Cover Story
Before the University of Alabama football team takes the field each Saturday, players first hear a message of inspiration and encouragement from team chaplain Jeremiah Castille. Castille’s twenty two year ministry to athletes through the Alabama chaplaincy program is just one way he and his wife Jean pour into the lives of young men and women throughout the state. Their Castille Foundation, as well as their work as associate church pastors, evidence their decades-long commitment to sharing Christ through sports, counseling, one-on-one mentorship, and parenting (and now grandparenting) advice. “Our goal is to invest in, influence, impact, and inspire the next generation with hands-on ministry,” Jeremiah Castille said.
Crimson Tide Connection. A player for legendary Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, Castille’s love for the Crimson Tide runs deep. He played as a cornerback for the team from 1979-1982 and played in Bryant’s last game as coach in the 1982 Liberty Bowl. Castille intercepted three passes in that 21-15 win and was selected as the game’s MVP. He went on to play six seasons in the NFL (including in Super Bowl XXIII) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos. Castille said Bryant has been an enduring influence on his entire life, career, and ministry, and that he thinks of his former coach every single day. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about my dad or Coach Bryant. I can hear their voices speaking to me, and I’ve heard Coach Bryant’s voice thousands of times,” he said, adding that the influence of his father and Bryant propelled his ministry as a mentor. “Mentoring is so important. It’s the key,” he said. “I can name four or five men who were in my life early. My dad, Coach Bryant, and I could go down the list. This is part of what’s wrong in our culture today. Men identify with a lot of teachers through technology, but you need four or five men who help father them. It’s a hands-on, personal relationship that takes time and commitment,” Castille said, adding, “My life was informed by those men in my life.”
Jeremiah and Jean met in high school and continued their relationship when Jeremiah played at Alabama. “We started dating when I was in ninth grade and he was a senior and kept in touch even though we didn’t date when he went off to UA,” Jean recalled. “But then he wrote me letters and we saw each other on breaks. I was a freshman at Jacksonville State when he was a senior and one night we were out and he said, ‘Hey, you wanna get married?’ We got married that next Saturday.” She called it the “shortest engagement in history,” and with Castille drafted into the NFL in 1983 they quickly began their married and football life together. Life in professional sports isn’t always easy, but Jean said that her husband’s commitment as a Christian made the schedule, uncertainty, and notoriety easier. “When we got married, Jeremiah was in a place as a young man to lead a family. There are not enough young men who are committed to their walk with the Lord,” she said. “They think they’re ready to be married and once you sit down and talk with them, it’s obvious they need more mentoring to step into that role.” The Castilles started their family a few years later and are the parents of Leah, Tim, Simeon, Rachel, Danielle, and Caleb. All their children currently live in the Birmingham area, except for Caleb who is an actor in California. They also have 10 grandchildren. The family connection to Alabama athletics continued when all three of their sons played for the Crimson Tide. Tim and Simeon both played at Alabama and then in the NFL. Caleb walked on at Alabama, and as an actor portrayed Alabama football player Tony Nathan in the movie Woodlawn.
Castille began working as the University of Alabama chaplain in 2001, and that work continues today with chapel services before each game and Bible studies year-round. He also works with Scotty Hollins, who serves as the head basketball chaplain in Tuscaloosa. “I do a message before every game,” Castille said. “With everything we do with the football program, we show how important faith is and how important character is alongside it.” Today, he believes that faith is the foundation for the success seen in the Alabama athletic program. According to Castille, spiritual leadership on campus has created an environment where young people can thrive in all areas of their lives. “I believe that the University has been blessed by spiritual leadership that understands the principles for success,” he said. “I don’t believe it’s up-in-your-face, but it’s exemplary and it’s walked out.” Castille said that young people are looking for authentic spiritual leaders and coaches that they can trust. “That’s what’s attractive to the next generation, even more than we think,” he explained. “Young people are looking up at you to see if you do what you say.” On campus in Tuscaloosa, Castille said that student athletes are getting those sorts of role models.
Ministry to Athletes, Couples, and Families. Through their ministry work- particularly, the Jeremiah Castille Foundation- the couple reaches out on the football field, but also in the church and in homes. Jeremiah can be found at football camps in the summer for middle and high schoolers in Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina and speaking to groups about a life built upon Christ. The Foundation was started in 1991 and is based in Birmingham; it’s rooted in Isaiah 61:1-4. Its vision to “invest, influence, impact, and inspire” is at the heart of all its efforts to build and restore families. “God gave me a vision for family and marriage, and I now help young men and couples as they prepare,” he said. “I tell young men that they need a vision before they get married. They need a vision for their family before. If you don’t have the vision, you won’t have the power to get through the tough times.” Jean added that one of their greatest blessings is to see the success of couples they counseled and mentored over the years. “We can point to couples in Birmingham who grew up under Jeremiah’s mentorship and we still have that connection with them,” she said. “It’s a blessing to look back over the years and see how they remain committed to the Lord.” Those connections prove the value of reaching out, inviting people into their homes, and mentoring men and couples on a personal level. “You realize that those are the people you are supposed to minister to,” she said. “God has blessed us and gifted us. We love God, love people, and we believe in investing in people.”
As an extension of their mentorships and encouragement of married couples and families, the Castilles host a podcast titled “Stille Standing.” In it, they talk about relationships and parenting and build on their own 40 years together and the things they did raising their now-adult children. While the podcast title is a play on their last name, it’s more of a tribute to their reliance on God’s promises for their lives and family. “We rely on the Scriptures that tell us to stand on His promises and stand on our faith,” Jean said. “We’re still here and standing.”
A Vision for Parents and Grandparents. The Castilles have a tight-knit family that has grown to include grandchildren. They believe that as Christian parents get older and evolve into grandparents, their roles should become stronger. “Many older people mistakenly believe they aren’t important anymore, but that’s just not true,” Jean said. “We have more impact as we get older.” As Poppa and Honey to their ten grandchildren, the Castilles believe they have a responsibility to pass along their faith through prayer and Bible study. And to be active whenever possible- whether on the sidelines during sports events or helping in their homes when asked. “We make it a commitment to connect on a weekly basis with our older grandchildren. We talk with them, come to their games, do Bible study with them, and I babysit whenever I can,” Jean said. And they stay active and fit- committed to being able to participate with the young children as much as possible. “When I’m 80, they may leave me in the dust. But, not now,” she laughed. A new partnership with the Legacy Coalition (an organization designed to encourage Christian grandparents) has cemented their desire to reach out to grandparents and let them know how important they are. They look forward to working with the organization to speak directly to grandparents. “We have the job of sharing our legacy of faith with our children and grandchildren,” Jeremiah said. “My mother had a great testimony of recovering from alcoholism, and I tell her story. Hearing their great-grandmother’s story is important.”
As Jeremiah Castille looks to the future and the ways he wants to continue ministering to his own family and other young people, he often harkens back to the words of his legendary college football coach. “I learned so many lessons from Bear,” he said. “And his words remind me of the four things [invest, influence, impact, and inspire] we need to do for the next generation.” Upon the celebration of what would have been Bryant’s 100th birthday back in 2013, Castille was asked to write and share what he learned from his coach. “He invested in me, and that led to influence. He impacted and changed me. From that came inspiration–not just motivated, but inspiration because of his hands-on coaching and relationship with me. That truly became my philosophy in how I lived life and how I was going to raise my children. So much of it came from my time with Coach Bryant.”
-Cheryl Wray
