Joey Miller

    'I am constantly thinking and talking about our team. The guys on the team are like brothers to me.'

Perhaps Joey's comments in last year's senior testimonies gave us the first glimpse of why Joey would win the Coaches Award in 2003. In Coach Stanley's words, Joey won because, 'He demonstrated courage in the face of adversity.' During the previous season Joey injured his shoulder requiring surgery during the off season. Then just a week or two into the 2003 season, Joey injured the other shoulder. Joey managed to come back and contribute in spite of every setback. This young man models the character of a man who is like Joshua (in the old testament), strong and courageous. Joey truly has convictions he refuses to ever compromise on--which is reflected in they way he lives his life. Joey's own words tell us what is in his heart,

    'Our team is awesome because we push each other to keep Christ at our center.'

Joey is a quiet leader with a servant's heart. 'He would do anything for the team and not complain about playing time. He played hard when he did play.' Coach Stanley commented. Joey is sound spiritually and respected by teammates and classmates alike. Had Joey not won the 'Coaches Award' he would have deserved the 'iron-man' award because apparently injuries fail to keep him out of the game.

The Columbus Crusaders Coaches Award Winner Presentation given by Coach Mike Stanley
November 2, 2003

"Each year, the coaches give an award to a young man who exemplifies tremendous qualities that are extremely important to the program. We have had winners like Dan Garling and Jonathan Barnes last year for their excellence in terms of commitment. This year's winner is no less deserving of this honor because of that particular thing. And there are two issues I think we can highlight about this young man. From a physical standpoint, from a football standpoint, I can think of no one who has exemplified greater toughness in our program over the last couple of years. As a junior, this young man had continual problems with his shoulder where it popped out on him; and with a great deal of pain, he continued to play through it and put his shoulder back in because he wanted to make sure that he finished the season. And he did have an opportunity to play through the entire year. Well, in the off season, he had surgery on that shoulder, fixed it, worked on it, rehabilitated it, and did all kinds of wonderful things. And then as the season began, probably three weeks into the season, he popped out his other shoulder. The pain for all of us was terrible when that happened because he had paid the price the year before in such a great manner; and to see this other shoulder pop out was really really sad for all of us. And yet, true to this young man's nature, he continued to play through the pain and the difficulty, got back in, and then he hurt his foot. But again, without complaining, and without griping, and without being a cancer on the team, he did nothing but be positive and help us get through what was a difficult and good season. This young man has the physical and mental toughness that as a football coach and a football program you admire and appreciate over and over again. But in this program the thing that he brought to it probably more so even than that was the spiritual side of it that he brought both in terms of bringing young men into our program who later came to know Christ, who in fact then went on to bring others into the program who know Christ. So in that sense, this young man is a grandfather spiritually in our program. He also was a leader in the bible study in the small group that we had, and as a senior this year has been both a calming and an influential person on our team because he is so positive, so unassuming, and never complains. So therefore from a coaches standpoint and ideal player. So this year, that is the 2003 Coaches Award Winner goes to JOEY MILLER."