As one of just three coaches in Division I history to guide three different schools to the College World Series—including one national championship—University of Arizona baseball coach Andy Lopez is considered among the game’s all-time elite. But past accomplishments aren’t what drive this veteran coach. Rather, it’s the God-given responsibility he feels to teach values and life lessons to his players.
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Pressure Release

We entered summer league basketball with a young team. Our inexperienced guards struggled to get our offense working, especially against a high-pressure, man-to-man defense, so one day in practice I tried a new strategy. I taught my players several pressure-release, back-door plays that changed our focus and took advantage of the defense. We’d invite the pressure so we could cut and score lay-ups, but my players were skeptical.
Home Stretch: Tobin Heath
I grew up in a very loving, Christian family that showed me from the beginning what true love was. Still, it took me a few years to realize that my faith didn’t revolve around my family, but around God—around who He is, and what He’s done.
Catching the Fever
You would never know it. Not by the welcoming smile or the calming spirit. You wouldn’t have a clue there was a time in Tamika Catchings’ life when she was shy, withdrawn and intimidated by the world around her. That description doesn’t fit the typical girl who would become the face of the WNBA.
But Tamika Catchings has never been one to conform to stereotypes. She was born with a mild hearing loss, which caused her to speak with an impediment and wear hearing aids (which she hates even to this day).
Home Stretch: Jordy Nelson
When it came to matters of faith, I grew up going to church with my family on Sundays, but that’s about as deep as my faith went. I was a member of our high school’s FCA Huddle, and, while I may not have embraced it at the time, FCA did help me begin to see how faith and sports could be intermixed.
Our Identity in Christ

Whenever coaches are asked, “How are you?” we often reply in terms of our team: “We struggled early, but regrouped late in the season.”
Unfortunately, it’s too easy for coaches to become consumed with the team’s performance. If this occurs, our real identity can get lost in the pressure to win. Learning to separate athletic expectations from our true identity in Christ is an ongoing and significant challenge.
The Hustle Contract

My daughter likely receives more scrutiny playing sports than some other children do. As a parent, I tried to motivate her to be more aggressive and to play harder and use many tactics to do so. I tried having heart-to-heart conversations and even tried bribing her with a steak and shrimp dinner. I thought I had tried everything, but then I came up with another great idea. I would put her on a “Hustle Contract.”
The purpose of the Hustle Contract was to set some expectations for her effort. In my heart, I knew God was saying that He had a different, better way to do this. But I didn’t listen. I went ahead with the Hustle Contract anyway.
Following Instructions

In every sport, coaches teach their athletes what they need to do and how they need to do it in order to have success. As believers in Christ, this is what God does for us, as well through His Word, the Bible.
A coach is never happier than when an athlete experiences success by performing in a game what they were taught to do in practice. You've seen how excited the defensive line coaches get in football—jumping up and down, head slapping, chest bumping, high-fiving his athletes the moment after they made a big sack.
Train Right

Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” I have never met an athlete who didn’t want to win. Not one. But wanting to win and doing what is necessary to win are two different things. Even
In The Family
Husband and wife Kyle and Misti Cussen may lead teams at rival universities, but they share the same coaching mission: to reflect Christ's light through the avenue of sports.
My Strength (2 of 3)

In the previous devo "My Stronghold" I spoke about how Abbie overcame her fear of the dog’s (the enemy’s) ankle biting and harsh bark and stopped taking the ‘scenic route’ by deciding one day to charge directly toward the enemy.
Sneaky Enemy

A while ago, I spent a long time recovering from a torn calf muscle. As a cross country and track coach, and as a runner myself, I had been very frustrated and annoyed by this injury. Not being able to run was a huge challenge. I couldn’t show my athletes the steps I wanted them to take. I couldn’t even jog a step without pain shooting through my leg. On top of that I found myself in a bad place mentally.
Home Stretch: Andrew McCutchen
When I look back over my journey of faith, I can see how God worked through the powerful influence of my parents. When I was 8 years old, my dad got his first ministry position and became a youth pastor at Peaceful Believers Church in Fort Meade, Fla. Both he and my mother still live and work there today.
Heart of a Coach: Erica Walsh, Penn State University
Last season, Penn State women’s soccer coach Erica Walsh led the Nittany Lions to the national championship game. Despite coming up just short of winning the title, the longtime coach—who also served as a coach for U.S. Women’s Soccer—is helping her team build upon the experience with increased on-field expectations and a continued focus on developing young women of character beyond the soccer pitch.
Start Today

As I write these devotions, I always try to challenge the readers with the questions at the end. I find myself beginning my final questions with "start today" or "today, how can you start…" In a society that is so goal-oriented, we sure procrastinate a lot. Why do something today that can wait until tomorrow? We say, "It can wait," or "I will have time later to get to it." Is it because we are self-serving, or because we simply aren't willing to do what it takes TODAY to make necessary changes in our lives?
The Danger of Overconfidence

As a player, some of my worst games came on the heels of a good game, a game where I performed either up to or beyond expectations. I guess that’s why, as a coach, I was always wary of the game following a big win. Would the team still keep their edge, or would they approach the next game with a little less urgency? Confidence is good, but overconfidence can make a team vulnerable.
God warns us of becoming overconfident spiritually. Through Christ we have everything we need to live the Christian life, but often we’re the most vulnerable to temptation when we appear at our strongest. That’s when we often let down our guard, relying on our own strength instead of on Christ.
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The Four FCA Ministries - Four C's

This PowerPoint presentation communicates the FCA Vision, Mission and Values and describes the ministries of FCA: Coaches, Campus, Camp, Community.
Truth or Dare

She was ready to leave the locker room when a couple of friends called her over. "Try these," they said, as they offered her some small pills. "They give you energy and help you play better." Would she take the pills or turn them away?
Sound familiar? This is happening in our locker rooms, schools and hang-outs all over our communities. Student-athletes are fighting the social battles to get ahead and fit in. Many give in to the dare of this peer pressure.
Balloon Sitting

This game requires lots of inflated balloons. The object of the game is to see who can break more balloons in a given time by sitting on them. Make the last one a water balloon.
The “Unlimited Minutes" Plan

As a basketball coach, I’ve always put a big emphasis on communication among our team during practice on the court because, without it, players seem lost. It’s frustrating as a coach to watch mistakes occur when all it takes is a little talking to one another to get things corrected. I sometimes stop practice and ask the kids why they can get in trouble for talking in class, or how they can talk for hours on their cell phones, but when it comes to communicating on the court, they just won’t do it.
Fantastic Future

It was the biggest decision of my life: What was I going to be when I grew up? I was a junior in high school, and I felt like I had to decide what college to attend and what my major would be. And to those pressure-packed questions I added the anxiety of getting a high score on my ACTs. I remember thinking, "How can I make such big decisions? There are so many choices! How will I know what to choose?"
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