John Gesek was known for his "nuts and bolts" offensive line play during a decade spent in the NFL with the Raiders, Cowboys, and Redskins. So it should be no surprise that John's still known in retirement for nuts and bolts as the owner of Coppell's Ace Hardware. John is described as "methodically intelligent", and is casually soft-spoken as he walks the aisles helping a customer. If you're wondering, he's the big guy, in an "Ace Hardware" khaki button-down. Size XXL, no doubt. Many pro athletes go the route of lending their name to various business ventures, but may rarely participate in the day-to-day operations. Gesek, on the other hand, prefers to keep hands-on with his business, spending nearly everyday managing what has become a true "family" business in our community. Gesek is a man who has toiled under the likes of Al Davis, Jimmy Johnson, and Jerry Jones, yet has a positive outlook and understanding of each. Along with wife Gina, their three children, her Dad Roger, Mom Angela, Brother Steve, Aunt Loretta, and John's sister Janice, they make "Home Improvement" look easy as they've created their own version of "Tool Time" in Coppell...

YST: Tell us about where you grew up.
"I grew up in the East Bay area of San Francisco. The majority of the time we lived in the small town of Danville, just a sleepy suburb, that has turned into the Santa Monica Valley. Kind of like here, it just keeps growing and growing. "

YST: What were your family experiences growing up?
"My parents split up when I was eight. My father was a trucker so I didn't see him much. I was real close to my grandfather...he filled in for my father. "

YST: Who was the most positive influence in your life?
"My grandfather was a strong influence. He was real rough...an old navy officer. He was one of these guys whose bark is a lot worse than his bite. I find today that some of my fondest memories come from the time we spent together either hunting or fishing or just doing 'things'. That time is real important in a kid's eyes. I really lost a treasured asset in my life when he passed away a couple of months ago, at the age of 86. "

YST: Did he like to hunt when he was older?
"Yes. He always wanted to go hunting down at King Ranch and we recently got that opportunity. It was an experience of a lifetime, which he thought was terrific. "

YST: Can you recall a 'not so fond' childhood memory?
"It would probably be the first year I played football. My mother, against my preferred desire to play baseball or basketball, made me enroll in football. It was a horrible experience. I had never played and I was the worst player on the team. I was too small and didn't have a grasp of what I was doing. "

YST: Where did you and Gina meet? Can you recall your first date?
"Gina and I met in college. She asked me out to a sorority function, and I accepted. We started spending time together and it went from there. "

YST: Tell us about your family.
"My boy, Tanner will be 7 this month. My oldest daughter, Presley is 4 years old, and my youngest daughter, Audra, will be 3 in February. My son takes after his mother...he's very gifted and even plays the piano. My daughter Presley is more like me. She's not as flexible with things and wants things done here way. Our lives revolve around our kids schedules, from soccer and gymnastics to school activities and church commitments."

YST: Describe the perfect day with your family.
"My wife taking the kids! I'm just kidding. Our schedules are so busy but we seem to find a lot of time to spend together in the midst of it all. The best time we can tune in as a family and really have time to enjoy each other together is when we get away on vacation. "

YST: How many years did you play in the NFL in Dallas?
"I spent 10 years in the NFL and 4 years with the Cowboys. "

YST: How did you feel about leaving Dallas to play for the Washington Redskins, at the tail end of your career?
"I didn't want to leave. I had just built a house here, and had a business here. The money was so much better and I looked at what was happening to the Cowboys here. A lot of guys had left and I just didn't feel that the opportunity was there for me. I found that it was and interesting place (Washington) to go play. They have some great fans up there, and overall it was a positive experience until the very end, when I got hurt and had to retire. "

YST: What do you think about the Dallas vs. Washington rivalry after playing for both teams?
"The fans are the rivalry. I think everybody wants it to be the way it was in '91, '92 and '93 when it was just a big heated rivalry. It's just not like that anymore. Yes, everybody wants to beat the Cowboys. The fans really get into it. More so up there than down here."

YST: How was is to play for Norv Turner?
"Norv coached under John Robinson, a real player's coach and 'treat you like a man' kind of guy. And, then he coached under Jimmy Johnson. I saw a lot of both coaches in him; yet Norv's personality isn't to get on a guy and ride him and go to the media with it, like Jimmy."

YST: Recall your most vivid moment of Jimmy Johnson.
"It's probably more of a time frame, from the time I came here until I left Washington. I was able to watch Jimmy evolve the Cowboys from 'revolving door' and losing team into team that was settled with guys that went to the pro bowl and won superbowls. It was interesting how Jimmy changed from being seen as a tyrant to being admired as a football genius. He learned that you can't beat guys up; you can't tear them down for 20 weeks a year. As he became a better pro coach, we became a better team."

