Seahawks Coach Mike Holmgren

MIKE HOLMGREN IS ABOUT MORE THAN FOOTBALL (from the current online issue of Breakaway Magazine for Teen Boys) From the shadows of an NFL stadium to the Super Bowl sidelines, Mike Holmgren has come a long way. God has been his guide. by Mike Holmgren as told to Greg Asimakoupoulos From the time I was old enough to pass a football, I dreamed of playing professionally. I grew up in an apartment above my grandparents’ bakery in the shadow of Kezar Stadium, then home of the San Francisco 49ers. My PB&Js were never made on Wonder Bread, and I was very aware of the NFL. I was also aware that God had given me above-average athletic ability. While some of my friends struggled to make the varsity football team at Lincoln High School, it came pretty easy to me. I was the starting quarterback my junior and senior years and received a full scholarship to the University of Southern California. I could hardly contain my excitement the summer before I left for Los Angeles to begin my freshman year. My plans to play pro football were on track. Unfortunately, my walk with the Lord wasn’t. It had almost come to a standstill. Every Sunday I had attended church with my extended family. And during sixth grade I became a follower of Jesus after listening to Billy Graham preach at the Cow Palace auditorium.Graham’s words made sense to me, and I realized I needed to have a personal relationship with Christ. But the success I’d experienced as a high school athlete had taken its toll. I was more Mike-conscious than God-conscious. I soon discovered that the Lord has a way of bringing back those who belong to him. Crushed Shortly after joining the USC Trojans, I suffered an injury in practice that would keep me sidelined for most of my college career. For the first time in life, things weren’t falling into place. My ego was bruised and my hopes dashed. My coaches and the scouts who saw me play, however, were sufficiently impressed with my talent and potential. I was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals by the time I graduated in 1970 with a degree in English and education. My dreams of playing in the NFL would finally be fulfilled. But my days with St. Louis were numbered. I was cut during the preseason. A couple weeks later I was picked up by the New York Jets. I was excited. The Jets were a powerhouse under the quarterbacking genius of “Broadway Joe” Namath. With the start of the season less than a month away, I was confident I had landed a place on the team. Then the unexpected happened. A veteran quarterback from another team became available, and the Jets signed him as a backup to Namath. I was sent packing, blindsided and brokenhearted. To be honest, I was crushed. My only goal in life had been to play professional football, and God had allowed that goal not to be realized. I hadn’t been giving God much attention during those days. Now I was angry at Him. The five-hour flight from New York back home to San Francisco seemed twice as long. I remember my dad picking me up at the airport and attempting to console me. I felt like a total failure. I knew Dad had been extremely proud of me. Now having been drafted and cut twice, I felt like I had let him down. My sense of failure eventually pointed me in God’s direction. In the following months I picked up my Bible for the first time in a long time. Proverbs 3:5-6 stood out like a neon sign: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” I couldn’t understand why my lifelong dream was dashed, but I determined to trust the Lord and recommit my life to Him. New Beginnings A girl whom I had met at junior high summer camp re-entered my life. Kathy had just graduated from a Christian college and was working as a short-term missionary in Africa. Her letters encouraged me in my spiritual growth. Within a year Kathy and I were married. I also landed a job teaching drafting and coaching football and tennis at Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco. Kathy and I had twin daughters, and life was full and good. My thoughts of the NFL had been buried for good. After 10 years at the high school level, I was given a chance to coach at San Francisco State University. Kathy and I had two more daughters. My career consisted of coaching all men, yet at the end of the day I found myself the only male in a house full of women. It was amazing. From San Francisco we moved to Brigham Young University, where I accepted an assistant coaching job. Because of my growing faith, I struggled with the decision of being employed by a Mormon school. But in keeping with Proverbs 3:5-6, I sensed the Lord directing our paths. He made it clear we could let our lights shine and make a difference. We had some impressive seasons at BYU, and the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers sought me out. Bill Walsh asked if I would consider joining his staff as quarterback coach. I couldn’t believe it. After nearly 15 years my dream of an NFL career was back on track. Not as a player, but as a coach. We could see the Lord’s fingerprints all over the place. Striking Gold From 1984 to 1991 I had the privilege of working with Joe Montana and an extremely gifted group of players. Coach Walsh was a brilliant teacher and mentor. Like the original 49er miners, the namesake of San Francisco’s football team, we struck gold big-time. We won two Super Bowl rings during the years I was with the team. The last couple years I was with the 49ers, I had offers from NFL teams to become a head coach. I was really tempted, but as I looked at the needs of my wife and daughters I knew the timing was bad. Moving the twins during high school wouldn’t have been fair to them. The media criticized my decisions. Columnists essentially wrote that I would never again be given the chance to become a head coach. My colleagues said much the same thing. As in other times of confusion, I committed my way to the Lord. God proved my critics wrong. Two years later, the Green Bay Packers invited me to become their head coach. Talk about a dream come true. I was following in the footsteps of the legendary Vince Lombardi. By the time I left the Packers in 1998, we had made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances and in 1997 won the Packers’ first Super Bowl championship since Super Bowl II in 1968. Leaving Green Bay while the momentum was building was hard. Life had become comfortable, and being a winning coach in that small Wisconsin city was the equivalent to being governor of the state. I even had a street named after me. But I was offered an amazing opportunity to try to build a football dynasty in Seattle. I couldn’t refuse. New Challenges The first years in Seattle were anything but easy. I had gone from back-to-back Super Bowls to struggling to get the Seahawks into postseason play. And then my personal world collapsed. Kathy was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was devastated. Everything I’d accomplished professionally had been with her at my side. I couldn’t imagine life without her. The thought of possibly losing my life partner and best friend made my hopes for building a championship team seem insignificant. Once again I turned to the Lord and claimed the promises in the third chapter of Proverbs. Our family pulled together as never before during Kathy’s illness. Thankfully, God answered our prayers. The doctors’ treatments were effective. The cancer disappeared. In the midst of the stress of health issues and challenges with team personnel and injuries, I was tempted to resign my position before the 2005 season. But Kathy encouraged me to hang in there. I’m so glad I did. I never imagined that 2005 would be the storybook season it turned out to be: 12 consecutive victories, the Seahawks’ first playoff victory in 23 years, an NFC Championship and a bid to play in Super Bowl XL. Although the outcome against the Pittsburgh Steelers was not what we had hoped for, I was extremely proud of our team. They had every reason to hold their heads high. Following that Super Bowl, the Seahawks offered me a two-year extension on my contract. It might have seemed like an easy decision. But it wasn’t. I wanted to make sure my family was OK with it. I also needed to check in with my heavenly Father. After all, He’s been the one who has coached me for the past four decades. After much prayer and reflection (and a few days chilling on the hot sands of Maui), I felt God encouraging me to go for it. Even though the defeats and challenges continue in addition to the wins and opportunities, I know I can trust the Lord for what lies ahead. I have learned from personal experience that my heavenly coach is in control. Mike & Kathy Holmgren attend Mercer Island Covenant Church in suburban Seattle where Greg Asimakoupoulos is their pastor.