Editor: Shannon Cottongame
March 15, 2023
Fellowship of Retired Coaches is a nonprofit service organization that is growing and thriving into a statewide organization. Any former or retired men and women from the Texas coaching profession are welcome to join founder and director Mitch Reed for brunch Wednesday, March 29, at 10 a.m. at Johnny’s Place in Clifton. Membership and brunch are free.
Fellowship of Retired Coaches is comprised of retired coaches and is committed to serving and supporting current, future and lifetime members of the Texas coaching profession.
When Hurricane Harvey flooded the Houston area in 2017, the home of Bill Smith, the former head coach at Aldine High School, was destroyed. Quickly, both former athletes and coaches showed up to lend a hand. After a few days, only a handful of workers were left to help with the clean-up and moving process. They were all close friends who worked together on Bill’s staff at Aldine and had retired. This was a “light bulb” moment for Reed.
Retiring after 36 years in the coaching profession, the one thing that Reed said he missed during retirement was the fellowship and camaraderie of the coaching profession. He searched for ways to create a network for all coaches to be able to reach out to each other. On May 20, 2020, with the help of family and friends, Fellowship of Retired Coaches became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
FRC supports the future of the coaching profession by offering $1,000 scholarships to students who plan to or are currently taking course requirements to be a coach, an athletic trainer or manager. Students who are currently high school trainers or managers can also apply for a $1,000 scholarship, regardless of their field of study.
Fellowship of Retired Coaches supports active and retired coaches in various of ways. To name a few: they are a network for active coaches to reach retired coaches when needing mentors or assistance when hosting athletic events or clinics; they offer assistance for coaches and their families who are struggling with a hardship or in need; and they host socials for coaches to meet, reconnect and collaborate with each other.
Scholarships, worth $1000, are offered to children or grandchildren of active as well as retired coaches, to assist them in pursuing educational opportunities at accredited colleges, universities or technical institutions.
FRC has awarded $12,000 in scholarships over the last two years, and its goal for 2023 is to award 15 scholarships worth $1,000 each. The 3rd Annual Fellowship of Retired Coaches Scholarship Golf Tournament will be Monday, June 3rd at Cypresswood Golf Club in Spring. Sponsorships and tournament information can be found on the website: Fellowcoaches.com.
Scholarship applications and free membership forms are also available on the website.
“It is our hope that more former and retired coaches will become members of the association as we continue to grow and improve,” Reed said.
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