Zahn Ministering an Athletics Revival at Master’s

Geoff Zahn pitched in professional baseball for what seemed like an eternity, bouncing up and down from places like Daytona Beach to Albuquerque to Spokane and then to the Dodgers, Chicago, Minnesota and finally the Angels.

All of which prepared him for the ups and downs of his first year as athletic director at The Master’s College in Newhall.

Zahn came to the Christian college during the spring of 1986 when his longtime friend John MacArthur, an evangelist who is also the school’s president, offered him an administrative position--initially as a big-name ambassador for the school, later as athletic director.

Since taking over the athletic department, Zahn has pulled off a couple of coaching coups--”with God’s help,” he said--that have cast a bright light of optimism on the program’s future.

Conversely, Zahn has weathered storms at Master’s, including a decision by the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics to suspend the entire program from playoff participation for one year and place it on probation until mid-1988 for widespread rules violations.

In addition, a number of athletes have been declared ineligible since the spring of 1986 for either failing classes or failing to keep the faith. Master’s forbids, among other things, drinking, dancing, extramarital sex and “all things inconsistent with the holy life.” Beyond that, Zahn has been saddled with the trying task of turning losing teams into winners.

The program’s suspension resulted from “multiple violations in multiple sports,” according to Wally Schwartz, associate director of the NAIA. Schwartz said eligibility standards were broken by six athletes in five sports--men’s basketball, women’s basketball, softball and soccer, with two violations in baseball--during the 1985-86 school year. Even though Zahn was not at the helm when the infractions took place, he had to clean up the mess.

So far, Schwartz said, the NAIA is satisfied.

Now, if Zahn can clean up the Mustangs’ won-lost record in basketball, 11-47 over the past two years, he’ll be seen as a miracle worker. He took a couple of steps in that direction when he lured Mel Hankinson, a prominent Division II coach, to Master’s in May. Hankinson, who had recently resigned as head coach at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., is a former assistant coach under George Raveling at Iowa and has a 16-year college coaching record of 255-194.

Besides bringing in Hankinson, Zahn rehired Randy Stem, the previous head coach, as an assistant and bolstered the staff with another assistant, David Montgomery.

The unusual coaching flip-flop happened again a month later when John Zeller stepped down as head baseball coach to become an assistant to newly hired Pat Harrison, an assistant at Washington State.

Said Zahn: “I initiated this move, but John sees it as a positive step. This is the same situation as when we hired Mel Hankinson as basketball coach. We saw an opportunity to get someone of his caliber, so . . . “

So, who’s next?

“Bo Schembechler,” said Zahn, presumably joking since Master’s has no football program. But his point was made. “When we have an opportunity to get someone, we will.”

Zahn says that because of the school’s religious commitments, he’s been able to bring better qualified coaches to the flock. The new coaches, both strong believers, say as much.

“The main reason Mel came is because of the ministry,” Zahn said after hiring Hankinson. “We thank God that He has called Mel to accept the challenge to build a strong basketball program while maintaining the biblical standard of The Master’s College. We look forward with great anticipation to what the Lord will accomplish in our basketball program through Coach Hankinson, Coach Stem and Coach Montgomery.”

Said Hankinson: “This challenge, I know, will give me fulfillment as I am both philosophically and theologically compatible with The Master’s College.”

As for Harrison, he was in line to take over as a head baseball coach at a major university, Zahn said, “but he felt he would be more fulfilled as a part of this ministry.”

Still, the school’s religious commitments--and its improving academic standards--have caused Zahn and coaches some headaches. The school has lost several athletes because of poor grades and what school administrators consider poor conduct.

The most visible case was that of Terry Sloan, a catcher on the baseball team who withdrew from school in April, 1986, under pressure from administrators. Sloan was accused of breaching the school’s “Standards of Conduct,” which require abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, premarital sex and “unholy things.”

Even though Sloan admitted to “dancing one time,” and having “a couple of beers,” he said he considered the school’s handling of the situation unfair.

At the time, Russell Moir, an assistant to the president, issued a statement: “By his own admission, Terry Sloan repeatedly broke school policy, jeopardizing his relationship with the school . . . “

When Zahn officially took over the athletic department a few months later, he said school standards would not be compromised, even in cases involving exceptional athletes.

One thing is clear: There aren’t many prospering college programs that risk losing athletes for perpetrating acts inconsistent with the holy life.

Moreover, in recruiting, Master’s coaches must seek out, as Stem once said, “an athlete who is 6-9 who believes in God who can handle the ball.”

Even more than the ’73 Mets, at Master’s, you really gotta believe.

Nonetheless, a little more than a year after coming to Master’s, Zahn says he’s getting comfortable. “We’ve made progress,” he said. “I think things are looking up.”

In the ministry of the Master’s, there’s no other place to look.