2016 Combined

1986. Until this day I still don't know what happened:' What was thought to be a joyous day became a personal devastation. "I saw him lying on the floor in tears;' Pauline said. "He was just devastated:' Then, morning came. "He got up the next day and just kept living for Jesus;' she said. "I knew that day Jesus was real in his life. I didn't know a Jesus who could get you up off the floor. I began to search the scripture and I just knew it was true. That changed my life:' And Ken's too. He eventually did play pro football and was the backup for John Elway when the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl XXII in 1988.

make an impact in young men's lives and help them through the journey:' Pauline agrees. "Some of these guys have never really had a dad and this is their last chance to have one before they step out into life;' she said. Over his coaching career Ken has held positions at North Texas State, the University of Pittsburgh, Liberty (Va.) Uni versity, Fellowship Christian High School in Roswell, Ga., the University of Toledo and Eastern Michigan University, as well as stops in the World Foot ball League, based in Europe. During that journey Pauline gave birth to four children - daughters Kelly and Katie, and sons Austin and Clay. Austin

family and the food and take it to him wherever he was. But to them, that was normal. They were seeing dad. We helped create the allusion that he was always around even when he couldn't be. We both felt that was important:' While parts of the Karchers' life together reads like a fantasy, there have been some lows, in cluding one stretch that was so dark, it almost sucked the life out of Pauline. After six years as head coach of Liberty University, sur rounded in the Christian en vironment they so loved and embraced, Ken was fired with a career record of 21-46 with the Flames. Near the end of his tenure at Liberty something happened to Ken during a church service that shocked him. "I can remember standing in church next to an alumnus and he said 'I don't want to stand next to a loser;" Karcher said. "I really looked around to see who he was talking to. I said 'Are you talking to me? It is physi cally impossible to be a loser in Christ:" When Ken was eventually fired from the NCAA Division I school, the Karchers' life was turned upside down. Ken himself had become a little disillusioned with church and wondered if he would ever darken the doors of another sanctuary. That eventually hap pened for him as God began to heal his deep hurt. The experience had a direct effect on Pauline as well. "It really hurt me deeply;' Pauline said. "I said God is not interested in me. After Liberty I felt like a failure. You just felt valueless. I really wrestled with God:' She fell into a deep depres sion, but Ken stuck by her side as they eventually broke through the darkness into the light. "It's a journey and it didn't A life turned upside down

happen overnight;' Pauline said. "I asked God to show up and He did. I realized my value was in Him:' Landing a job at ECCC It was the fact their children were living in the southern part of the United States that got the Karchers looking for something closer to the I-20 corridor dur ing their final year at Eastern Michigan University. Ken applied for the job at East Central, and eventually got an interview. While Deca tur was different than anything they had experienced before, they knew it was a perfect fit. "Honestly, it was Dr. [Billy] Stewart who won me over;' Ken said. "I believed what he said and could see the vision that he had:' They woke up the morning after the interview, knowing that East Central was where they were supposed to be, even though he had never had any junior college playing or coach ing experience. Helping others Throughout their healing process they have been able to help others. Ken lives out his calling through coaching, while Pauline helps others through the Crisis Pregnancy Center, helping those who need com forting and guidance. "It's been great and gives me great joy;' she said. Their advice to those consid ering marriage is really pretty simple, "put God first and mar ry your best friend:' "Because your friend will be with you forever;' Ken said. "We were made for each other. I knew it from the beginning, I was just waiting for God.to do his part:' That, he did. And 29 years later, through more jobs, and tears, and packing more boxes than most people can imagine, it just keeps getting stronger. "We are excited about every day God has for us;' Pauline said. "We are at peace:' - NM

It was while in Denver that Ken decided coaching was for him. He was attending a semi nary class when some of his classmates pointed him in that direction. "When they first said that I thought back to the experiences I had gone through as a player and said if that was coaching I didn't want to be a part of it;' he said. He agreed to coach quarter backs for a short stint at Idaho State and from there he began to see the difference he could make. "I believe in my soul that coaching is a calling, just like the ministry is a calling;' he said. "I have an opportunity to

is a football coach in Birming ham, Kelly is a cross-country coach in Atlanta and Katie is a personal trainer in Dallas. Clay is a senior at the University of Alabama and works in the foot ball office. Normalcy in the family Despite the hectic lifestyle that comes with being part of a coach's family, the Karchers did everything they could to make things 'normal' for their chil dren "We made it a goal to eat din ner together every night that we could, no matter the situ ation;' Pauline said. "It wasn't always around the dinner table. Sometimes I would load up the

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