The Place They Call Home

Becoming Carroll's Head Football Coach Was More Than a Career Bump for Lee Munn

by

People

When Riley Dodge left Carroll to join the SMU coaching staff, it created an unexpected opening at the helm of one of Texas high school football's best-known programs.

But inside the Carroll athletic facilities, there wasn't much mystery about who players and coaches wanted to take over. They wanted Lee Munn.

After eight years as the Dragon’s defensive coordinator and associate head coach, Munn had earned the trust of the people alongside him. To understand why, it helps to know the person beyond the football field.

Away from football, Munn is a loving husband to Bridgett and a doting father of three. While the camera was being set up at the Southlake Style office for their photo shoot, Munn was on the floor playing football with his two young daughters and one son, lining them up like little offensive linemen, and tossing the ball back and forth. His biggest smiles were when Bridgett and the kids were in the frame with him. It was an unfiltered glimpse of Lee Munn, the dad — completely at ease and clearly having fun with the people he loves most.

Ask him about football, though, and another side quickly comes into focus. 

Under Munn's direction, Carroll has consistently fielded one of the state's better defenses, which was at a peak last season as the Dragons allowed just 12.5 points per game. At this year's Carroll preseason parent meeting — his first as head coach — Munn offered a glimpse into the standards he expects from his program.

“Early is on time,” he said. “On time is late. And being late is unacceptable.”

It's a simple philosophy, but it illustrates the precision Munn brings to football. The same attention to detail that helped make his defenses so effective now shapes the way he runs the entire program. 

Todd Dodge saw it at Austin Westlake. So did Riley, who made sure Munn made the move to Carroll with him.

“I wanted a defensive coordinator that was a great teacher of the game that was also a detailed guy,” Riley Dodge says. “I’m a firm believer you have to know the lay of the land to be the head coach at Carroll. He was with me for eight years and understands what makes this place so special.”

That combination helps explain the outpouring of support that followed Munn's hiring.

Todd Dodge, who worked with Munn at Westlake, called the hire “a no-brainer.”

Quinn Ewers, the former Dragon quarterback, posted two words on X before the school board vote: “Lee Munn.”

Former Carroll linebacker Eric Garza, now at Texas, posted, “Only one right answer! Lee Munn.” Former offensive lineman Drew Cunningham added, “#HireMunn.”

For Munn, the players' support meant the most.

“The response has been great. Nothing but positive feedback from everybody,” he said after being named head coach. “The kids in the program really went to bat for me through social media and [with] their presence at the board meeting.”

“They have my back, and that's really all that matters to me.”

Small-town beginnings

Southlake is a long way from Omaha, where both Lee and Bridgett grew up.

That's Omaha, Texas, a tiny East Texas town with a population of about 938 — closer to Broken Bow, Oklahoma, than Dallas. It's the kind of place where a third-grade teacher can eventually become your mother-in-law.

Lee and Bridgett’s families were friends. Bridgett's mother taught Lee in third grade. Eventually, the two became high school sweethearts. It's about as small-town Texas — and Friday Night Lights — as it gets.

Munn played football and earned a degree in Exercise and Sport Science at Mary-Hardin Baylor, returning as a graduate assistant while earning his master's. He then coached at Marble Falls and Austin Westlake, working under Todd Dodge as a position coach. 

“It's not like we were looking to leave [Austin] Westlake,” Bridgett says. “Sometimes these opportunities present themselves when you aren't expecting it.”

That became an eight-year run at Carroll, where Munn helped build one of the state's most successful defenses. During Riley’s tenure, with Munn as his assistant, Carroll went 108-10.

In January 2021, Munn got his first taste of being a head coach when Riley tested positive for COVID-19 and was unable to coach Carroll's state semifinal against Duncanville. Munn stepped in as interim head coach while continuing to call the defense, leading the Dragons to a 34-27 victory and a spot in the state championship game.

Home Field Advantage

An extended stay at Carroll also gave Munn roots that went well beyond Dragon Stadium. Bridgett now teaches first grade at Carroll Elementary, two of their three children attend Carroll ISD schools, and their youngest isn’t far behind.

“Our house is in Keller, but we live in Southlake,” Munn says. “The only thing non-Southlake about us is the zip code.”

And for the Munns, home life isn't all football and school, either.

Lee is an accomplished cook who often makes homemade country-style meals for the family and is known for baking bread from scratch. For someone whose professional life is built around schedules, preparation, and early mornings, there is something fitting about his unwinding in the kitchen, making a meal for the people waiting for him at home.

When they're not at home, the family might head to Bear Creek Park or Bicentennial Park, or spend an afternoon with the kids running around at Urban Air or Ninja Kidz. The Munn children have energy to burn, Bridgett said, so playtime usually involves running. 

Those ordinary routines are part of what made the opportunity at Carroll so meaningful. Munn wasn't simply stepping into the job he had worked toward for years. He was doing it in the community where his children are growing up, where his wife works, and where the family has built its everyday life.

“Our kids would have been pretty upset if he didn't get the head coaching job,” Bridgett says with a laugh.

The family man and the football coach

Munn's players see the same attention to detail and high standards that defined his time as defensive coordinator, along with a coach who builds relationships, and keeps the team connected.

Senior left tackle Luke Wilson, a third-year varsity starter, says Munn's impact can be found in the details — and in the way he brings energy to the people around him.

“He’s been phenomenal, and I'm not just saying that because he's the head coach,” Wilson says. “The way he goes about the everyday small details brings a new light into our program. He finds a way to incorporate fun into many different situations, and raises the morale of the team exponentially.”

“The team seems to love him and knows he was the perfect hire for the job.”