30 years of faith and football have been a ‘blessing’ for USF’s David Lane

 

The ringing of the phone had woken David Lane many times before. That’s okay. The phone is next to his bed for a reason. After all, it is always available.

“I want them to know that I’m here for them at all times,” he said. “It could be a player. It could be a coach. I’ll go out, we’ll talk for a while and I’ll tell the person to relax and we’ll meet.”

Lane talked about his three decades serving as chaplain for the University of South Florida football team at the Bulls’ indoor practice facility, an appropriate setting given his association with the program dates back to 1996, a year before the inaugural season of 1997. It was a time when trailers served as coaching staff offices.

Although the 68-year-old Lane went to one of Florida’s oldest Christian schools, moved to Tennessee to attend a private Christian university and served as a pastor at a church in Tampa for 15 years, Lane makes it clear that his connection to USF is not about religion. It never was. It never will be. Rather, it’s about being available for student-athletes, coaches and staff to talk to, even if it’s the middle of the night.

Almost perfect attendance

USF is in its 29th^Thursday football season and will play his 344th game against visiting UTSA on Nov. 6. Lane has been in attendance for all but the Bulls’ first three road dates. It was midway through the inaugural season when assistant coach Calvin McGee, who will die in 2022 after a career that included playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and several coaching positions at the college level, secured Lane a seat on the plane for the fourth road game, which was at Cumberland (Tenn.) University.

“Calvin came to me and said they’d love for me to start traveling with them,” recalled Lane, whose game streak is 337 and counting. “I said, ‘Sure.’ I have traveled with them ever since. It was amazing. I saw the whole thing and it was a huge blessing.”

Lane’s time at USF dates back to 1995. The Tampa church he pastored was attended by the parents of Don Barr, who coached USF men’s tennis for two decades. Lane was there for Barr when his son died at age 23 in November 1995. They spent a lot of time together during a difficult stretch, and Lane’s name came up often when Barr met one of his fellow coaches, Jim Leavitt, the Bulls’ first football coach. Indeed, one thing led to another, and with the blessing of then-athletic director Paul Griffin, Lane became the familiar face of USF football more than a year before the program’s first intercollegiate game.

“I hit the road and it’s been an amazing journey,” said Lane, who has also enjoyed an amazing journey with wife Lois that started in high school and resulted in three children, 10 grandchildren and 50 years of marriage in December.

As it became a challenge for Lane to maintain his pastor’s schedule while also being consistently around the football team, he eventually left the church. Unfortunately, he still had bills to pay. With a ladder hanging from the back window of his 1991 Grand Am and an invoice book in the passenger seat, he set out to do “ground work” at construction sites, charging “$50 here and $75 there” for various “odd jobs” while Lois gave piano lessons.

USF is where Lane combined his love for God, people and football. He certainly knows the sport, having been an all-state defensive back and head coach at now-defunct Temple Heights Christian School in Tampa, where current Clemson defensive coordinator and former Indiana coach Tom Allen began his career. The football fire is indeed still burning.

“It makes me mad and I get mad at the refs,” said Lane, who is available to all student-athletes at USF and attended a service a year ago for the late men’s basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. “I don’t make scenes, but I love (USF players). I’m highly competitive. I tell them, ‘You’re looking for the wrong guy if you think I’m going to spend time on the bench saying, ‘Oh, God, we just want your blessing today.’

But the blessing arrived in the 2011 season opener in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame, as the Bulls rolled over the Irish’s 16th-ranked team. That is one of Lane’s most memorable games, along with the 1997 inaugural game against Kentucky Wesleyan and the 2007 wins at Auburn (overtime) and at home against Big East foe and No. 5 West Virginia. Also a win in Florida this year.

Oatmeal cookies with raisins

Lane likes to remind anyone who will listen that, believe it or not, those in helmets and shoulder pads and those wearing headsets happen to be human beings dealing with the same everyday problems as anyone else. Especially for many young athletes, highs and lows can represent serious peaks and valleys.

“When the lights go down and the autograph seekers go home, I want them to know I’m there,” he said. “You walk away from all the energy, the applause, and you go back to your apartment. It can be lonely.”

David Lane and his wife Lois will celebrate 50 years of marriage in December.

Courtesy of David Lane

Recently, Lane sensed that one of the Bulls needed a shoulder to lean on. He and Lois invited the young man to their home so they could talk and enjoy each other’s company. A few dozen cookies certainly helped.

“We asked what his favorite cookie was, and he told us it was oatmeal,” Lane said. “Lois, who makes them from scratch, made him about two dozen. When he was about to leave, she wrapped them up for him and he grinned widely. It was just a way of saying we love him. It’s amazing how little is enough sometimes.”

Coach Alex Golesh is very appreciative of Lane’s presence. Much of what Lane does may seem little on the surface, but deep down it means so much.

“He’s as healthy as a human being and he’s never asked us for anything,” said the third-year coach, Lane’s sixth at USF. “He wants to continue to give and serve, in addition to being an incredible man of God. He’s a great leader for our players and our team.”

That underlines what Lane is all about. To be there. Nothing more. Nothing less.

“I tell the players I’m not your big brother, but I’m your older brother,” he said. “We all have something in common, and one thing we all have in common is that we all have problems. Some things change with age, although one thing that doesn’t change with age is that we all struggle. Because I’ve lived a longer life than them, I can share and give them some insight that can encourage them.”

A friend for life

Many former players have stayed in touch with Lane. They reached out to share good news, like getting a job, and bad news, like the death of a family member. Lane has officiated several weddings for former Bulls and has one planned for late February, when he will preside over Brad Cecil’s special day.

“He was always there and always someone to talk to,” said Cecil, a center who started 50 games for USF in five seasons (2018-22) and is in the real estate business in his native Jacksonville. “He’s someone who offers wisdom, whether you’re going through a tough time or you want to share something good that’s happened to you. I wanted him to be a part of (my wedding) because he’s been a big part of my life. He’s always been such a positive force.”

This power can be delivered gently through words. Lane borrowed something he once heard former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Brad Johnson say: “The distance between a pat on the back and a slap in the face is 18 inches.”

David Lane, fifth from left, with the Bulls at the 2024 Hawaii Bowl.

Courtesy of David Lane

The point is to keep things real and not get too high or too low. Be sure not to get entangled in statics from outsiders, of which there are more than enough these days.

“I think it’s important for players to realize that a lot of what happens is based on popularity or emotion,” he said. “Fans are emotional, and you want them to be. But sometimes people can say things in the heat of the moment that hurt, and we have to realize what a slippery slope it is. Don’t let your emotions guide you or you’ll be disappointed.”

It’s the kind of messaging Lane offers the night before a game. Each player, coach and staff member may interpret what Lane says differently based on personal experience, but the message is no less meaningful.

“It’s different every week,” said linebacker Rico Watson III, a Tampa native who transferred to USF from Robert Morris in 2023. “He has different motivational messages that relate to (the game) we’re about to play, but he doesn’t talk too much about football. His words align with our goals and what he believes we can do.”

Starting with the redshirt group of 1996, a year since joining the USF Bulls 2025 gridiron, there has always been one thing that Lane cares about the most when it comes to each player.

“My wish is that once they get their degree and their careers at the University of South Florida are over, they’ll say I was their friend,” he said.