their Wrexham hats and scarves!”
This time no such accident happened. As international members, the family bought tickets in the main stand through the club for the 4–1 win over Barrow.
A particular highlight came via the second goal of Steven Fletcher’s hat-trick, a far-post header from James McClean’s in-swinging corner. “The stack play on the corner was similar to the set piece we use in lacrosse,” Paul messaged after the game.
The contradiction between Phil Parkinson’s methods and the couple’s own coaching experiences is more common than many people think. Certainly, the Wrexham manager’s famous ‘character test’ when sizing up potential signings – he would think nothing of flying to London and back to assess a player’s suitability over a cup of tea – Mindy Lacrosse That’s similar to the way things are run in the U.S.
With Paul, he famously implemented the fast-paced basketball philosophy ‘The System’ as pioneered by Paul Westhead with Loyola Marymount University in the late 1980s and featured on the TV show Winning Time. She had a huge impact when she was at the helm of Jacksonville University’s lacrosse setup. Building the right culture was important.
“We needed a good locker room,” says Mindy, who was named Conference Coach of the Year eight times during her tenure in Jacksonville. “We got it from women buying into our core values and our mission.
“Where you say Phil interviews players here, we were interviewing parents. You’re dealing with 17 to 23-year-olds, so how they are parented is important. Do parents value coaching and guidance? This makes a huge difference in how you can move the needle with a young adult.
“There is an art to finding the right people. We were also very transparent and honest about who we are as people and as coaches, our styles, our personalities and what they’re going to get from us. You have to build trust.”
One coaching aspect that Mindy does not share with the Wrexham manager is what the documentary makers refer to as “Phil’s level of enthusiasm” – he swears extensively during team talks.
She adds, “We pounce on him every time he swears on the show. But then one day LJ was saying to me, ‘Mom, they drop the F-bomb so much – can I say this?’ I say, ‘Not at all, it’s just part of the language there.’
Dad agrees. “I’ve been in dressing rooms like that,” he says. “Maybe not that much profanity but certainly some things were said. This is when the adrenaline and testosterone get pumping. It comes from the heart.”
Paul certainly speaks from experience when it comes to high level coaching. After being part of Brian Billick’s Ravens coaching team for their Super Bowl XXXV victory over the Giants, he later joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in the same capacity.
“I worked with kickers, punters, snappers, holders, return specialists,” he explains. “The Super Bowl was surreal. I was the guy down on the coaching staff, the assistant special teams coach. But it was incredible to be a part of. You are on this journey and you know that something great is happening.
“You are very finely focused on each game. And every moment. We didn’t really think anything about the Super Bowl until we were there. And after reaching there we felt that we would win this game easily.
“Nobody was able to score against our defense, which was the best. Our offense also knew what to do, our field position game was very good as well. That’s exactly how it played out.
“It was a wonderful experience with Mindy and her family.”
As well as writing a book on the underprivileged in sport and helping Mindy with her coaching career, Paul’s goals for 2024 include helping spread the Wrexham gospel even further.
“Family and friends all know about Wrexham,” he says. “For our daughter Taylor and son-in-law Spencer (Zapper), we bought Wrexham shirts for Christmas. Now the plan is to educate people in Tampa about this great club.
“It’s funny I wasn’t at Always Sunny (in Philadelphia) when I got involved. Or even a Ryan Reynolds fan. It was the sports element that attracted me – and especially the underdog story.
“But then I suddenly became such a superfan, wouldn’t miss a single game on iFollow (kick-off in Florida is usually 10am on a Saturday) and would scream so loudly that all the neighbors would know. When have we scored a goal?
(Photos: Richard Sutcliffe/McChord Family)
