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John Minor, the Southern Oregon football team chaplain, is like another coach on the field and a friend and confidant away from it In the world of college football, a team chaplain is not usually an integral part of the school's program. For Southern Oregon University's football team, however, chaplain John Minor is. Minor, an ordained minister for 16 years and the pastor at Simple Faith Fellowship in Ashland, has played the role of friend, mentor and motivator of the Raiders since head football coach Jeff Olson asked him to join the team eight years ago. Saturday, as the Raiders took the field against Montana State-Northern, Minor was right there with them ' in the locker room before the game, on the sideline through all 60 minutes of play and shaking hands with the opposing team after the final whistle blew ' often shouting his mantra. — All day, he yells time and again, telling the players to give 110 percent the whole game. Bring it all day. When MSU-Northern threatens to score with 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Minor, continues his trek up and down the sideline like a magnet following the action on the field. They're not going in our house. Hold 'em, he hollers, urging the guys to keep their heads in the game even though the Raiders hold a whopping, 54-0 lead. Come on 'D,' don't let them in there! That's yours ' don't let them in. Minor claps, then runs his hand through his rain-soaked hair. Anyone who hadn't seen the scoreboard would have thought the Lights were about to take the lead. It's your house, Minor yells. They're leaving here with a goose egg. They're leaving here with nothing! The chaplain's right. Southern Oregon blocks MSU-Northern's 22-yard field goal attempt with just over 10 minutes left to preserve the shutout in an impressive romp. All that's left is senior tailback Dusty McGrorty's 6-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring. As McGrorty slips into the end zone, Minor runs, arms high above his head, from the edge of the team box at the 30-yard line to the 5, then back inside the box with the players, howling Wa-hoo! the entire time. The touchdown bounces the score to 61-0 and pushes McGrorty's career rushing yards to 4,560, giving the All-American back sole possession of the SOU and Northwest small-college record. When McGrorty comes off the field, he's the instant focal point of his teammates, the media and the crowd. Minor, however, has a point-after attempt to watch. My thing is, 'Wait a minute, I've got to finish,' Minor says later, explaining his unwavering dedication to the players on the field. We've still got something to get done, and I'm going to stay right with them. Even with 15 seconds left and a 61-point lead, his attention remains on the line of scrimmage. Finish, Minor encourages the Raiders. Character. Get this. In 1995, six months after Minor was diagnosed with cancer, his good friend, Jeff Olson, called. Olson had just been offered the helm of the SOU football program. 'Would you ever consider being the chaplain of the football team?' Minor remembers the coach asking. I immediately said 'yes.' I said I'd been praying about this. At that point, Minor was an Army reservist who had wanted to become a chaplain within the military but couldn't because of his illness. Olson's invitation was a blessing. The honor is so great, Minor says. I'm just so honored to be a part of this football team ' win, lose or draw. It's actually the second thing I did when I got the job here, Olson said, his first order of business being to accept the position. I just knew John had a way with people. He's a resource for kids and parents. The Raider football program hadn't traditionally included a chaplain. In the 23 years Olson has been associated with the team, the role of chaplain had only been filled inasmuch as inviting a minister to pray with the team before and after home games. It's been a heck of a lot more than I expected when I asked him eight years ago, Olson admitted. I think he's really become a part of our coaching staff. Minor agrees. I'm involved with these kids, he says. It's grown from being something that's a locker room prayer. He's watched freshmen come into the program, graduate, get married and start families. Many times, Minor has been the minister presiding over former players' weddings. I believe football is the closest to life of any sport, Minor said, explaining how the hits players give and take build character and mimics the peaks and valleys of life. It's so much bigger than the game of football. Will they take this into their life, into their families? So, for me, it's so much bigger than this moment, this game. The part that's so awesome is being a part of their lives, whatever the need may be. Players, believers and nonbelievers alike, enjoy having Minor on the field with them. Pastor John, he really looks out for everybody, says John Coleman, whose three-year playing stint with the Raiders ended last season. Last year, when Minor found out Coleman's father had lost his job, he offered Coleman access to the church food bank. He's there for a lot of people, says Coleman. He's a really great guy. Admiration of the players is evident whenver Minor attends practice. When he comes to practice, the number of guys who come up to him ' it's incredible, says Olson. While Olson is cognizant that separation of church and state comes into question because SOU is a public institution, Minor's involvement with the football program has only been challenged once, anonymously, six years ago. Even then, the issue lay in the pre- and post-game prayers, not Minor himself. Olson has always made it clear that prayer participation is optional and that the team chaplain's first duty is to be a resource for players. He's got a gift for working with young people and, as the years have gone on, he's provided us with a form of motivation, Olson says. He's just got a knack for picking you up and making you want to be successful. Minor's commitment to the university goes beyond football to the students who attend Simple Faith. The non-denominational Christian church was actually started by 15 Southern Oregon students six years ago. Since then, Simple Faith has been irrevocably linked to young people in Ashland, especially SOU students. Whatever the need may be, the church supports it wholeheartedly, says Minor, emphasizing Simple Faith's dedication to the entire university, not just the football program. Just to see these kids succeed, that's what's important. But, come Sunday morning, his congregation has to remember that Raider football is a priority. After a home game, he can't help but mention the score in a raspy voice. I'm living a dream, says Minor. This team is a dream. It's the neatest ministry.