Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private evangelical research university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The university's seminary, the Graduate School of Theology, holds to a Wesleyan-Arminian doctrinal theology. APU offers more than 100 associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs on campus, online, and at seven regional locations across Southern California.
Daniel Carl Wuerffel is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, where he was a prolific passer under head coach Steve Spurrier. Wuerffel led the NCAA in touchdown passes in 1995 and 1996 and set numerous school and conference records during his career. During his senior year in 1996, he won the Heisman Trophy while leading the Gators to their first national championship. In 2013, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international non-profit Christian sports ministry founded in 1954 and based in Kansas City, Missouri. It has staff offices located throughout the United States and abroad.
Bryan Ezra Tsumoru Clay is an American decathlete who was the 2008 Summer Olympic champion for the decathlon and was also World champion in 2005.
William Guy Mallory was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio from 1969 to 1973, the University of Colorado at Boulder from 1974 to 1978, Northern Illinois University from 1980 to 1983, and Indiana University Bloomington from 1984 to 1996, compiling a career head coaching record of 168–129–4.
Joe Novak is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Northern Illinois University from 1996 to 2007, compiling a record of 63–76.
Donald Earl Davis Jr. is a former American football player and former team chaplain for the New England Patriots.
David Allen Johnson is a former Olympic decathlete from the United States. A native of Montana, he grew up in Missoula and Corvallis, Oregon. He was part of Reebok's "Dan & Dave" advertising campaign, with fellow decathlete Dan O'Brien, leading up to the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, where he won a bronze medal in the decathlon. After retiring from competitive athletics he became a school teacher and administrator, serving as athletic director of Corban University in Salem, Oregon starting in 2009. Johnson accepted a position as Director with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Oregon in June 2012. On November 14, 2012, Johnson resigned from Corban to devote more time to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He now coaches pole vault & hurdles at South Salem High School.
Bill Lynch is a former American football coach. He was most recently the head football coach at DePauw University, a position he held in 2004 and re-assumed in December 2012 until his retirement after the 2019 season. Lynch also served as the head football coach at Butler University (1985–1989), Ball State University (1995–2002), and Indiana University Bloomington (2007–2010). He was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Michael Patrick McCoy is an American former professional football player. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers, the Oakland Raiders, the New York Giants, and the Detroit Lions.
Kevin W. Mannoia is the Pastoral Coach at the Rock Church, San Diego. He is a Professor of Ministry and formerly the University Chaplain at Azusa Pacific University. He was the President of the National Association of Evangelicals from 1999 to 2001. Prior to this, he served as Bishop of the Free Methodist Denomination overseeing the western U.S. and Asia. In addition to his principal role at Azusa Pacific University, he is Founder and Chair of the Wesleyan Holiness Consortium, a contemporary manifestation of the Holiness movement comprising denominations and institutions sharing a common heritage in the Wesleyan and Holiness tradition. He also serves as President of the International Council for Higher Education, an international organization of institutions of higher learning focused upon integrated learning in the Christian tradition.
Ralph Kim Drollinger is an American clergyman and former professional basketball player. He led the "White House Bible Study Group", a study group sponsored by 10 cabinet members which held weekly meetings each Wednesday during the Trump administration.
A sports chaplain provides pastoral care for the sports community, including athletes, coaches, administrators and their families. In 2017, a Global Summit of Sports Chaplaincy ministries defined sports chaplaincy as “ongoing pastoral and spiritual care, by permission, to those of faith or no faith, for the holistic well-being of all involved in the community of sport.” Different sports and cultures may adopt the practice of sports chaplaincy but under different titles, such as sports mMentor, life coach or character coach. Consequently, the practical outworking of sports chaplaincy in wide in scope, but broadly fits into 5 models of delivery and is primarily a relational approach.
Mike Mallory is an American football coach and a former player. He is currently a special teams analyst for the University of Michigan. Previously he was the Special Teams Coordinator for the Denver Broncos NFL football team in 2022. Before that, he most recently worked as assistant special teams coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a linebacker for the University of Michigan from 1982 to 1985. He was the Most Valuable Player for the 1984 Michigan team and was a finalist for the Butkus Award in 1985. Since 1986, he has been a college football coach, including stints as the defensive coordinator for the Rhode Island Rams (1993–1995), Northern Illinois Huskies (1996–1999), Illinois Fighting Illini (2004–2005). He was also the assistant special teams coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2008 to 2012.
Victor Dalmuth Shealy is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the head coach at Houston Christian University. He was previously the defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach at the University of Kansas. From 1995 to 1998, Shealy served as the head football coach at Azusa Pacific University, compiling a record of 27–14–1. In 1998, he coached the team to the NAIA Football National Championship. For his efforts that season, Shealy was named the NAIA Coach of the Year and the American Football Quarterly Schutt National Coach of the Year.
Tommy Marshall Maxwell is a former American football player. After playing college football at Texas A&M, he spent six seasons playing in the National Football League (NFL). In his second season, he helped the Baltimore Colts win Super Bowl V.
The Azusa Pacific Cougars football program was a college football team that represented Azusa Pacific University. From 2012 to 2020, the team was a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference of NCAA Division II. Prior to the 2012 season, the Cougars had been an independent program in the NAIA. The Cougars had 10 head coaches since their first recorded football game in 1965. Azusa Pacific University decided to end its football program in December 2020 due to financial restructuring. The most famous player to play for the Cougars was Christian Okoye.
Curtiss Sweeney Mallory is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach at Indiana State. He has been a college football coach since 1995 and has held defensive coordinator positions at the University of Illinois and the University of Akron. Mallory had most recently been the defensive secondary coach at the University of Wyoming; he played college football for the Michigan Wolverines as a linebacker from 1989 to 1990.
Doug Mallory is an American football coach and former player. He is the defensive backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He has been a football coach since 1988. He was the assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator at Indiana University from 2011 to 2013. He has previously held defensive coordinator positions at Western Kentucky University, Louisiana State University and the University of New Mexico. Mallory also played college football as a defensive back at the University of Michigan from 1984 to 1987.
Jack Easterby is the former executive vice president of football operations for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Prior to joining the Texans in 2019, he served chaplain and character coaching roles. From 2013 to 2018, Easterby filled various leadership roles with the New England Patriots.
