Doubly determined
The children of immigrants, Morales twins are building careers in Houston area as coaches
When Alfredo Morales walked into Mercado Juarez at the age of 14, he was just looking for an opportunity to work.
He didn’t care what job he had at the restaurant. He just wanted to start making money to live in the United States.
He had left everything back home in Durango, Mexico, and was looking for a better life with hopes of living the American dream.
“It kind of magnifies the sacrifices that our parents made for us,” Alfredo Morales Jr. said about what National Hispanic Heritage Month means to him. “Our parents came here with nothing at all and sacrificed a lot for us. They just worked hard every single day, no matter what. They didn’t complain at all because they had responsibilities. We wouldn’t be where we are today without their sacrifices.”
For the Morales family, the month is a time to reflect on the struggles of coming to America.
Morales stayed with relatives and people from Durango who lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for three years before going back for his girlfriend, Belen.
He started as a bus boy and worked his way up to cook, where he remained for 30 years while the family moved to Arlington.
On Aug. 9, 1993, the couple had twins. Alfredo was born, and then three minutes later his brother Tony entered the world.
Growing with football
Alfredo and Tony grew up in a household where their parents spoke Spanish and hardly any English.
The twins took classes through grade school to improve their English.
“You know when we were doing our homework at night, our parents couldn’t help us,” Tony said. “They couldn’t read English and didn’t know what we were doing. It was tough for sure at times, but my brother was right there next to me, and we helped each other out and got help at school.”
Growing up, the twins fell in love with the 100 yards of grass between the end zones.
“The football field is where we learned about different types of cultures and learned how to speak English,” Tony said. “We were both next to each other on the offense line and had each other’s backs. We were able to be ourselves on the football field, and our teammates were there for us, too. It really helped us out.”
Together in college
The twins were gifted in the classroom and on the football field. Colleges ended up offering them full scholarships to play at the Division I level.
Tony was an All-American four-star recruit while Alfredo was a threestar recruit at Arlington Sam Houston High School.
Their parents weren’t involved with their recruitment but requested that the twins stay close to home.
Tony recalls one recruiter asking about his accent in Spanish. It was a question that caught Tony off guard but one that really got him thinking about what school was best for them.
“We just fell in love with Texas Tech, and it wasn’t too far from home, and we enjoyed the people in Lubbock,” Tony said. “The coaches were great, and we loved our time there. Just a lot of adversity for me personally.”
Alfredo was able to start 38 games on the offensive line at Texas Tech, but Tony suffered injury after injury.
“You know I wasn’t hurt as much as my brother, but I was there for him through it all,” Alfredo said. “We have always been close together our whole lives, and I knew one day that we could play together in college just like we thought we were going to do.”
Tony was injured in his first four years with the Red Raiders. He suffered injures during fall camp from 2011 to the 2014 season. He tore the labrum in his right shoulder, then dislocated the patella tendon in his left knee before tearing the labrum in his left shoulder and tearing the ACL in his right knee.
He thought about what his parents went through raising them and the obstacles they had to overcome being in America.
The twins got their wish of playing together during Alfredo’s senior season and Tony’s redshirt senior season.
Their parents would also become American citizens at the time as well.
“I did four years of rehab because I wanted to play football with my brother,” Tony said. “He would never let me get up, and when we finally got to play together, I can remember telling him that we both made it and we’re finally playing together. It was great to final play college football together. I just knew that it was God’s plan for me.”
Life after sport
Growing up, the twins had plans on playing in the NFL, but it didn’t happen.
“Once football was done with, we were like, ‘What are we going to do?’ ” Alfredo said. “The game of football ended just like our coaches told us. Now, we had to find a way to live with the degrees we had. So, we both got into coaching.”
Tony received two more years of eligibility from the NCAA after playing the one season with his brother.
Alfredo started his coaching career at Lubbock Estacado, coaching tight ends while his brother finished his final two years at Texas Tech. Alfredo was a volunteer at first, then was hired full time during his second season in 2017. He then coached at West Mesquite for two years before coming to the Houston area to coach at Barbers Hill for two seasons. He’s currently in his second season as an offensive line coach at Westfield.
Tony, who has coached only offensive linemen, started his career at Fort Worth Diamond Hill in 2018. He then went to North Crowley in 2020 for one season and now is in his second season at Kingwood Park.
Alfredo’s wife, Sabrina, and Tony’s wife, Valerie, always wanted to be close to their families in the Lake Houston area, so coming home was the plan.
“Coaching and teaching takes a lot of time and commitment, so I thought that I can move to Houston where my wife can be happy and we can raise our kids,” Alfredo said. “Houston has been great.”
Both want to be head coaches and are part of the Hispanic Texas High School Football Coaches Association. The twins know their time will come to be head coaches, but they are focused on their respective programs now.
Spring ISD athletic director Armanda Jacinto is the president of the HTHSFCA and believes the association will help expand head-coaching options for Hispanic coaches.
“Our board members feel the association since its inception has impacted the coaching fraternity and has paved the way for our members to acquire leadership positions across the state,” Jacinto said. “We want to continue to impact and influence the coaching fraternity for our brethren.”
Alfredo and Sabrina on April 24 had a baby boy named Jordan while Tony has two girls in 4-year-old Via and 1-year-old Viviana. After long days in the classroom and practice, the twins turn in footballs for diapers and bottles.
The 29-year-olds are looking forward to telling their children stories of what their grandparents and parents did for them in America.
“It’s kind of crazy how things worked out with us being coaches and teachers,” Tony said. “We live in the same area, too. I guess I’m always going to be around my brother. I go to his games when I’m free, and he comes to my games. We always help each other out on and off the football field. He’s great, and we will never forget what our parents have done for us. We’re having success in life because of them, and we’re both thankful.”