Sports Spectrum

Jeff Mullen

Dean Hood

Coaching football at the highest level can be an all-consuming business. The days can be long. Time on the road can be plentiful. Stress can be high.

There’s also pressure to win. And that pressure can be all overwhelming. The pressure can come from fans, alumni, the school administration, or in the NFL, from the front office and the media. Even if the team wins, it may not be enough.

With all the issues, it’s no surprise that some of the most important aspects of life can be pushed to the background.

That’s why it is a pleasant surprise to hear about mentorship in coaching.

On the Friday edition of Sports Spectrum Today, we’ll feature an interview with an assistant football coach at West Virginia University, Jeff Mullen. It points out the importance of mentorship.

Jeff is a young coach, though he’s been an assistant at Wake Forest and Ohio University. Jeff was mentored and given biblical advice by Dean Hood. Dean is now the head coach at Eastern Kentucky University.

Much of the advice that Dean shared still impacts Jeff today.

It’s not easy for a coach to mentor another coach. The world tells them that they don’t have time. But that’s not always the case. Christian coaches such as Bobby Bowden, Bill McCartney, Tom Landry, and Tony Dungy have all mentored assistant coaches that have gone on to be head coaches. Mentorship should be an important mission for any Christian in any walk of life.

Frank Giardina