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Making an
Eternal Impact

Football player number 18 in action

BY JULIE RIDDLE '92

Duke DeGaetano '17 hit an all-time low in his junior year of high school. The toll of longtime family conflict had left him feeling empty and lost. "I was looking for a higher purpose," he says. One day, he kneeled and prayed, "Lord, I need you. I don't know you, but I want to follow you."

DeGaetano discovered Whitworth his senior year. After visiting campus, "I remember telling my dad, ‘If I come to Whitworth, I'll become a better man,'" he says.

At Whitworth, DeGaetano developed into a standout running back, playing under Head Coach Rod Sandberg. He also chose to follow Christ. "[Coach Sandberg's] vision is for our program to be a life-changing experience," DeGaetano says. "Faith is a pillar of the program – he takes the time to have guys know about opportunities to grow."

Soon after graduating, DeGaetano joined the program's coaching staff; he's now the defensive pass game coordinator and director of strength and conditioning. "I wanted to try to give that life-changing experience I had to every player we come into contact with."

Two of those players are defensive backs Tiliti Adams '24 and Atticus "AJ" Templeton '23, MBA '24.

Adams, from Maui, says faith was not a prevalent part of his life at home. "My freshman and sophomore year [at Whitworth], I was still struggling," he says. "I needed to take advantage of opportunities to get to know Christ."

 

 "I wanted to try to give that life-changing experience I had to every player we come in contact with."

Adams connected with opportunities through the football program. "There's never a day where faith isn't brought up," he says. "Even if players don't have faith, the fact that it's always there keeps it in our heads."

According to DeGaetano, about half of the current team doesn't have a faith background or is searching. "We believe that's good for everybody," he says. "If we all thought the same way, then there's no growth."

Across the past four years, DeGaetano has seen significant growth in Adams. This year, as an intern for strength and conditioning, Adams shared his weekly schedule with DeGaetano. "There were blocks of time in there with Jesus," DeGaetano says. "It's been awesome to see him set an example for the other guys. He has led the way in how he lives out his faith and sets aside time for his faith."

Templeton's background represents the other half of the current team's faith composition: He grew up in the church, in Richland, Wash. Even so, Templeton came to a tipping point during his senior year of high school: "Do I want to be a man of faith, or do I want to pursue other things?" He chose faith.

Then Coach Sandberg came calling. "The other people who recruited me handed me a pamphlet and talked about their program," Templeton says. "The first thing Coach Sandberg talked about was faith."

 

Football players on the sidelines

At Whitworth, Sandberg and DeGaetano have set a lasting example for Templeton. "Despite being so busy, they still find time to read their Bible and pray and talk to people about their faith," he says. "That inspires me."

Likewise, DeGaetano notes that Templeton has made an impact on his peers: "AJ has been the reason why countless guys on our team have chosen to follow Jesus," he says. "He attends other guys' baptisms and [visits] churches with them, and he invites people to his house for Bible studies."

The prediction DeGaetano made to his father has proved more than true: He has become not only a better man but also a role model. "The way Coach Duke carries himself, his attitude, and just knowing his testimony," Adams says, "he's somebody I want to be like."

"Coach Duke" would say the same. "The goal of a coach is to leave a lasting or eternal impact on their players," he says. "But what is really special is when your players end up leaving an eternal impact on you. Both AJ and Tiliti have made me a better person, a better coach and a better friend, just by being who they are."

Football players hugging

Faith First

What a stellar season. After going 10-0, Whitworth football won the 2023 Northwest Conference Championship and the first round of the NCAA DIII playoffs, and Head Coach Rod Sandberg was named NWC Coach of the Year.

A key component of Sandberg's program is the "Four F's": faith, family, future and fun. Faith opportunities available to players include:

  • Weekly Bible study (started in 2015 by Duke DeGaetano '17) led by team members
  • Iron Sharpens Iron speaker series
  • Chosen to Lead ministry
  • Weekly football chapel, fall
  • Bible reading plan and discussion, training camp
  • Attending church together, spring
  • Practices and team meetings that close with prayer requests and prayer
  • Support by Spiritual Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach Todd Green and de facto team chaplain the Rev. Forrest Buckner, Whitworth campus pastor
  • A committee of players and coaches that meets quarterly to pray for the team and plan activities
Faith Family Future Fun

This story appears in the spring 2024 issue of Whitworth Today magazine.

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