By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
PINEVILLE, La. (LCU) – Louisiana Christian University’s football team had just beaten a NCAA Division I program that awards scholarships when Head Coach Ben McLaughlin assembled his players for what he called a “proud dad moment.”
Looking at them from inside Turpin Stadium, Aug. 27, McLaughlin was overcome with joy thinking about the hard work his players had put in while preparing for the 42-37 win over Northwestern State University, located just 60 miles away from LCU’s Pineville campus.
“The guys that we put in pads the other night were on a knee looking at you, smiling, and you’re just proud because they bought into what you are trying to preach to them,” McLaughlin told the Baptist Message. “These guys literally put their bodies on the line for the program, for the university, for us coaches. When you look at them, it’s just this outpouring of gratitude of ‘Thank you, players. Thank you for believing in the vision.’
“There are a lot of really good coaches out there that have great vision and do everything right, and then they lose,” he continued. “And then the opposite is true for us. We tell them all the time, ‘don’t look at the scoreboard, don’t look at the result. It’s about the process.’ But when the process leads to a great result, it just gives you that overwhelming validation that can’t be expressed in words.”
The victory was just the 13th win by a NAIA football team over a NCAA D1 program all-time.
Since the historic victory, McLaughlin has received more than 350 text messages and phone calls from former teammates and coaches and has been interviewed by such media outlets as the New York Times.
While he acknowledged that the win made him proud as an alum and has sparked interest in the community, McLaughlin emphasized that the team now must refocus on their upcoming game against Langston College for their conference and home opener, Sept. 5, 6 p.m.
“Now it’s our job to get them back refocused,” he said. “I’m glad we played on Thursday because they’ve got a couple extra days to really soak that in and be proud. What they’ve done wasn’t a fluke. They earned what they did the other night and so they deserve that.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, McLaughlin said the program aims to maintain its identity as a “Louisiana team,” noting that 142 of the 161 players on its roster are from within the state.
McLaughlin, who finished his career as the American Southwest Conference’s all-time leader in passing yards (12,055) as well as passing touchdowns (111), said he is proud of the Louisiana Baptist Convention for their continued support of the school.
“I’m appreciative of the support from churches to further the mission of Jesus Christ,” he said. “And my players are proud to be representatives of the school. I hope the community can be proud of the fact that we are recruiting in our own backyard and we’re going to be made of primarily guys that may have gone to church with, went to high school with, or passed in Walmart.
“You may have grown up an LSU fan but you can love LCU too because we are your people,” he continued. “We are from the same spot. This is a great atmosphere that’s quaint with a lot of energy. It’s a great brand of football and we hope to see you at a game this year.”
For tickets, click LCUWildcats.
