Andrew Whitaker
Episode 67
11 MAY 2020
The Vice President of Operations as well as a founding board member of the National Catholic Coaches Association. He was a student manager for Michigan State’s football team, coached football for two seasons at Alfred State College and one season at the University of St. Thomas. Plus, he coached two seasons of varsity tennis at Lumen Christi, a private Roman Catholic high school in Jackson, Michigan, where he had played five sports when he was a student-athlete. He also volunteered as a soccer coach and English teacher for refugee children in Africa.
Notable guest quotes:
“Both of my parents were Catholic. I am one of four children… We were definitely raised in a household that prayed before every meal, attended church every Sunday… My parents were always very open about their faith.”
“My junior and senior year I had the opportunity to go (to Jamaica) and do some ministry down there and it was a wonderful experience… It’s something that to this day… I still draw from experiences that I had there.”
“That’s just an opportunity to travel and see a little bit more of the world, see a little bit more of God’s creation, but also at the same time give back while doing that, not just selfishly take from those experiences but to actually give something out of those experiences. And often times you get more than you even give when you’re doing something like that.”
“I almost feel like it was one of those innate, blessed, God-given abilities. And so I think when you have something like that, and I think everybody does, sometimes you have to search for it, you don’t know exactly what your special talent may be, but when you figure that out I think it’s very important that you share that with the world because God didn’t just give that to you for no reason. He didn’t just make you who you are and say, ‘Okay, don’t utilize any of the special qualities or the talents that I gave you’.”
“I also think it’s important to give back. So, I had thought a lot about joining the Peace Corps. I thought that might be a good opportunity to travel and to give back to the world a little bit.”
“I will say that there are some times when you do have those struggles or when things really are stressing you out – maybe you’re in the middle of work for the season, you have got practices that you’re going to, you’ve got exams that are coming up – it’s a real time where you’re like, ‘Boy, man am I glad that I have faith, that I am a Catholic and that I can just go for an hour to church and reset and talk to God, refocus on what’s important here.”
“For me it was always just a blessing to have the opportunity to get to do something that I love.”
“I love coaching and if an opportunity – and the correct opportunity – presents itself and I think it’s really what God’s calling me to do, I’ll definitely jump at the chance.”
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