Family, friends and colleagues braved the heat early Friday evening to pay respect to the late Brent McGee, the former Waterloo High School head football coach who led the team to a runner-up finish in the 1993 IHSA Class 3A state championship. 

McGee died near Herrin on July 23 after being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in 2021. 

The celebration of McGee’s life and career was held in the bleacher section of the current Waterloo Junior High School athletic fields – the arena in which McGee coached throughout his career. 

Retired WHS science teacher Randy Halleran was in attendance Friday evening, sharing with the Republic-Times that he would always refer to McGee by his given first name: Noble. 

Halleran said it was emblematic of his former colleague, noting his paying respects to McGee would not be thwarted by temperatures in the upper-90-degree range. 

Tony Frierdich, a quarterback on that legendary 1993 squad, spoke during Friday’s tribute, pointing out Coach McGee’s football toughness. 

“His playbook was ‘three yards and a cloud of dust,” Frierdich said. “Maybe not the most creative strategy, but it worked, it was fun, and it was tough.” 

Frierdich also noted McGee was “ahead of his time” in terms of motivational techniques, which doubled as lessons in discipline. 

“‘Go hard or go home.’ It wasn’t a question, it was the standard. It was the lifestyle,” Frierdich continued, adding McGee’s mantra of “don’t cheer, check gear” also contributed to the team’s no-nonsense attitude which led to McGee’s sustained success. 

Several attendees brought cowbells to the tribute, a reminder of the unique fan tradition established during McGee’s tenure. The cowbells were sounded when Frierdich reminded attendees of McGee’s insistence that WHS supporters should be the only ones making noise during pre-game introductions. 

McGee was not only concerned with football, but also a positive encouragement in the lives of all the students, friends and families within his sphere of influence. 

In addition to the “championship culture,” Frierdich emphasized McGee’s legacy of “lives changed forever.” 

Following the service, those wishing to share memories of McGee were invited to a gathering at Outsider tavern in downtown Waterloo.