To the Coach and THEN Through the Coach

Meet Coach Davis and the Coach who Influenced him

A coach who models this well is Eric Davis, head football coach at Mankato East High School. Coach Davis’s FCA story starts at Minnesota State University – Mankato, where he played baseball under Coach Dean Bowyer.  Coach Bowyer was an integral part of FCA over his 36 years at Mankato, but Eric never got involved in FCA in college. 

However, FCA still influenced him tremendously through Coach Bowyer. Coach Davis says, “I was always impressed with how Coach Bowyer conducted himself. He was always very upfront about why he was that way.” The players knew he loved Jesus and wanted others to know Him as well. He was a Christian first and coach second, and he modeled that to his players and fellow coaches.

Character Impact

Coach Bowyer saw great potential in his young baseball player, and it was Eric’s character that made the biggest impact: “Here was a guy who wasn’t the #1 player, but you knew he was a leader from the word ‘Go.’ He was elected captain by the other players his senior year. That wasn’t my doing – his teammates voted for him. He led by example.” It has been over 20 years since Eric’s college days and Coach Bowyer has coached thousands of young men, but Coach Bowyer said, “Eric’s one of the top kids I’ve ever coached.”

Coach Bowyer shared one example from Eric’s senior year. As the team prepared to advance to the conference championships, Coach Bowyer knew they had to bring everything they had. There was a freshman on the team who was playing extremely well. Coach Bowyer wanted to start him, but that would mean Eric wouldn’t start in one of the final games of his senior year. He called Eric into his office. “I told him, ‘If we are going to win, we need more offense. I’d like to start this kid if this is okay with you. I need to know if you are 100% behind this.’ Eric said, ‘Whatever is good for the team.’” 

Eric was a true team player, and others naturally followed him. “I have more respect for him than so many others because of who he is.” Coach Bowyer

Supporting Coaches to Lead Well

Today, Coach Davis continues to lead by example as a team player. He daily influences his athletes and the FCA huddle members with the love of Jesus. He can do that because others have ministered to him – first Coach Bowyer and now FCA staff member, Bob Spiegler, who leads a one-on-one discipleship time with Coach. 

Bob is grateful for Coach Davis’s involvement in FCA. He says, “Eric is a huge supporter of FCA, helping with our Junior Sports Camps, our Mankato East student huddles, and FCA Coaches Studies. I am so greatly blessed to have that weekly zoom time together; it makes my day.”

Today, FCA is an important part of Coach Davis’s life. He says, “In my earlier days as a coach, coaching was a way to stay connected to athletics. I was an athlete from the time I was very young and always loved sports. As you get older, you realize if you hinge everything on wins and losses you will be disappointed. You really start learning that it’s the individual relationships and the impact you can have on someone’s life. You can develop a deeper relationship if Christ is a part of that.” 

Coach Davis pours into his players much like Coach Bowyer poured into him. FCA has given him the resources he has needed along the way and the avenue to reach his athletes. Without coaches like Coach Davis, FCA would not be nearly as effective in carrying out its mission to “To lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church.”

To.

And through.

The coach.

Reaching their hearts first so they can reach their teams with God’s love.