JEREMIAH CASTILLE RETURNS TO ALABAMA IN NEW ROLE 20 YEARS LATER

By Wayne Atcheson

At 5-9, 165 pounds Jeremiah Castille was the most valuable player in Coach Paul Bryant’s last football game in the 21-15 victory over Illinois in the 1982 Liberty Bowl.

He took it upon himself to deliver a stirring pre-game locker room speech that a victory for Coach Bryant was a must. “Whatever it takes tonight men, we have got to win this game for Coach Bryant,” many still remember Jeremiah saying in a fiery voice.

Jeremiah did his part by intercepting three passes from his cornerback position and was named the game’s MVP. Everyone went out a winner that cold night in Memphis. It was also Jeremiah’s last game in a Tide uniform. He has gone on to live a life that Coach Bryant would be extremely proud of.

Now 20 years later, he is returning to the campus to serve the Alabama football athletes and those of other sports through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has been assistant football coach and head track coach at Briarwood Christian High School in Birmingham for the past seven years. He started his new position on August 1.

“I told the good people at Briarwood in January that I felt my time was up there and that God was leading me to work with college age youth,” says Jeremiah. “When the opportunity came to work with the athletes at Alabama, my wife Jean and I spent much time in prayer before accepting this tremendous opportunity.

“There are three words that describe this opportunity in my mind. They are the words impact, mentor and discipleship. That is the vision I have in my heart for this ministry opportunity. When I see people who have become successful, there is usually more than one person who has impacted that person’s life.

“I see myself as a person that can impact student/athletes at this point and time in their lives with the gospel. Young people need to see the Christian faith lived out, and the best way they can learn is to see it done in one’s life. I’m willing to be such a person before them on a daily basis.

“As a mentor, I can help guide them in the way the word of God says we need to live. The Bible also tells us to go and make disciples and I’m big in discipleship, which is training young people in Biblical principles. When I was at Alabama, a person discipled me for three years through the Campus Crusade for Christ. Therefore, I realize the importance of student/athletes having someone on a weekly and even daily basis to look to in making right choices and finding solutions to their problems as youth. I also believe that the better a person is, the better athlete he will be.”

After being away 20 years, Jeremiah explains his feelings on returning to the place that brought so much enjoyment and happiness to his life. “If you really appreciate what was done for a person like me here, it is gratifying to return and contribute something back. Personally, Coach Bryant and his staff taught me well. I came here as an 18-year old boy and left as a 22-year old man. I want to help this program and I believe I can.”

Asked what Coach Bryant would think of his returning to the campus in such a capacity, Jeremiah said, “I think he would be tickled by it. I think he would say I knew the Lord had this in mind for you down the road. I think he would support this wholeheartedly.”

Daily duties for Jeremiah will include counseling the Alabama football and basketball players primarily at the start. His time will be spent one-on-one with athletes as a mentor with their social, academic, spiritual, team and individual concerns. He will conduct team chapel services. He will also assist in the weekly FCA meetings with Wayne Atcheson, FCA advisor for the past 17 years. Alabama’s FCA group soon begins its 39^th year and is recognized as the longest running college group in the nation.

The FCA position Jeremiah is taking on is new to Alabama but not to other colleges in the southeast. Former Auburn linebacker Chette Williams (1983-84) begins his fourth year in this role with FCA at Auburn. Wes Yeary has served the athletes through FCA at Mississippi for the past six years. Ken Smith, former chaplain at Florida State and at South Carolina, worked in the same capacity at Mississippi State last year.

Kevin Hynes, brother-in-law to Georgia head coach Mark Richt, serves in this FCA role at Georgia. Other colleges in the southeast also have seen the need for FCA staff persons working with their athletes on a daily basis.

Bill Buckner, FCA Regional Director for the Alabama-Mississippi area, says, “Jeremiah has a compassion for young people. He will guide them to make good choices in these all important college years. It is thrilling to see the excitement for him being the campus FCA Director at Alabama. He will do an outstanding job and we are looking forward to having him on our staff.”

Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mark Gottfried is anxious to have Jeremiah serve his basketball athletes in this new role. “Jeremiah will most certainly make an important impact on the Alabama athletes. I’m excited about Jeremiah himself, because he cares about digging deeper into young people’s lives. I can see positive change in our players spiritually, morally and character wise. All of these things combined will make a huge impact on my basketball players.”

Head Football Coach Dennis Franchione offered delight in Jeremiah’s new role.

“I believe this is a real blessing for our program. Jeremiah is someone who has been in the players shoes, he’s had an NFL career and he has raised a family. He will make a positive influence on our football program.”

After Jeremiah’s career ended in 1982, he was honored on the Crimson Tide All-Century team in 1992. Now in 2002, he returns to the campus to encourage and inspire student/athletes to be better men and women through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Hopefully, many of them will develop into role model citizens like he is.

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