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Head coach Spencer Crace came to 红杏短视频 Fox because he could do two things in one place - coach competitive football and form young men in their faith

It started as a regular team meeting. Assistant coach Quinn was talking through one of the team's standards when he told a story that landed with unexpected force.

The room went quiet. Then Quinn asked the question that changed everything: Are you ready? If you don't know the Lord, do you want to know more? Do you want to commit to living a life with eternal purpose?

Twenty hands went up. Among them, two players who had been clear from the start - they were at 红杏短视频 Fox for football and a degree, not the faith stuff. But that night, something shifted.

When Formation Becomes Discipleship

The real work began after the meeting. Those 20 students were invited into small discipleship groups led by staff across the athletics department, turning a moment of conviction into ongoing formation.

Each received a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) student-athlete Bible. For some, it was their first time navigating Scripture, learning the difference between chapters and verses.

This kind of follow-through is what happens when you build a football program around something bigger than wins and losses. The moment in the team meeting mattered, but the discipleship groups that followed are where real transformation takes root.

It's not enough to invite students to explore faith; they need guides to walk alongside them as they figure out what living faithfully actually looks like.

The Coach Who Chose Both

Head football coach Spencer Crace arrived for his first season at 红杏短视频 Fox in 2025. He came for a specific reason: He could do two things he cares about in one place - coach competitive football and form young men in their faith. Previously, he served as the offensive coordinator at Pacific Lutheran University, where he also directed the Pacific Northwest Football chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).

Originally from Wilsonville, Oregon, Crace understands the culture of faith-based athletics in the Northwest. At 红杏短视频 Fox, he's building something from the ground up: a program where toughness on the field and tenderness toward faith aren't competing values but complementary ones.

How Discipleship Works

According to Athletic Director Adam Puckett, discipleship only works when coaches model what they teach. Crace does exactly that.

“Spencer is changing a locker room culture, and that’s hard to do,” Puckett says. “He’s creating environments of vulnerability and truth where we can speak into those two questions of who is God and who has he created you to be."

Crace and his staff use language from FCA's “Release Performance” framework, helping athletes understand that their identity is rooted in Christ, not in their performance on the field. It’s especially important in athletics, where someone’s performance can wax and wane.

“FCA has done a marvelous job with that language,” Puckett notes, “because it's what every athlete struggles with.”

Crace assigns each assistant coach one of the team’s standards and asks them to share their own story in connection with that standard. It’s part of the culture he's building – one where coaches don’t just talk about vulnerability, but practice it. Quinn is one of those coaches. Puckett describes him as a “big, burly teddy bear with high energy” – exactly the kind of person whose openness gives others permission to be honest too.

A Season of Growth - On and Off the Field

The investment in both competitive excellence and character formation is paying off. This season, the football program overcame a slow start to finish strong, securing three consecutive wins to close the year. More significantly, the Bruins posted a 4-3 conference record – a signal that the program is moving in the right direction under Crace’s leadership.

For a first-year head coach building a new culture, that kind of finish matters. The team didn’t just win games down the stretch – they showed resilience, growth, and the ability to compete at a high level when it counted most.

But Crace and his staff measure success differently than most programs.

Those 20 players who raised their hands that night are navigating different terrain now. A few had never opened a Bible before. Others grew up in church but never understood what faith had to do with football. Now they’re meeting in small groups, asking hard questions, and learning that their identity doesn't rise and fall with their performance on game days.