Chris Springer Named Head Football Coach

McKENZIE (January 21) — Bethel University hosted a press conference Tuesday afternoon to announce the appointment of Chris Springer as the next Wildcat head football coach. Springer has served as interim head coach since the departure of Coach Michael Jasper earlier this month.

Springer spent eight seasons as the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator under Jasper before the promotion.

Springer helped Bethel to an 11-0 regular season, Mid-South Conference championship and playoff appearance in 2022. The Wildcat defense finished the regular season ranked among the top ten in the nation in multiple categories including scoring defense (12.3 points per game), pass defense (152.2 yards per game), defensive takeaways (25), interceptions (16) and third down defense while finishing in the top 25 in a number of other categories. The Wildcats held top ten opponents on the road to an average of 12.6 points per game.

Springer played at Bethel University and Lindenwood University, where he was a four-year letterman and served as captain as a defensive back. Springer graduated from Lindenwood in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and earned a master’s degree in sports recreation and administration from Western Kentucky University in 2017. Springer is a native of Bartlett and resides in Lexington with his wife Megan and daughters Chandler and Sydney.

The boardroom in the Vera Low Center for Student Enrichment was filled with players, coaches, university staff and administrators, fans and media for the official introduction, led by Interim Athletic Director Dave McCulley.

McCulley welcomed all, “It marks an exciting moment for all of us today, but especially for the Springer family. We thank you for being here today to share this day with him and with his lovely family. I think that it’s not only a wonderful day for him. It’s a wonderful day for our program. It’s a wonderful day for our university and for all the fans that support us year and year out.”

Bethel President Dr. Perry Moulds spoke, first praising McCulley and the search committee he assembled. “They had a very difficult job. We had a lot of interest in this position, very highly qualified, impressive candidates, and they had a hard job to find the right person for this position. They did a fantastic job.”

Dr. Moulds also praised the outgoing head coach. “Coach Jasper served Bethel faithfully and incredibly well for many years, and he left a culture of winning that was a cornerstone of the search.”

The president said, “When Dave and I first sat down to talk about the characteristics of our next state coach, we talked about Bethel’s mission, and we talked about the reason that we exist as a university. Bethel is dedicated to providing excellent academic opportunities and pathways to success in a caring, Christian environment with a strong emphasis on building character, because we believe that it is important to be successful in a chosen career in the most positive ways possible. We emphasize whole-person development here, so that when our graduates leave Bethel University, they’re not only competent and capable in their fields of study or their career, but they make a positive impact on their communities, on their institutions and on their families. They become the kind of people that you want to have in your life. So as we sought our next head coach and we cast a wide net, we placed a high priority on those specific characteristics as well.

“To continue our winning tradition, to continue recruiting young men of character, to lead those men to success on the football field, academically, socially, spiritually, we look for a leader who would not only do that with our football team and make our athletics department proud, but it would also be a leader across our campus to help develop all of us as we move ahead as a university.”

McCulley noted the high level of interest in the position. “We had a ton of people… apply for this job, which told me that it’s a job that’s well respected and thought of. So I think you players need to take pride in that, too.” He credited Coach Jasper with putting him “over the hump” with his recommendation of Springer as well as “very, very nice letters” from some players.

McCulley said of Springer, “He’s been an integral part of the program. His ability to inspire you, to motivate you, not only as football players, but as student-athletes. He has that passion, that vision. His expertise not only in drawing up the Xs and Os is impressive, but his conduct on and off the field is impressive as well. We’re excited to see where the program will take us and where he will take us.

McCulley made the official introduction, and Springer took the podium. He thanked God, President Moulds, Director McCulley and Coach Jasper. “This whole experience really has been a humbling opportunity. I don’t take this honor lightly, and I look forward to not only the precedent the Coach Jasper set and every head coach that I’ve worked for laid the foundation before, but how can we take this university along with the vision of President Moulds to another level? This whole experience is evidence that there’s something special going on in McKenzie. West Tennessee has meant a lot to my family. I look forward to serving the players. I can’t wait to continue to get to work with these guys.”

Springer told The Banner his experience in the McKenzie community has been great. “I look forward to getting out in the community more and getting to know people. It’s a great community to be a part of and work in.”

He wants his program to represent Bethel well in the community. “The logo’s never going to leave us, so we have to make sure when people see Bethel, it’s in a positive light.”

He spoke about the transition from focusing on the defensive side of the team and expanding his relationships with the team as a whole. “My biggest thing is getting down and talking to them personally, one-on-one. I’m still big on that. I like to get them right in front of me and develop true, genuine relationships. Try to stay ahead of potential issues and let them know that they have that open line of communication. One-on-one straightforward interaction.”

As head coach, Springer plans to emphasize recruitment of top talent, development of a robust football culture, and maintaining the program’s strong academic standards.