Eagles’ coach, Southern Baptist pastor share passion for Christ

Feb 9, 2005
ART STRICKLIN
Baptist Press

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JACKSONVILLE (BP)—Before he stepped on the field Sunday afternoon for what was the biggest game of his coaching career, Philadelphia Eagles running backs coach Ted Williams completed all of his pre-game preparations.

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In addition to reviewing the game plan to spring the stable of talented Eagles’ running backs against the New England Patriots defense, he talked to his players about the importance of not making mistakes and running with a purpose. Even so, the two most important things Williams planned before the Super Bowl XXXIX kickoff were to read his favorite psalm from the Bible and to carry a small pocket cross in his pants to remind him of Jesus and the real victory He has already won.

“I read the 23rd Psalm before every game on Sunday because it’s my favorite chapter and the cross in my pocket reminds me of Jesus and His love,” said Williams, a 25-year veteran of the college and professional coaching ranks and one of a core group of Eagles coaches who have a strong spiritual walk with Jesus Christ.

Among the other believers on the Eagles coaching staff are defensive quality control coach Mike Reed, linebackers coach Steve Spagnuolo, secondary coaches Trent Walters and Sean McDermott plus special teams’ leader John Harbaugh, the brother of NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh.

Eagles team chaplain David Hoke spent time Feb. 2 fellowshipping and watching some game film with Harbaugh when he arrived at the Eagles team hotel, renewing the friendship built over many weeks this year.

“John is really a solid coach and solid believer like a lot of good coaches on the Eagles staff now,” the New Jersey Southern Baptist pastor said. “They put in a lot of hours of work and are very committed to their job.”

Williams, who joined the Eagles staff in 1995, has been through three head coaches and has seen the rebirth of the team from a 3-13 laughingstock to three demoralizing NFC championship game losses to this year’s first Super Bowl appearance in more than two decades.

He said Hoke helped him and the entire Eagles team see where the season could be headed in early September.

“His devotional stuck with me the entire year,” Williams said. “In the Bible, you’ll see that nothing ever happened without a journey. God said if you trust Me, I’ll walk with you .... My faith has gotten me here this year, because I always trust in Him.”

Williams is a member of Laurel Hill Bible Church outside Philadelphia where he attends as much as possible during the football season, despite the many long hours he and the other coaches put in each week.

To help the coaches during the week, Hoke helps coordinate a weekly coaches’ Bible study at the Eagles training center, which has provided encouragement to younger coaches like Reed.

“You know when you have guys that share the same goal in mind as you do, it’s always a blessing,” Reed said.

With Williams and Hoke both spending a decade or more with the Eagles, they are able to pass off their spiritual and life experience to others.

For Reed, “Being a younger coach, it’s always helpful to be able to go to older, more mature Christians for help.”

When they took the field Sunday at Alltel Stadium for the NFL title tilt against New England, the Eagles coaches were dressed in matching shirts, pants and hats.

But for a smaller core of Christian coaches, Williams, Reed, and others, they also will be matching inwardly in their faith.

Chaplains keep Eagles on right path

When the Eagles finally reached this year’s Super Bowl after three agonizing championship game defeats, there was plenty of talk about how quarterback Donovan McNabb had finally matured to lead his team to victory.

There were media stories galore about a newly-added starter or greatly improved defense being the reasons for the advancement to football’s ultimate game.

But there was little mentioned in the secular press about the team’s longest-tenured staff member, the person who had seen the Eagles through good times and bad, Southern Baptist pastor David Hoke, who has served as the team chaplain for the Eagles the last 12 years.

“I was there for the 3-13 seasons, so I guess it’s nice to be there for the good years as well,” said Hoke, senior pastor of New Horizons Community Church in Voorhees, N.J., less than 30 minutes from downtown Philadelphia.

“David is a great ambassador for God, a great servant of Jesus Christ, and that’s what we need with this team,” said Eagles running back coach Ted Williams.

Before the Eagles took the field late Sunday afternoon for their match-up with the New England Patriots, Hoke conducted his regular chapel service with the players and coaches at the team hotel.

“I like to help the players focus on what’s really important. They are playing to win to achieve their God-given potential,” said Hoke, who recently served as president of the executive board for the Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania-South Jersey.

Each week of the season, Hoke is responsible for a players’ Bible study and a couples’ study in addition to the regular chapel service held either on Saturday night or Sunday before the game.

He works with another local pastor, Theodore Winsley, to provide spiritual help and guidance for players and coaches during the week with private discussions and public meetings.

“Our church really sees this as an outreach opportunity to the players and the coaches,” Hoke said. “We may have some coaches attend our church, but mainly we want the players to know what is really important in life and who they can share with. My church has been very supportive.”

When he began his work with the team 12 years ago, the team’s spiritual leader and all-pro defensive star Reggie White had just gone from the Eagles to the Green Bay Packers.

“Reggie had really been handling the chapel, but when he left, we had an Eagles coach in our church, Ted Plummer, who encouraged me to get involved and become active in the chapel. Britt Hager, a linebacker back then, was in our church, and helped me get started and it’s grown from there,” Hoke said.

Since then, he’s gone through three different head coaches, an entire roster changeover of players and more losses than wins, all the while maintaining his focus on helping the Philadelphia Eagles find meaning and purpose off the football field.

Hoke came to New Horizons 17 years ago as senior pastor from North Carolina where he grew up as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan largely because of Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw.

But with a growing congregation of rabid Philadelphia Eagle fans, it didn’t take him long to change his loyalties.

After three consecutive NFC title game losses, Hoke said he has had a unique opportunity to share with several players and coaches.

“They had a pretty good attitude, because they all have a personal life outside the team. It allowed me to work on my relationships with the players about what mattered most.”

But as the Eagles geared up for another title game run this year against the Atlanta Falcons, Hoke dealt with a question from several members of his congregation.

“They wanted to know if it was OK to pray to win,” Hoke recounted. “I thought about it for a while and said if I was a player I would pray to win because it would honor Him with my ability and, regardless of the outcome, that’s what I would always seek to do.”

Hoke named more than a dozen Christian players on the team, including Corey Simon, Roderick Hood, whose dad is a Baptist evangelist in Georgia, Ike Reese, David Akers, Hank Fraley and coaches Steve Spagnulolo, Trent Walters and Williams.

After flying into Jacksonville to look after his players on Sunday, and conducting his chapel service at about 1:30 p.m., don’t look for Hoke on the sidelines. “I gave that up years ago,” he said.

Hoke will be in the background, trusting that his spiritual work with the team has been accomplished for the day.

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