The Luv Doc graduated without honors from the University of Texas in 1988, receiving a BA in English, his first and only language. He has received numerous awards and accolades including but not limited to: A blue ribbon for being best on the balance beam in kindergarten at Louverture Elementary in Wichita, Kansas; the "Big Stick" award for the hardest hitting defensive player on the Norman High School football team in 1983; and three consecutive Austin Music Awards for "Best Country Band" in 2014, 2015, and 2016 respectively. He has been employed by The Austin Chronicle since 1987 and has been writing the Luv Doc column for the last twenty years, give or take.