By McKenna Morin
Editor-in-Chief
Out with the old and in with the new is a cliche easier said than done. However, Pacific Lutheran University’s new head football coach Brant McAdams quickly and easily jumped in the Lutes huddle.
Coming from coaching at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, Coach McAdams moved into South Hall on PLU’s campus February 26, 2018. His wife and two children joined him in June.
A few months had passed since the tension filled retirement announcement of PLU’s previous coach, but McAdams didn’t shy away from what he knew would be tough. “It’s a challenge I knew I was stepping into. Change is inevitable. I don’t think of it as a start of a new era but just as an opportunity to be genuine and true to myself and my values and my philosophy. Do that on a daily basis and good things will come,” McAdams said.
McAdams looked at the tension surrounding the position as a good thing. He said he likes to talk with alumni when possible to help bring people together. “I tell them ‘you can’t be upset about something you don’t care about so it tells me you care.’ They just want to see a positive product come out of this program. It’s a part of what attracted me was the opportunity,” McAdams said.
In a interview last spring with PLU Athletic Director, Laurie Turner, she said connections throughout the school are important parts of being a coach. “Head coaches are full time. Not just how they influence or impact their particular sport program but how they impact the department,” She said.
McAdams also took time to build connections with each member of the team before getting started. He claims personal interaction is the best way to get to know someone better. “He took all the player’s input. He met with each and every player on the team in the spring. It was nice to see he didn’t come in and make a sweeping decision by himself, he took player input,” said senior football player Adams Mcshane.
Working with a team isn’t new to McAdams. He grew up playing football in high school and at a D3 college. He followed in his dad and uncle’s footsteps, who are all coaches and\ teachers. McAdams coached for many college teams. He even coached for PLU’s rival school UPS for 3 years before coaching at Trinity.
When the opportunity to return to the Northwest presented itself, he couldn’t say no. “It feels familiar up here. We enjoy the area, the people, its down to earth feel,” McAdams
said. To help the PLU community feel familiar with the team through the transition, McAdams kept many of the football team traditions the same, such as players holding hands as the enter and exit the field.
“The expectations have always been high and he hasn’t changed that. If anything he’s raised it. Everything he’s changed has been for the better,” Mcshane said.
New uniforms, morning practices, travel buses, and a strong social media presence are just some of the major upgrades made.
“The biggest difference is for home games we don’t travel in our cars anymore, we take buses. Nothings happened to anyone traveling to Sparks in a long time but how bad would it be if something happened to a guy?” Mcshane said.
The team also received new home uniforms. The helmets were upgraded and redesigned all while keeping PLU’s traditional mascot incorporated.
“It’s a tradition rich football program and athletic department. It excels not just in one sport but in many. I believe intercollegiate athletics brings value to the community. I want to be apart of improving that at PLU,” McAdams stated.
According to Mcshane, McAdams is already making great strides at becoming a part of and improving the PLU community.
“He’s just an incredibly approachable dude. He sits in his office in Olson with the doors open. He’s the first person to say hello. There’s a lot of new things but he’s making it exciting,” Mcshane said.
When asked about McAdams, Trinity head coach and former NFL Seattle Seahawk player, Jerheme Urban said, “He’s very approachable, and will value their support. He is a great family man and will be sure to embrace the entire community as part of his own family.”
Athletic Director Laurie Turner echoed that excitement in an interview last spring claiming, “From my perspective it’s a very exciting time to be involved in athletics at PLU.”
Bringing in new ideas and perspectives are the improvements that McAdams said were
his goals.
“Like most, it is hard to deal with change, but Coach McAdams brought an immense amount of passion and detail to his position…and will do his best to propel PLU Football back to national prominence,” Urban said.
As the PLU football season gets underway, McAdams is hoping to show the PLU community all the great things that come with change.
“I hope to see new faces out at games, and out at all events on campus. We’re all on the same team,” McAdams stated. “It’s not just building a football program the way Brant McAdams wants to build a football program, it’s building a program the way it works best for all the constituents involved.”
