IU Head Football Coach Tom Allen Presents in Maranatha Assembly

Maranatha Baptist University welcomed Tom Allen, Indiana University Head Football Coach, and Maranatha alumnus, to the student assembly on April 20, 2021. 

Dr. Matt Davis opened the assembly and the student body sang “Victory in Jesus,” which was a locker room tradition of the Maranatha Baptist Bible College football team when Allen played. 

Allen challenged the student body from the book of Numbers and the story of the 12 spies. He focused on three points from the life of Caleb: perspective, perseverance, and passion. 

Allen encouraged students to have a faith-based perspective. “Chase after something so big, it’s destined to fail unless God leads,” Allen said. He shared that on January 10 of his freshman year at Maranatha, he surrendered his life to full-time Christian service. 

“I didn’t know what that meant,” Allen admitted. “I just knew I wanted to serve God and that I was called to serve in whatever capacity He would lead me to.” 

“When [serving God is] your purpose in life, it creates passion. When you know why you were created – why God put you on this earth – it gives you passion that you cannot describe.” 

Allen also encouraged the student body to persevere in the hard things. “God has not called us to do easy things,” Allen stated. “God has not called us to a life of safety and security. He’s called us to trust Him.” 

At one point in Allen’s career, he began to suffer from panic attacks. “I was falling into the trap of the 10 [spies] who lived in fear,” Allen shared. “But it’s all God. 100% of the time. I had to learn to trust and learn to surrender.” 

Lastly, Allen challenged the student body to live with passion. 

“You have to be in God’s word and God’s word needs to be in you,” he stated. “Believing that God is bigger created passion in Caleb.” 

Allen closed the assembly by challenging the student body to serve God and fulfill the Great Commission no matter their profession. “I am a soldier of Jesus Christ who happens to be a football coach,” he stated. “The mission is still the same. The Great Commission is for all of us.”

“Live your life with passion because your passion comes from your purpose which creates conviction and allows you to take a stand.” 

To view the presentation, click here