November 11, 2003

Chaplains for rival teams keep opposite sides
only on the field
P. CASEY DALEY / STAFF

Football chaplains Jeff Lovingood, left, of the University of Tennessee and Lance Brown of Vanderbilt University will be on opposite sides of the field on game day but are working for the same GOAL — ministering to young athletes through the highs and lows of college sports. By BRIAN LEWIS Staff Writer They worship together on Sundays. Today, they'll walk opposing sidelines. They're rival chaplains for the Vanderbilt and University of Tennessee football teams. But as rivalries go, the one between Lance Brown and Jeff Lovingood is quite cordial. Ultimately, they feel they're on the same team — at Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville and in shaping young people's lives. ''We'll meet when it's all over with — win, lose or draw — and we'll pray,'' said Lovingood, the UT football chaplain and youth pastor at Long Hollow. And before today's 11:30 a.m. game at The Coliseum, Brown and Lovingood will team up with members of the Long Hollow youth group and Vanderbilt's chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to hand out religious fliers. The fliers include testimonials from Tennessee's Michael Munoz and Jason Witten and Vanderbilt's Jamie Byrum and Trey Holloway. It's a rare chance for the athletes to express their faith, the chaplains said. ''There's a lot of players that faith is the most important thing in their lives,'' said Brown, Vanderbilt's chaplain for eight years. The chaplains, both unpaid volunteers, see a side of the athletes that is often lost in the fervor over wins and losses. They each got involved after players asked them to serve the teams, Brown said.

Both are former football players. Brown played quarterback for Donelson Christian Academy and also ran track at Belmont University. Lovingood played linebacker at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City. Chaplainship has some benefits, such as free gear and a great sideline view. But they say it's not about the perks; it's about the calling. Before games, they hold 20-minute chapel services. They lead Bible study for players and coaches. But most important, they say, they're just there. If a player needs surgery, the chaplains visit. If a young man is struggling in classes or on the field, they listen. During games, the chaplains mostly try to stay out of the way, Brown said, but they will give a word of support when appropriate. The issues the chaplains face persist despite success or failure in the games. ''Honestly, whether you win on the field or lose on the field, you've still got ministry to do,'' Brown said. ''College kids and college coaches are the same either way. You're still going to have issues. You're going to have kids that wish they were playing more and kids that are injured.'' It's a good thing that winning isn't everything — Tennessee has beaten Vanderbilt 19 straight times. It's something Lovingood reminds Brown of from time to time. ''There's definitely some rivalry there,'' said Ashley Smith, who works with youth at the church in Hendersonville. ''They're always nagging each other and making jokes about who's a better chaplain.'' Brown, who is the director of WhoUWith Ministries, an outreach to athletes and coaches (on the Internet at http://www.whouwith.com/), said that the teasing is all in good fun. Still, they're leery about saying who's going to win today's game. ''I'm not a prophet or a son of a prophet so I can't speak to who's going to win,'' Vanderbilt's Brown said. ''I know who I'd like to win.''