Chauncey Franks, looking through the key notes of his sermon, sat in a small chair next to his son, Eli Franks, late on a Monday evening at the Stuart Family Courtside Club within the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena.

Franks was moments away from delivering a message on “What Does the Bible Say About Prayer?”

While he was deep in thought, a group of around 70 energetic students and student-athletes clapped and cheered as they gathered around and celebrated the accomplishments of TCU athletics over the past week.

At the forefront of this group is TCU quarterback Josh Hoover.

Hoover’s leadership and focus have made him more than just a star presence on the field.

They’ve made him a leader within the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), the organization he credits for shaping him both personally and spiritually during his time at TCU.

When Franks finished his message, the large group began to break into small groups scattered throughout the club. Each group was led by an FCA student leader, guiding conversations about the topic of the week’s message.

Hoover joined one of the groups near the side of the club, Bible in one hand and notepad in the other, leaning forward as he shared his thoughts about the message.

Usually, all this chatter could be seen as a distraction, but for Franks, this is an indication that years of hard work have come to fruition.

Franks oversees operations for TCU FCA, a Christian organization that strives to help the TCU community find their spiritual identity and utilize their platform to glorify God, according to Franks, since his arrival in 2010.

Over the past fifteen years, Franks has become a familiar face to countless Horned Frogs. He said that the heart of FCA’s impact lies in a team whose shared faith, purpose and dedication drive this ministry forward.

A family affair

On any given day, you can find the FCA staff laughing while they enjoy a cup of coffee or throwing out innovative ideas for future events during their meetings.

“We spend a lot of time with each other and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Coleman Maxwell, who has been a team member for 11 years, said. “We know how to complement each other.”

The chemistry between Chauncey Franks, Coleman Maxwell, Mitchell Traver, Carrie Burnett and Maya Wilson is strong because of their personal journeys that lead to their time at FCA.

Together, they lead one of the most active FCA programs in the nation, according to Franks, serving not only student-athletes but coaches, administrators and the local Fort Worth community.

Chauncey Franks: the foundation

Franks has served with FCA for 21 years, nearly 16 of them at TCU.

Even though he has served Horned Frogs for close to two decades, his passion has remained unwavering.

“We are able to be at the crossroads of faith and adversity with our students,” Franks said. “The hope of what each year brings and the excitement to see what God is going to do always brings new excitement.”

Franks’ leadership style is marked by consistency and humility.

While he serves as the head chaplain for TCU Football, Franks also provides Bible study sessions for the football coaching staff and the athletic department administration.

While he preaches the idea of spiritual growth, Franks said that his own spiritual journey reveals how much he needs God and is consistently learning about Him.

“Being in ministry does not exempt you from problems or life challenges,” Franks said. “I’ve learned how to depend on God even when it doesn’t make sense. My individual walk is more important than my ministry presence.”

Coleman Maxwell: the energizer bunny

Before each FCA “huddle,” a sense of laughter and excitement fills the room.

That energy is generated from Coleman Maxwell, the heartbeat of FCA.

Known for his energetic spirit and larger-than-life personality, Maxwell has served as the FCA assistant character coach since 2014.

Throughout his tenure, Maxwell has helped hundreds of students with their path toward self-discovery.

“We believe that the best self-discovery you can come up on is discovering that you are an image bearer of God who has been called to steward your platform,” Maxwell said.

Maxwell also prioritizes the idea of “relationship equity” during his dealings with the TCU community.

“We firmly live by the statement: Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care,” Maxwell said. “We have to earn the right to even have an opportunity to hear what somebody might be struggling with.”

During weekly huddles, Maxwell can be found connecting with members through deep, personable conversations. He credits the “full circle” moments for his motivation to continue this work.

“We get to see students that we got to pour into graduate, find their wives and then ask me to officiate the wedding,” Maxwell said. “Seeing them spread their wings and build on the principles that they learned through FCA really gratifies me.”

