HOUSTON — Football and fashion may seem like an odd couple, but Loreal Sarkisian is making it work.
She is the wife of University of Texas head football coach Steve Sarkisian and is getting a lot of attention for her sideline style.
Fans often know her as the "First lady of Texas Longhorns football" and follow her Instagram account for her game-day looks.
“We came here to re-establish Texas and the get the city, and keep it fired up!” she said.
She suits up in support of her husband and the team, but she isn't just a wife.
“I totally get it. I totally understand his lifestyle, the schedule, the intensity of him being in the office all the time… recruiting on the road,” she said.
Sarkisian is a former collegiate and professional track star herself. She’s also influenced by her mother, who also ran track. Sarkisian also worked as a coach, as well.
“It's not just get you down and around the track. It's come in my office and let's talk if you need to. What's going on in your life? Just being able to wear a mom, sister, friend hat to get you along your life journey. That was important to me,” she said.
But when she met Steve Sarkisian a few years ago, she turned her attention to another long-time passion.
“Two coaches cannot be successful in a relationship,” she said. “At least how we were operating.”
Sarkisian started her styling business. Now, she is coaching clients into looks that serve a purpose and help them feel good about themselves.
The spotlight still shines on her and the clothes she wears to the games.
“There is no process. It is… I've always been like, get dressed the day of,” she said.
Still, Longhorn fans, have their opinions.
“They kind of get on me a little bit because I don't always have on burnt orange. We'll get to that because burnt orange is hard and it looks different on everybody,” she said.
Sarkisian is also working on creating her own fashion brand and still finds time to support local charities and raise money for different causes, including scholarship money for future UT students.
Whether it's sports, fashion, or philanthropy, she aims to always be helping people.