I don’t write about myself that much. But this year I’m making some exceptions. The AC “A” Board announced that I’ll be inducted into the Austin College Hall of Honor in the summer of 2025. My sport is tennis, and Legends Weekend 2025 is igniting a bunch of Marc tennis stories. Here’s one:
2024 for Matthew McConaughey was all tennis. In May, the actor was vocally supportive of Tommy Paul, a Top 10 player many Americans hope will be the next big thing. He also gave a shout out to Novak Djokovic after the aging star’s Olympic Gold Medal this summer. McConaughey recently shared a photo of himself playing on social media; His “love this game” post generated lots of eyeballs and a funny comment from Djokovic: “Got any tips?”.
McConaughey also attended the US Open, sitting in Djovokic’s box at Arthur Ashe Stadium. He even had a practice rally with former Top 10 Nick Kyrgios at Arthur Ashe, all a part of the tennis star’s podcast interview. The reaction of Kyrgios to McConaughey’s game? “You’re good!” The practice session was captured online, leading many Americans to learn that “hey, this McConaughey can actually PLAY.”
But Marc didn’t learn anything. Marc was already in the know.
My sophomore year in high school was a big one. Things started to click. I finally earned a state ranking in Texas. I also helped my A&M Consolidated Tigers reach the state tournament in Austin. More good things would come in the 1990s while playing #1 for Austin College. But 1985 was the year I broke through. And it all started that year in a tournament in Tyler, TX.
The Tyler Rose Festival attracted some of the best players in northeast Texas. It was held at the Tyler Tennis & Swim Club. I got on a roll on a Saturday, winning my first two matches easily. I finished the day by winning a third match, a tough 3-setter in the quarterfinals against another ranked player. I went to bed that night knowing I’d wake up Sunday morning for a semifinal against the tournament’s #1 seed.
I woke up early and grabbed a local Tyler Morning Telegraph newspaper on the way. While checking in for my match, I was excited to read the front page of the sports section. The top of the fold was an article about Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys. The bottom of the fold was about tennis.
“[Alex] Tyra, the No. 1 seed in Boys 16 Singles, advanced to the [semifinals] during the first day action at the annual Rose Festival Open at Tyler Tennis & Swim Club. But instead of talking about his last match, Tyra was ready to take on his next opponent – Marc Parrish of College Station. ‘I think if I keep playing like I have I will do all right.’ Tyra said. ‘It’ll be tough, but I hope to win.’”
That morning, my focus was on the newspaper article (see the comments) and the semifinal match to come. But as it turns out, my focus was misplaced. What I should have been doing that morning was chatting with a guy who was also checking in for his own semifinal match: Matthew McConaughey.
Matthew McConaughey played high school tennis for his Longview Lobos. He and a Lobo teammate had decided to compete in my tournament in Tyler, which lies just 30 miles from his hometown. And like me, McConaughey also had a good run on the doubles side. He and his partner won their first two matches to reach the semifinals.
Were Matthew McConaughey and I competing next to each other on the court that Sunday morning in Tyler? Probably. But it’s an impossible question to answer for sure. What I do know is that making it from Saturday to Sunday was an accomplishment for me. And if McConaughey did the same, it means the guy could PLAY.
The road came to an end for me that Sunday morning. I lost to the #1 seed Alex Tyra. But there’s no shame in that. Tyra was an outstanding player, and someone who I would face again after earning that state ranking in 1985. That Tyler newspaper memory on a Sunday morning remains one of my favorites.
The road came to an end for Matthew that morning too. He and his partner lost to Lance Evans & Otis Sadler, the eventual tournament champions. But there’s no shame in that. Lance Evans was a guy who beat me too. And Otis Sadler was so good, he would later play for the Longhorns; his UT classmate was Matthew McConaughey.
Marc’s love of tennis was put on ice in his 20s after playing for Austin College. But it is now back with a passion in his 50s. Part of the reason is because of this AC Hall of Honor year, something for which I have gratitude. But another part is explained by Matthew McConaughey, who talked about his newfound love in the Nick Kyrgios podcast, after their rally session at the 2024 US Open:
“Tennis. I loved it so much after the first month [of getting back into it], I started to feel guilty. I’m having so much fun! And I’m getting a great workout. But forget all this stuff about ‘yeah you’re getting a great workout.’ You don’t have to excuse the pleasure, dammit! The real reason is because you are having so much fun at it. Damn right I’m going to go play tennis today!”
Because of my reborn love of tennis in my 50s down here in Austin, I’ve joined a few Austin area tennis teams. This Saturday at noon, I’ll be competing on one of those teams at Austin High School. Damn right I am going to play tennis today!
Matthew McConaughey and family are back in my hometown of Austin. His newfound love of tennis means he’ll probably be hitting the courts in and around the Austin area. Damn right Wooderson from Dazed & Confused is going to play tennis today!
Public personalities like McConaughey have to be careful about public appearances of course. So, what I’m about to say is admittedly not very likely. But there’s a non-zero chance that as you are reading this story, I am currently playing tennis on an Austin court right next to Matthew McConaughey. ONCE AGAIN.
