“The story we don’t get to tell other outlets is that there’s only one path to heaven and that’s through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Coach J. David Miller of the SoCal Coyotes doesn’t sound like he’s talking about a football league. But he is.

God First

Coach Miller was approached several years ago to open a developmental football league in the Coachella Valley of California. After praying about it, he and his family made the commitment to move across the country. This was a program like none other: It began as a ministry — the only pro football ministry in the world, Miller says.

Faith is involved in all that the program represents and does. Even the logo has a spiritual meaning: “That shield behind the coyote represents God first, family second and football third,” explained Miller in an interview with The Stream. “We teach the boys that if you do the first two, the third will take care of itself.”

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Being a developmental football team isn’t easy by any means. Everyone’s in development. “Everybody comes here with an asterisk,” said Miller. “Our job is to find that asterisk and remove it.” The asterisk could represent anything from poor grades in college to past performance on the field.

The ‘Conveyor Belt to Manhood’

All potential players are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but they must have one thing in common: “At the end of the day, it all comes down to the choices you make and your desire,” Miller said. “Do you wake up this morning with a desire to change? Do you wake up with a hunger and a thirst to be better?”

If so, Miller says that’s when the players get on a “conveyor belt to manhood.” This is no simple metaphor, because it represents the main focus of the Coyotes. The players want to develop their skills to play in the NFL, he says. 

But we’re also developing them as men so that in the event they never play another down, that they find themselves secure in themselves, secure in the Lord, secure in the Gospel of Christ and secure in the path that Christ has laid out for them and each one of them are different.

‘We Put God First in All That We Do’

But Miller isn’t about hitting the players over the head with the Gospel. “We don’t believe that you can mandate faith or Christianity,” he said. “We do believe you can expose people to it and it’s their opportunity to accept it or turn away.” And players are not required to be Christians to play. But, said Miller, “he’ll operate within that sphere of understanding that this is a faith-based ministry — that we put God first in all that we do.”

Some guys have not heard the Gospel before, but they do during orientation. Coaches and stuff, including former NFL players, witness to them. The athletic director is also a minister and counsels them individually. And the most important verses they teach? “In the beginning, God,” said Miller. “If you can get those four words, you can get the rest of the book.”

There’s one key that unlocks the Bible — obedience. “We all answer to authority,” Miller explained. “And we begin to unlock the promises of the Word of God through acts of obedience and acts of accountability.” He added, “So we start that process the day they get here.”

Coyotes don’t have it easy. The curriculum is rigorous and a strict code of conduct requires them to hold a job and take care of their families. “We’re just putting good boundaries up, really strong boundaries, and surrounding them with great leadership. Then we just stand back and watch them flourish,” said Miller. 

The Mentors

The leaders the Coyotes learn from are NFL greats. They include Assistant Coach Lynn Cain, who played 8 years in the NFL, Lombardi Award winner Brad Budde, who played seven seasons in the NFL, and Mouse Davis, former assistant coach of the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions.

Miller asks all of the mentors to reach out to the players. They need to make themselves available to them. “That’s the most important thing, accessibility.”

The mentors aren’t the only heroes in the league, however. All of the Coyotes volunteer to help kids on and off the field. “Not only do we work with the kids that are in the schools, we volunteer with over 100 organizations throughout the Coachella Valley,” said Miller. That means volunteering for the Boys and Girls Clubs, all of the middle schools, high school camps.

Players go into Juvenile Hall with a program called Real Men Read. Coyotes read to the kids and work with them on their life skills. Sometimes they send the “hard-scrabble” players to juvenile hall to talk so the youth there can “see the importance of the good choices” the players made.

‘We’re All in the Same Boat Now’

The Coyotes’ league isn’t just for those who’ve had a rough life, although Miller understands that. He grew up without what he calls “a male rudder,” and his passion for this work comes from that. His father wasn’t around when he was growing up, but his mother was a strong Christian influence in his life.

But many of the teammates came from good homes, nuclear families with both parents. “But the amazing thing is you put them all together,” said Miller. “I tell them, ‘it doesn’t matter what ship you came in on, we’re all in the same boat now.'”

“We go about our Father’s business to share the love of Jesus with all those that are in our path,” he said. “We can’t go fast enough.” While the players represent different dreams for the future, “when you funnel all of that energy and you nourish it with the Word of God and you nourish it with the Holy Spirit … these men are an unstoppable force.” 

He adds that as servant leaders, they “assume no rights.” “We’re here to serve. It’s the front lines of the Gospel.” He added, “We are all called to witness and football is merely a platform. Every single person on earth has been given a skill, given a gift. Our gift just happens to fall under a tiny little niche called football. And we’re using that platform to the glory of God.”