Why This Pastor-Turned-NFL-Coach Stays Ready for God’s Plan
By Movieguide® Contributor
Pastor and former NFL player and coach Frank Reich stays ready for whatever God has next for him, even when he’s not sure what that will be.
“What is next? And is it to go back into coaching? Is it go into full-time ministry? Is it some hybrid of doing something? That I don’t know the answer to that, but I just know I want to be ready,” Reich said on the “Sports Spectrum” podcast.
Reich was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1985 and played in the NFL as a quarterback for 13 years.
From there, he attended the Reformed Theological Seminary. Movieguide® reported:
In between his transition from player to coach, Reich earned a Master of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary, and even served as the president of its Charlotte campus. From there, Reich became a pastor at Ballantyne Presbyterian Church, in Charlotte, before transitioning back into the NFL.
Reich’s leadership is focused on glorifying the name of Jesus, he recognizes that mission comes before anything else.
“The No. 1 goal is to magnify the name of Jesus first and foremost above all things,” Reich said, “whether it was in ministry or in coaching, no matter what I was going to choose to do, that was going to be my mission in life. …I really thought [ministry] might be it, but at the end of the day, I don’t think that was God’s calling on my life.”
After his playing career, he served as an “assistant with the Indianapolis Colts under Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell. After stops with the Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Chargers, he became the offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016, helping the club to a Super Bowl championship in 2017-18. He got his first opportunity to be a head coach with the Colts in 2018 and served in that position until 2022. In 2023, he coached 11 games with the Panthers.”
While he isn’t sure what it looks like to “stay ready” for what’s next, something he has focused on lately is “intimacy” with Christ.
“People said to me, ‘Frank, you know, what are you doing?’ And I said, ‘I’m focusing on intimacy.’ Intimacy is kind of a big word for me in this stage,” Reich said. “Intimacy with Christ, you know, being close to him and intimacy with my wife, you know, of 38 years, you know, working in football is a hundred plus hours a week as a coach. So a lot of pull and strain there. So, just having a chance to spend more time with my wife, with my family, children and grandchildren and take that opportunity.
Career-wise, “I’m probably going to take a year to not rush into anything and almost force myself to take a year and not just [rush] into and say yes to, you know, opportunities,” he continued. “And there have been several things put before me that could be really good opportunities, but I just wanted to take a year and just say, ‘Hey, let’s just reconnect and stay ready.'”
For more inspiring sports stories, check out Sports Spectrum.
Football and faith have always been connected for Reich, though.
“There’s a fellowship that we share, an opportunity we share to live out our faith on our respective teams, be encouraged by one another on different teams, be challenged by each other,” he said previously of the Christian community in the NFL. “With technology the way it is, I just think it’s gotten easier to stay connected like that with guys around the league.”
Throughout his wide-ranging career, he sees how God uses all life experiences for his glory.
“Everything, all the experiences that I’ve had previously, including being a pastor, going to seminary and all of the study in seminary, it’s all a part of who you are,” Reich said. “It comes out in everything you do, from how you communicate in a meeting to how you interact with people. Those things are a vital part of my life that come out in every way.”
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