YST: Other than problems with the injuries that the Cowboys sustained this year, what are some of the specific problems that you see, whether it be outside influences or coach's influences, that have affected this year's Cowboys team?
"I'm playing armchair coach, with my own personal insight, but I think that a lot of things have happened. When you win that much it's difficult to keep pushing harder. The Cowboys have gotten rid of a lot of negative distractions this year (the car wrecks and the personal problems) that have really hampered the team for the last couple of years. Jerry has done everything you could expect an owner to do. He's trying to find the best talent, but they have a lot of young guys that have not had the opportunity to play. They don't get it in practice. You can only get experience on the game field - seeing things full speed coming at you. Unfortunately, guys get on the field and short circuit, then somebody gets hurt. But, that's just part of the growing process. "

YST: How long have you lived in Coppell?
"Since 1991. Coppell is a young community with a lot of family-oriented community activities, like Kid Country. It's also convenient to the airport and close to the practice facility and shopping malls. Coppell has many of the great things that make a great community."

YST: Why did you choose the hardware business?
"I was an owner of a home building company and the hardware store was presented to me by my wife. Here father was planning to take early retirement, so she thought it would be great if her parents could move closer, help run the business. I'm out of home building now because mananging the hardware store takes up the majority of my time. We've become a family business. Her father, mother, brother, my sister and her aunt all work at the store. My biggest job now is managing family. "

YST: Many pro athletes assign their names to businesses but rarely are involved int he day-to-day operations like you are. How do you like that arrangement?
"I'm here almost everyday, involved in everything from merchandising, hanging signs and helping customers to the business aspects of the company. I do it all, you name it; it's a hands-on job. "

YST: Do you fall back on what you learned while playing pro football?
"Sure...I scream a lot! I figure I got yelled at while I was playing, so I figure that I can scream at them...only kidding. During the four years with Jimmy, I didn't understand why he did some of the things that he did. It's strange now though, I hear myself saying some of the same kinds of things I heard him say. It's almost uncanny the way you begin to see things in completely different perspectives, when put into positions of leadership. I find myself falling back on many of the things I learned from Jimmy and many of my other lifetime coaches. "

YST: What part of the day-to-day aspects of your business do you enjoy the most? What do you do the best?
"I enjoy helping someone find what they need and helping them out of a problem. Although I'm more of an organizational person. I'm very involved in managing the business and the growth. I like to be the one who can give everyone what they need to be the best they can be, and not be the one who has to be doing everything. "

YST: Speaking of being visionary, do you have any expansion plans?
"Yeah, nothing is ever big enough and never quite good enough. I think I drive the employees crazy with it. I'm always looking at what's next. "

YST: What kind of response are you getting from the Coppell community?
"I think people appreciate having us around. They would otherwise have to go to Grapevine, Lewisville or Carrollton to find what they need. And I think people appreciate that part of it. The community has been very good to us. "

YST: How have your youth sports experiences been so far?
"I'm amazed at the involvement and participation not only from the kids, but from the parents and the whole community. I've never seen a soccer program and youth baseball organization that people are so involved in. But it's a virtual community norm to get involved in what your children are doing here."

YST: What sports do your kids play?
"Well, my son has been the only one old enough and he's played three seasons of soccer and a season of baseball. They've had a great little team. My daughter was really the one that we always thought would be a real good little soccer player. She's real aggressive and we had her play this last year for the first time. Once she got the hang of it, she was up and down the field like crazy scoring goals. Game time works perfect for family time."

YST: Do you remember a coach that had a real strong impact on you as a child?
"I had a coach/P.E. teacher in 8th grade -- he had spent some time with the NY Jets as defensive lineman. He was just a really good teacher who got us started with weight lifting and running to get guys to spend time doing things other than just hanging out. Mark Ehrnholt, my freshman coach, was another one. After I went to junior college, he looked me up and helped me get into Cal State. I look back and realize that he was kind of the pinnacle of a turning point in my football career and life. "

YST: What are some of the positive qualities that it takes to make a good youth coach?
"Well, to make a good youth coach, obviously patience has got to be the biggest thing. If you're not patient, the kids get discouraged and so do the parents. It also takes an understanding that they're only a certain age and that they're only going to be able to do certain things. Having realistic expectations is huge. One thing I have to say is the guys that put time in to coach, really have a love for children."

YST: What is the best thing a child can gain from playing sports?
"Sports does so much for kids. You'll always have a common bond with sports friends. Those friendships are pretty special, because you're all working towards a common goal. Kids can take so much out of sports; confidence, ability to find out that you can do things that you have never even thought of before and the special feeling that you get when you are doing something well. It helps to build your memory, motor skills, and confidence."

YST: What advice can you give kids who are thinking about playing youth football?
"As long as parents support kids in playing the sports that the kids want to play, it will be a positive experience. Youth sports players should not get caught up in being the next Troy Aikman, for example. They should play to the best of their ability and have fun doing it. My son would like to play football, but at only 7 years old I want him to wait for a couple more years; just to let him grow up more, emotionally. Tanner has been conditioned to play football his whole life. All around our house there are Superbowl trophies, jerseys, helmets and game balls. This kids has just got football all around him. No wonder he wants to play. At about 3 years old he was sitting on the sidelines of Superbowl XXVIII. I'll never forget..we were playing in the Georgia Dome and John Webber (team chaplain) brings Tanner out of the stands to come see me, and Tanner says, 'Daddy what are we doing here?' I say, 'We're playing football.' He says, 'No, you don't play football here! You play football in Texas. This is Georgia.' Kids should go into it just to have fun. The one thing that I try to instill in my children is: don't let your teammates down. Always play to the best of your ability. "