Thursday April 24, 2008

FCA

FCA

This week on my radio show I had Tony Eubanks and Brad Hughes in the studio for an hour to discuss the FCA program here at Clemson.

I learned a lot about the organization and for those that did not hear the interview I wanted to pass along some of the things I took from the segment.

First, the FCA program at Clemson is the largest in the country. Even though enrollment at Clemson is only about 17,000, Clemson continues to lead the nation in many ways. Weekly meetings in Tillman can bring as many as 2,000 kids out each Thursday night.

However, the thing I was most intrigued about is the “Spiritual 2 A-Days” Eubanks designed and implemented. This incredible program has been an unbelievable success and I was thrilled to learn more about it. In this program, adults become the mentors to Clemson student-athletes and help them in all aspects of their lives.

In order to become a mentor, one has to go through an intensive interview process and must also complete a course in the NCAA compliance area. Brad Hughes is among the best of the mentors and he shares his experience with me often. Brad has two Clemson football players he meets with frequently. For their privacy I will not mention their names but both are younger players who have already had an impact on the program.

Brad says the process starts slow as the student-athlete and the mentor have to build trust in their relationship. He says they hardly ever talk about football. Usually the conversation deals more with the spiritual aspect of their lives but Brad also helps the young men and their development. He says they talk about responsibility and accountability. Brad says they talk about the responsibilities of being a father and a husband one day. He says that we all grow up differently and all have different backgrounds. Brad says positive male role models are missing in some of the young people’s lives and he has enjoyed showing the young men how to handle everyday live. Brad says, “This is not about football because those guys hear about football all of the time. This is more about life.”

I was interested in finding out more about the growth of these relationships and was amused when Brad shared the following story, “My wife and my daughter are Gamecocks. My son and I are Tigers, so we truly have a house divided. My wife would never even go to a Clemson game before but she talks to the guys and they have turned her into a fan. This year she knew the spring game was coming and she planned our weekend around her going to Clemson and getting another chance to see the guys. Her birthday was the other day and both of my guys called her and wished her a happy birthday. It meant the world to her.”

A mentor in the “Spiritual 2 A-Days” has phone contact with his student-athlete or student-athletes at least once a week and has a meal with them once every two weeks.

Brad says, “At first we would end our conversations with a prayer about something on the surface. We may have prayed about a test or a game the following day. But as our relationships grow we continue to dig deeper. Now we pray about much deeper things and much more meaningful aspects of life.”

Clemson has 115 football players including scholarship players and walk-ons and Tony says about 75 currently take part on the program. Everything is voluntary but the newcomers see the success of the ones already participating and they want to get involved.

Tony also shared the story of the projects of the group. “This past spring break we had nine football players go down to New Orleans to help build homes for Hurricane Katrina victims. Scotty Cooper was one of the leaders of the group and he had a ball down there helping.”

Tony also says the former players coming back and giving to the program mean a lot to its success. “Chansi Stuckey, Anthony Waters and Charlie Whitehurst all came by recently and told us how much it meant for them to have FCA in their lives when they were here at Clemson,” Eubanks said.

The subject concluded when I asked about the influence of FCA on the personal lives of each player and their lifestyles. After hearing their testimonies and learning more about the programs, I am convinced more now than ever that FCA is making a huge difference in the lives of these young people.

I can’t help to notice the ticker on ESPN and see troubles of athletes at two ACC schools in the past 72 hours. One was at Florida State and FSU has a big FCA influence as well so there are still slip ups. I am aware that we all make mistakes and we all probably made worse decisions as an 18-year old than we may as adults. Therefore, this is not throwing stones in a glass house. But I think there is a correlation between FCA’s influence at Clemson and the lack of negative news surrounding off of the field incidents.

What we have at Clemson now is a total commitment to the program. Tommy Bowden and his staff are firm believers in the FCA program and while they don’t force it upon the players, they show the players positive male role models and how spirituality shaped their lives.

I am not here to convert non-Christians with this specific blog but even doubters have to see the positives of the program. Young men and women have access to successful spiritual mentors and advisors who help them in their spiritual life. Brad Hughes said it best about the program and its success. “We are dealing with real life issues and we meet them head on. It’s like that exercise bike that sits in the corner of the room. You can use it to hang clothes on or you can get on it and ride it and use it for its real purpose.”

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