2015

CLIP FILE SUMJ\tlARY (Number of Articles/Photos Appearing in Each ~ewspaper) Above, Coach Ken Karcher with Coach

"I can remember standing in church Ben Cooper; at right, the Karcher tam– next to an alumnus and he said 'I don't Uy withTony Dungy: from left are Ken, want to stand next to a loser,"' Karcber · Clay, Tony Dungy, Pauline and Austin. _____ said "I really looked around to see who Not pictured are daughters Kelly and he was talking to. I said 'Are you talking Katie Karcher. to me? It is physically impossible to be a loser in Christ.'"

He faced a similar situation duringone of his first meetings with his fellow MACJC coaches after taking the head job atECCC. "I was standingnext to a coach and he said 'You will never win at East Central,'" Karcher said. "I looked at him and said 'we are already winning."' Following after Christ was not on the front burner for Karcher when be was at Notre Dame, but that's where he experi– enced a spiritual change in his life. "Like everything, it has been a jour– ney," Karcher said "Sports was my God. I could have played baseball, basketball or football. I was just giftedwhen it crune to sports. It was all about me and my abil– ity. While I was at Notre Dame God used my younger brother to bringme into a re– lationship with Christ, and that started me on a path to change. "It wasn't about my ability any more," be said. "I began to understand that foot– ball was much bigger than a game." He later transferred to Tulane and then went on to play professional football for awhile, including stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. While in Denver he attended seminary classes. That was where, of all places, be

began to make the decision to become a coach. "I was sitting in class one day and a couple of buddies ofmine said 'Why don't you get into coaching?' I thought about it and realized I could coach football and still have a major impact in a young man's life," Karcher said. "That's what it'-s really about for me." Onecoach Karcher had a lot of respect for was Tony Dungy, who he met while playing for Kansas City. "We believe in the same things," Karcher said of Dungy, who recently vis– ited East Central to help raise funds for the program. "All football ever is and ever will be is a tool. All the awards and all the trophies are going to be gone one day." Karcher said what he looks for in stu– dent athletes are young people interest– ing in working hard, improving on their abilities and giving it their all to improve both on the field and as people. "I have never cussed a kid in 26 years as a coach,'' he said "I think we are teachers. You don't have teachers yelling and cussing in class. There are a few times I will raise my voice - if you don't give effort, if you don't prepare, and if you

. disrespect a coach " vVmston County Journa

student athletes a chance to be success– ful. "You have to have the ability to give someone the grace to fail," he said. 'There is pressure onyou when you are afraid to fail." But, he knows how the football game works. "I understandwho I am," he said "I un– derstand I might get fired if we don't win enough, but I'm still going to coach and run the p:ogr~ the way I feel is right. And that 1s to unpact as many lives as I can in a positive way."

"As a coach u e.verythin · g1s pe orm- ance-based, you will only see them (ath– letes) for their value to your program "he said. "I see themas more than that.,,' But Karcher is quick to say how you -- play on the field can indeed determine howmuch playing time you see. .. "There are consequences for a bad per– formance," he said "Having conse– quences is important. If you aren't plaYingwell, youmay be standingnext to me (on the sidelines)." He has a unique perspective on giving rr ,

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