Glenn Arnold, who is entering his 29th year as a coach at Klein High School, was Texans HC Lovie Smith's 7th-grade football coach in Big Sandy, Texas.
Smith, entering his first season as head coach of his hometown team, connected with Arnold at the team's practice on Saturday.
"I'm very proud of him, like many of the guys I've coached," 74-year-old Arnold told ABC13. "If they give him a chance, he'll make it work here. Lovie is a class guy, and those are the ones you want." Arnold coached Smith during the first stop of his 53-year coaching career.
Arnold has also coached at Hawkins, Waco Connally, and Lamar Consolidated High Schools, in addition to stops at East Texas Baptist University and the University of North Texas.
Arnold and his grandson Damond Gordon were Smith's special guests during practice.
During a post-practice meet and greet, Lovie introduced his son Miles, the Texans linebacker coach, to Coach Arnold and Damond.
"He was a very coachable young man and did whatever I wanted him to do," Arnold recalled when describing Lovie in the 7th grade. "He was a quiet kid back then. He would quietly tell his teammates what needed to be done, and they won despite me. I'm so proud of him. As coaches, we want to win, but we want our players to be successful in our society, and Lovie is."