Chris Strykowski
Episode 149
6 DEC 2021
The Director of Football Operations and Special Teams Coordinator for the ten-time state champion Royals at Roncalli High School, a co-ed Catholic high school in Indianapolis. He is in his 22nd year at the school and has had seven kickers go on to play collegiately at notable schools, and, players under his direction hold ten team records. Next month he will be presenting at a Football Coaches Clinic for the seventh time. As a student-athlete himself he had participated in numerous sports, including his college years when he competed at Ball State University in intramural sports.
Notable guest quotes:
“Throughout our grade school years, our high school years, for me personally that Catholic element was really, really important.”
“I really kind of took off as a coach, and, who I am today is really because of a gentleman by the name of Bruce Scifres… And ultimately his overarching goal for everything, the way he sees it is, we have a responsibility as Christians… that our job is to try and bring as many people to Jesus Christ as we possibly can.”
“We’ve been having a pregame Mass every single week, whether we are at home or on the road… Just finding ways to make sure that we get that in and make sure that that is a big part of what we do has become a big part of my job, part of what I believe is really, really important about what we do.”
“We also include a program we call Senior Scripture… We have a different senior each week will give sort of a reflection… We hook them up with some people in our theology department… to kind of help guide them. But the idea is to find a scripture passage, kind of tie it into that week’s game, and try to draw parallels between what the Word of God is with what it is that we’re trying to do each week with these young men.”
“I have just some reminders of the things that I want to make sure that I pray for each time. So, as I’m going out to the field.”
“I always pray for three specific things… I pray for wisdom… The second one is for courage… and, finally, for strength.”
“On the way back into the locker room… I’m thanking God for allowing those things to come through me.”
“At Roncalli… that discussion of Catholic faith, that discussion of our relationship with Jesus Christ, that role that He plays in our lives, it’s always been something that’s been kind of front and center.”
“At the end of each practice, we pray as a group. At the end of each game, we pray as a group. Before each game, we pray as a group.”
“I also serve the parish as a lector and a Eucharistic Minister.”
“We went to Italy and we went to different locations that would’ve been important to (Pope) John XXIII.”
Related link:
Bio on Chris from Roncalli football webpage
