Huddle Coach of the Month
Greg Patterson
Sumiton Christian School
Greg Patterson began his coaching career at Sumiton Christian School in 1998 as a volunteer coach. He became full-time in 2007. “I was involved in a family business with my father until God began to convict me to finish my degree and become a full-time coach and teacher,” Patterson says. “God provided me that opportunity in 2007, and I joined the staff at Sumiton
Christian School that summer.”
Patterson serves as the school’s athletic director, head varsity football coach and junior high assistant baseball coach. He also teaches U.S. History II, Sociology, and Psychology. Patterson is in his second year as FCA huddle coach for the school and draws on his experiences as member of FCA while he was a student athlete in high school. He leads his group as they face the challenges of growing their faith in a climate that offers many opportunities for his students to serve others and to worship God. Their huddle is focusing on leadership. “Our FCA huddle is primarily being led by the student athletes, not the coaches,” he says.
Being a huddle leader serves as an accountability factor, Patterson says. “It has provided me with much needed resources and ideas on how to reach my student athletes in matters of faith,” he adds.
Patterson and his wife, Belinda, have three sons—Andrew, 26; Matthew, 21; and Aaron, 13—and one daughter, 12-year-old Autumn. They are members of Gardendale’s First Baptist Church.