Like Father, Like Sons

In some ways, Terry Tausch isn't that much different than any other father of a high school athlete. He enjoys spending time with his sons, hopes they succeed and is willing to put a great deal of energy into helping them. In other ways, Terry is easily distinguishable from your average sports parent. Not many other fathers played eight seasons in the NFL, and few have two children land football scholarships to Division I schools in the same year. Making the Tauschs even more distinct is that the two sons have such diverse personality and physical traits. "Oh, it's always interesting at our house," Terry says. Nick and Eric Tausch aren't twins, though they are both seniors at Jesuit College Preparatory School. While Nick is 13 months older, Eric weighs 100 pounds more. Nick looks like his mom. He is 6-1 and 180 pounds. One of the top kickers in the nation and a free spirit, Nick committed to Notre Dame. Eric looks like Terry, who was listed at 6-5, 275 when he played offensive line in the NFL. Eric, already 6-2, 280 and a lineman like his dad, is more of a homebody. He wanted to stay close to home when he went to college and has committed to TCU. "Having a dad who played in the NFL and at the University of Texas, I've just always dreamed about playing Division I football," Eric says. "Having a brother get that chance, too, is really great. The whole thing is kind of unbelievable." Terry Tausch grew up in New Braunfels, then played football for the Longhorns in college. Upon graduation, he was drafted in the second round (39th overall) of the 1982 draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Longhorn teammate Kenneth Sims was the top pick in the entire draft that year, with the defensive end going to New England. Tausch played both guard and tackle in the NFL, seven seasons with Minnesota and one with San Francisco. He played in 90 regular season games, starting in 68 of them. The Vikings advanced to the NFC Championship game in 1987, while the 1989 49ers team is considered one of the greatest in NFL history. Jesuit has had plenty of NFL experience to share the past couple of seasons. Another Jesuit senior, RB-DB C.J. Haley, is the son of Charles Haley, who was on more Super Bowl championship teams (5) than any player in NFL history. Hampton Hughes, a defensive back who graduated from Jesuit in 2008, is the son of former Dallas Cowboys safety Randy Hughes. And Jesuit defensive back coach Robert Williams is also a former Cowboy. But Terry Tausch and his wife Ela weren't thinking of Jesuit or NFL connections when they moved to Dallas after Terry's first NFL season. Ela, who Terry had met at UT and was originally from Dallas, just knew that she wanted to get out of the Minnesota cold. It turned out that Dallas was a great place to raise a couple of sports-loving boys. Nick and Eric grew up playing a variety of sports. When the two played football in middle school, Nick was not only the kicker, but the quarterback. Terry helped coach their team, so he was able to help Eric develop solid offensive line fundamentals from the beginning. The two continued to excel at multiple sports even in high school. Eric also throws the discus and the shot put, advancing to the Class 5A Region I meet as a junior. Nick not only kicked for the Jesuit football team, but he played a high level of soccer. His select team, Andromeda 90, won two national championships this past year. Despite their love of the other sports, the brothers realized during their junior year that they had a chance to get college football scholarships, so they made sure to put that sport first. Terry has stayed hands-on with his sons, and the boys love it. The Jesuit coaches have a Saturday morning film session for parents each week, going over the game from the night before. Terry, with his vast football experience, takes home a little bit more from the session than the other parents. Terry and Eric then have a debriefing each Saturday afternoon. "We sit down and go over what I did right and what I did wrong," Eric says. "We figure out a way to work on the weaknesses. I listen to him and try to learn. My goal is just to get better each week." Terry doesn't have quite the expertise in kicking that he does line play, but he still works with his son. "We sneak up to Jesuit together all the time," Nick videotape me kicking and then we'd go home and study the field. He's been a great help, made the work fun." The Tausch boys enjoy some other outdoor activities together beside football. Away from a football field and high school life, you're likely to find the Tausch family at their ranch near New Braunfels. They hunt during deer season, fish the rest of the year and spend time in the Guadalupe River. "Every chance we get, we go to the ranch," says Eric. The boys have a strong relationship, strengthened by their closeness in age, being in the same grade and their love of football. The Tausch brothers even hang out together, usually with three other Jesuit students they consider their best friends. "Sometimes they fight like brothers," Terry said. "They have their ups and downs, but they get along pretty well. They are from two different worlds. Nick is laid back, easy going. Eric is full of energy, very enthusiastic, always ready to go." The Tauschs are competitive, and there is both a rivalry and a bond. "We always are pushing each other to get better, in the classroom and on the field and in other parts of our life," Nick says. "He doesn't have a lot to offer about how to play the offensive line and I don't know anything about kicking, but we are emotionally there for each other. Wetry to make sure that when it comes to Friday night, we are both ready to play." The Tausch family lives in Plano and the two brothers have a routine for the big SUV that they drive back and forth from school each day. Nick drives to school each morning, while Eric pilots on the way home in the evenings after football practice. Nick says, "Eric's not really a morning person, so we made a deal. I drive to school in the morning and he can sleep for another 15 minutes in the car, and he drives home in the afternoon." The brothers were also glad to share the recruiting experience together. During the summer, they went to several college camps together. Terry called on several friends from his football playing days, and they shared with the family what to expect. "A lot of the schools that were recruiting both of us and it really helped to go through it together," Eric says. "While it is real exciting, it is also very stressful." Even though the two brothers plan to go their separate ways, Nick predicts that the two will text each other several times a day over the next four years. Especially in 2011 and 2012, since TCU and Notre Dame have agreed to a two-game, home-and-away series for those two years. "We've been playing football together for the past eight years," Eric says. "Just having a brother on the same team has been a great experience, but it will be interesting when we go off to college. It's going to be a lot of fun, and we can't wait to play against each other."