Top, Trinity athletics photo; Bottom, 2002 D3sports.com file photo by Robert Anderson

Trinity was accustomed to a position atop the SCAC and Division III in the state of Texas from the early ’90s to the mid 2000s, with 13 consecutive conference titles (’93-’05), and national recognition, with two NCAA semifinals and a Stagg Bowl appearance in 2002. Jerheme Urban, who was part of that run from 1999-03, wants to return to that position and do it in his own way.

The former Trinity record-setting wide receiver and NFL veteran of nine seasons, took over for the Tigers’ longtime coach Steve Mohr, who, as Urban tells it, essentially started the program.

“When he got here, you know, the numbers were in the 30s as far as total guys on the roster, and they hadn’t won a lot of football games. So he had to go through a little bit of a process there to get the program how he wanted it and obviously established a strong winning tradition within the state of Texas that then took on a national presence for a good while,” Urban said.

Having played for Mohr and having always wanted to be a coach, Urban made an effort to watch his college coach and learn the basic responsibilities and skills of a head football coach. Urban learned about the administrative side of running a football program, the logistics – scheduling flights and buses – and how to interact with assistant coaches, managing people as a teacher or principal might. As any mentor might instill in his pupil, Mohr certainly passed on a sense of “Tiger pride,” as Urban put it.

But while Mohr’s influence looms large over the program and, of course, over Urban, the Tigers’ new head man wants to make sure to keep the past and the future in perspective.

“I have to be cognizant of the fact that this is my program, and we’re going to do it how I want to do it, and not be too worried about the past and making sure we’re moving in the direction that we want to go now.”

That direction, that style, that philosophy is what Urban calls stern love. By that he means expecting excellence and accountability, striving for greatness and discipline while being concerned with his players’ growth as men. Urban expounded on that thought by saying, “What I want to leave with my players is a true investment in them as young men more so than the football side of it.”

It was Urban’s NFL experience and the profound and, in certain cases, legendary coaches he played under who forged his style and made him the coach he is. Mike Holmgren, who Urban played for in Seattle, was an exemplary leader. “He showed to me a great job of delegation. That was one thing I took from him. He really trusted his assistants, and he really let them work.”

In Dallas, where he got to play in his home state, being from Victoria, Texas, Urban’s tutelage came at the hands of the master of stern love (stern being the operative word), Bill Parcells.

“He let you have it when you needed to have it. As a practice squad guy, coming off the injury, he affirmed me at the right time, in the right ways too many times for me to count. … That really painted a great picture of being firm and demanding excellence and holding guys accountable, but at the same time if they do something good, making sure you’re patting them on the butt.”

Todd Haley, the current Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator, also contributed to Urban’s coaching self while Haley was a coordinator in Arizona and as the head coach in Kansas City. Besides having a great rapport with Haley, the most valuable aspect of playing under Haley was the career example that he set – a young coach climbing the ranks quickly and being successful.

Yet from a pure mentor standpoint, both professionally and personally, it was two assistant coaches, his receivers coach Nolan Cromwell in Dallas and strength and conditioning coach Mike Clark in Seattle and Kansas City, who were most instrumental in shaping Urban as a coach and as a man.

“Those two relationships have probably influenced me more than any of the other ones. … Nolan and Mike coached, obviously, the dog out of me and made me a better player and made me a much better athlete, but they made me a better man. Those are two guys that I’ve really tried to model a lot of my coaching off of.”

Trinity has some veterans, such as senior wideout Matthew Kennemer, but a lot of young players as well. Trinity (Texas) athletics photo

As for his Tigers, work is needed. Urban sees talent at the skill positions – senior receiver Matthew Kennemer and junior running back Travis Williams – and at quarterback, with Mason Blaschke and Connor Cox protecting him. There’s veteran leadership “at certain spots” but also youth in a lot of key areas, like the offensive line and receiving corps. On defense, Urban expects big things from defensive back Jai Boatman, defensive lineman Bradley Drenon, linebacker Connor Yorloff and “young pup” Julian Turner at middle linebacker.

“Playing time ... and a lot of guys needing to get some experience,” Urban said, qualify as their biggest weaknesses. Both of which have been evidenced clearly in the amount of turnovers made and the late-game inexperience that have plagued the Tigers in their two losses to start the season.

But Urban has a vision, which will take “baby steps,” but: “The overall vision is to win conference championships, become nationally relevant again, and doing that without compromising our academic integrity at Trinity and making sure that these guys graduate in four years as well-rounded young men.”

He knows accomplishing that vision and getting back to the prominence the football program enjoyed in the not-too-distant past will take maturity, learning how to win again, being consistent and being capable of winning at home. He also plans to accomplish his vision by bringing in strong recruiting classes, which, as everyone knows, is like pitching in baseball – it all starts there. He’s hoping that a new stadium, which Mohr is involved in orchestrating, will lure recruits as much as the “stern love” mentality.

“It’s a mentality thing as much as it is a physical thing,” he said.

There are a couple more things going for him as well – he was an NFL player for parts of nine years.

And while most Division III football players do not reach the professional ranks, his knowledge of how to accomplish such a feat, the education afforded at Trinity, and the chance to return a once dominant program to the king’s seat is a pretty good pitch and a darn good situation for prospective students.

As a players’ coach would, he sees his advantage in these terms: “I was obviously able to continue seeing things from a player’s perspective… and I think that that is pretty important. Coaches get really good at seeing things from a camera angle and from a field level at different spots, but I think that we have to be able to put ourselves in the positions of our kids and being able to see it through their eyes.”

Undoubtedly, in speaking to Urban, you get the impression that this man is a teacher, and not only because he earned his bachelor’s degree in education; rather, because very little of what he says is coach-speak, and very much of it is genuine, instructive life lessons. The man obviously knows his football given his professional playing experience and his fast rise up the coaching ladder. But more importantly, he knows how to connect, he knows that the key to getting the best out of his players is by understanding them. That is what real teachers do, that’s what leaders do.

“My guys know that I love them, and that’s a word that we talk about – what love really means.”