Mitchell Traver: the ideal example

One of those full-circle moments is exemplified in FCA’s very own Mitchell Traver.

When Traver entered his freshman year at TCU in 2012, he was at a crossroads.

As he was set to start his collegiate baseball career, a surgically repaired right arm made him question his future playing the sport.

That’s when Traver was introduced to FCA.

Under the mentorship of Franks, Traver was named the 2013 TCU FCA Bob Lilly Athlete of the Year.

Traver also served as FCA president from 2015-2018 and now serves as the director for FCA’s All-Sport Leadership Team/Discipleship Program.

Franks noted his special connection with Traver and his personal growth throughout his service in FCA.

“He met his wife, Olivia, through FCA; I officiated his wedding, my kids were in his wedding,” Franks said.

Carrie Burnett: the purpose catalyst

Since she arrived in Funky Town in 2021, Carrie Burnett has complemented the wide range of personalities within the FCA staff.

Burnett is no stranger to working with athletes. She served in FCA for her alma mater, Sam Houston State University, for two and a half years before her departure for TCU.

Burnett said that failure is sometimes necessary for young athletes to strengthen their faith.

“It’s whenever sports have really failed them (athletes),” Burnett said. “Whether that’s through injury, not playing or not playing good… That’s where we really get to those conversations about what faith really means.”

“They really see what their identity is… They realize that they have a lot more stock in their sport than they realized.”

Burnett credits the transformation she sees within FCA members for strengthening her own faith.

“College is such a hard time to follow Jesus,” Burnett said. “But to see them find that He is still better than all the other things that the world is trying to pull them to has been super encouraging for my own faith.”

Maya Wilson: the lively newcomer

Rounding out the team is Maya Wilson, who celebrates her first anniversary with the FCA staff next month.

Wilson, a former Rice basketball star, is no stranger to finding success with her athletic career and faith.

During her collegiate career, Wilson was the starting point guard for the Owls all four years, graduating as the school’s record holder in 3-pointers made and free throw percentage.

Wilson can personally relate to the struggles athletes face as they look to prioritize faith during their transition into adulthood.

“Sometimes, a lot of college students are intimidated to go off campus and find a local church,” Wilson said. “FCA provides a community of peers in a place they’re familiar with, with faces of teammates that they’ve seen before and trust. We get to plant those seeds.”

Wilson is married to Nolan Wilson, the TCU women’s basketball assistant coach. Together, the couple has a son, Maceo and is expecting a new child very soon.

Behind the scenes

While students see the success of the FCA events — the laughter, the smiles and the organized structure — what they don’t see are the many months of advanced preparation that are put into making FCA glitch-free year-round.

“Over the summer, our staff meets to plan out every Monday night message, so that we know in advance,” Wilson said. “It’s a lot of thoughtfulness as a staff. We can have creative ideas that are closer to game time and execute them because the main play is already going.”

Franks said that maintaining a standard of excellence is the key to FCA’s success.

“Everything we do is an act of worship and also an act of honoring God,” Franks said. “We’ve prayed, we’ve planned, we’ve prepared, and we’ve made room for God to show up.”

Growing a culture

As the FCA staff looks ahead, they hope to continue to establish a culture where they provide a safe space for students to learn about God.

“FCA is not a place where you should have it all figured out as a Christian,” Maxwell said.

The team continues to echo their motto: No perfect people allowed, a phrase that is frequently stated at every FCA event.

“Seeing our students and staff embody that motto is what’s going to help us keep a safe space and sense of authenticity for these kids to show up and learn,” Burnett said.

For Franks, he hopes to continue to see FCA being an active ministry on campus.

“We want a ministry where people get a chance to see God’s will and God’s powers and spirit at work,” he said.

So, as students begin to dwindle from the Stuart Family Courtside Club, Franks packs up his notes with Eli standing right behind him.

Around him, the FCA staff can be seen packing up and bidding farewell to the last few students inside, a work Franks said is rooted in purpose and carried out through love and faith.