In North Texas, where on-field prayer is common, support for coach who won at Supreme Court

Praying or taking a knee isn’t anything new in Texas high school sports. It’s not uncommon to see a player, coach or even an entire team praying before and after the game.

Following a coach’s Supreme Court victory on Monday, Fort Worth-area coaches said they supported Joe Kennedy, the former Washington state high school football coach who lost his job in 2016 after kneeling and praying on the field with students after games.

Brock football coach Billy Mathis said that the world needs more men like Kennedy.

“I love it.” Mathis said. “I’m fired up he stood for what he believes in. Why anyone would be bothered with him praying by himself is absurd to me.”

Kennedy, who went to the Supreme Court in April, said that the school district violated his First Amendment rights by refusing to let him pray at midfield after games. Lawyers in the Bremerton school district didn’t have a problem with Kennedy praying as long as he did it separately from the students.

The Supreme Court banned school-sponsored prayer in public schools in Engel vs. Vitale in 1962, saying that it violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

Saginaw Boswell football coach John Abendschan said that football and faith go hand in hand.

“Kids have faith that all the hard work they are doing are for a greater reward, faith in coaches that they have their best interest at heart and faith in each other that they will hold their end,” he said. “It’s just like life. Having faith that we will be rewarded for following Him when our days here are done. This is a great thing.

“We give our kids a choice to join in or not.”

Praying in Texas

Some Texas football teams will take the field, run to the end zone and take a knee in prayer.

“I did see it,” said Kennedale football coach Richard Barrett of the Kennedy case. “I like it. Never understood why it shouldn’t be allowed.”

After games, teams will take a knee around their coaches, have a pep talk and finish it off with a prayer. You might even see both teams huddle together in prayer after their game.

“We pray before every game as a team,” a Fort Worth-area athlete said in a Facebook post. “Personally, it helps me remember that God is the reason I am here with the talents I have, so since He gave those gifts to me, my gift back to Him is to give Him all the glory. Our team plays for a bigger reason, and it’s for the One Creator.

“Additionally, it creates a sense of peace and confidence for those who aren’t believers. Prayer can change lives.”

Since private schools don’t fall under the rule, praying is a common routine for Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools programs. Before every game, there is a prayer followed by the national anthem.

Fort Worth Southwest Christian girls basketball coach Larry Menendez Jr. said that praying has a positive effect on his team in many ways.

“We pray before and after practice too,” he said. “It gets us started in the right direction with everything. Having that conversation with God with your team is needed. Some student-athletes have rough days at school and that prayer is maybe the one thing that gets their mind right for practice.”

Menendez also said that it’s the right thing to do.

“Love brings people together and our love for the Lord will bring us closer as a team,” he said.

To pray or not to pray

Some teams will do their praying in the locker room.

Some will have a player-led prayer.

“I have always stood beside and bowed my head along with them,” Midlothian Heritage girls soccer coach Gerald Slovacek said. “I think it’s a great way to clear your mind and focus on the blessings each of us have before a match.”

One coach who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal from the district said they don’t pray because they have athletes in the program who aren’t Christian.

“I don’t think they would be bothered by a prayer, but I also think that religion and faith are deeply personal,” the coach said. “It isn’t my place or my program’s place to make part of the team feel obligated to pray or listen to a prayer.”

Another coach who requested anonymity out of concern there might be repercussions from the school said players pray on their own before and after every game.

“I always let my athletes know that I am available to pray with them and for them and ask weekly if anyone has any prayer requests,” the coach said. “As a team we have a saying that we speak as a team just before the game starts, that does end with amen, but I always ask our teams if anyone is uncomfortable with that before we institute it as our last piece of pregame. Our athletes have always seemed to appreciate it.”