Coaching America’s Youngest College Football Team: My Plan

From Trent FiggGuest commentator Sunday, October 20, 2024

This year I’m coaching America’s youngest college football team.

Calvin University is building its football program from the ground up and one of my top priorities as head coach is recruiting young men for our inaugural squad. I traveled around the country meeting athletes and their families. I had the opportunity to share my vision for building a successful soccer team – and more importantly, how to shape them into champions for life.

From the start, I made it clear that winning the championship wasn’t just about football. The time spent playing college football is some of the most formative time in a young man’s life, and I refuse to waste that time focusing solely on the game. I am committed to shaping their character and preparing them to win on the field and in their future roles as husbands, fathers, leaders and men of faith.

Get our latest news for FREE

Subscribe to receive daily/weekly emails with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

As her coach, I have the privilege of accompanying her through the ups and downs that will define her life in the decades to come. I’m not just here to give them the tools they need to succeed – I’m here to teach them how to use those tools, face their challenges, and guide them along the way. This isn’t just a coaching responsibility; it is a calling.

Too often, college football programs focus on stats and championships and measure success solely by wins and losses. But football is temporary and even the most talented players’ careers end far too soon. After graduation, 99% of college athletes will quit sports, and even the 1% who make it to the NFL have an average career span of just three and a half years. What happens after that?

A football program that only prepares young men for the game is failing them. You deserve more – so much more. And that starts when the coaches and other authority figures around them realize what is at stake for their players. That’s why I believe our football program at Calvin is transformative, not transactional. I develop champions for life, young men whose faith and character will endure long after they hang up their boots.

The football field is the largest classroom on campus where my players learn to be great bosses, employees, husbands, fathers, sons and community leaders. We take this responsibility seriously. That’s why we bring in guest speakers, teach financial planning and interview skills, and encourage community engagement. We challenge them to grow in faith, excel in the classroom, lead in the field, and serve others.

We train holistically and I set my players to high standards. No doubt it would be easier to just focus on their performance on the field, but if we as coaches did that we would be missing the point. We have to be conscious when creating for life Master. And we also have to consciously set a good example for them to follow.

Don’t get me wrong, I love winning. I will train my players to win. But her success off the field is most important in every aspect of her life.

My greatest hope is not only to watch this team win games in the years to come, but also to see them grow into men of integrity, faith and purpose. I hope to see them get married, meet their children and become true champions for life – not just on the football field but in everything they do.

Fellow Coaches, Educators, and Mentors: We all need to move forward with this kind of hope – the hope of greater success for the generation coming up behind us. Invest in your players with their future in mind and remember that they are watching you on and off the field. Help them create a vision that will stay with them long after this season is over.