KINGDOM SPORTS

SPEAKERS

Gordon Thiessen

Gordon is a Co-Founder and serves as Executive Director for Kingdom Sports. He has over 30 years of coaching experience with sports teams and ministries; Gordon has spoken throughout the Midwest, sharing his advice on perseverance, character, and faith with audiences of all ages and from all walks of life. He is a coach, speaker, author, and certified trainer for 3Dimensional Coaching and Hardwired Coaching. Gordon has written Lessons from Nebraska Football and Cross Training Workout. He also co-wrote two series of books: Team Studies on Character and Called to Compete.

Gordon served on staff with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for 28 years before co-founding Kingdom Sports with Ron Brown in 2018. He also founded Cross Training Publishing, which has published over 300 books and resources for athletes, coaches, and parents. Gordon played for the Nebraska football team in the ‘70s for Tom Osborne and later coached high school basketball and football for 25 years. He worked with CoachTom Osborne to publish three books: On Sold Ground, Mentoring Matters, and Coaching Matters. He is married to his wife Terri and has four grown children and eight grandchildren who live in Omaha.

RON BROWN

In addition to being a co-founder of Kingdom Sports, Ron Brown has a long history with Nebraska football and serves as an assistant coach in 2025. Brown was the Huskers’ fullbacks and returners coach in 2024 and held the title of Nebraska’s director of player support and outreach in 2023 and 2024. Previously, Brown spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as a senior offensive analyst after working as the Huskers’ director of player development in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

A veteran college coach, Brown has a long association with Husker football, serving as an assistant coach for 24 seasons (1987 to 2003 and again from 2008 to 2014).

Overall, Brown brings 32 years of college coaching experience to the staff. He coached for four seasons at his alma mater, Brown University, before joining Nebraska for 24 seasons. Brown’s most recent coaching stop came as the associate head coach at Liberty for three seasons from 2014 to 2017, where he served under former Husker player and assistant coach Turner Gill.

Brown was a part of three national championships at Nebraska, and he coached more than 40 academic all-conference players and nearly 40 players who went on to professional careers. Brown coached the Nebraska tight ends (2008-10) and running backs (2011-14) during his most recent stint with the Huskers. During that time, he tutored future NFL running backs Rex Burkhead and Ameer Abdullah, who rank second and sixth, respectively, on NU’s all-time rushing list.

Burkhead earned first-team Academic All-America honors in both 2011 and 2012, while Abdullah was a Doak Walker Award finalist as a senior in 2014.
Abdullah left Nebraska as the school’s No. 2 all-time rusher and all-time leader in all-purpose yards. During his time as an assistant from 1987 to 2003, Brown coached the Nebraska wide receivers and tight ends. Brown’s players had a reputation for their tenacity and downfield blocking, helping Nebraska to nine NCAA rushing crowns in 17 seasons.

Brown spent four years from 2004 to 2007 as the Nebraska State Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. A native of New York, Brown earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown in 1979 and a master’s degree from Columbia in 1982.

Justin erickson

Without a doubt, I am the last person that I would have ever guessed would plant and pastor a church, having grown up as a dedicated atheist. From an early age, I would turn on the television to mock Christianity because religion seemed like a joke—a way to con people out of money by preying on their fears and inadequacies. However, that meant life was completely empty for me because I had no idea why I was here, what I was supposed to be doing, or where I was headed. I woke up every day with two goals: 1) don’t die, and 2) live for today with as much pleasure as I can possibly find.

I was angry, immoral, purposeless, and fearful—that is, until God was pleased to bring me under the preaching of the Gospel. A faithful friend loved me enough to warn me about the judgment to come and told me about the love of the God I had been rejecting—His kindness, mercy, and grace—that I could have the hope of heaven, a relationship with the God who made me, and forgiveness for all I had ever done and would ever do. I learned that Jesus was a substitute who died in my place, that He absorbed the wrath of God for my sins, and then rose from the dead to conquer sin and death and is coming again to judge the world in righteousness. I learned that He is Lord of all and would transform me from the inside out.

When I trusted Christ on July 21st, 1992, everything changed. I knew that I could no longer pursue the course I was on and now had the desire and ability to change, which, by God’s grace, I did. It wasn’t long before I completely abandoned my career path in sports medicine and athletic training and answered a call to make Christ known by preaching God’s Word and shepherding God’s people. As a graduate of the Master’s University (B.A. Missions, 1998) and Master’s Seminary (M.Div., 2001), my greatest passion is to see lives changed by the power of God’s sufficient Word, proclaimed with power, authority, urgency, and without apology.

I have had the amazing privilege to pastor churches in California as an associate pastor and in Ohio, Nebraska, and Arizona as a Senior Pastor. I love teaching and preaching the Word, equipping the saints, shepherding and counseling, and church planting. I can’t believe that God would use me.

I am deeply humbled to be joined in ministry by the woman of my dreams, Jana, who has been by my side since we were married in 1996 and has given me five amazing children: Emma, Ashlyn, Ty, Janie, and Allie. Beginning this ministry has been one of the most personally thrilling and helpful decisions we have ever made. I get to partner with some of the most humble and decisive leaders I have ever met—men and women who are both biblical and strategic thinkers, with a heart for Christ and the lost. I am thankful to be able to walk this path with them.

Ty Gooch

Ty responded to the gospel message at the age of 10. As a youth, he excelled at sports and went on to play for back-to-back Big Ten football championship teams at the University of Northwestern. During college, Ty’s maturity in Christ grew as his understanding of God’s word began to shape his passions and pursuits, culminating in becoming the student president of a group that oversaw all the Christian ministries on campus.

Since 2002, Ty has served as a theologically conservative pastor in mega, medium, and small church settings. He planted and pastored a local congregation for 13 years, during which time he counseled other local pastors and raised numerous interns. In the area of athletics, Ty has worked for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), overseeing the region of Chicagoland, has been recognized as an Illinois state award within athletic director for a private Christian school, and still serves as a Northwestern football mentor. In Christian education, Ty has taught high school senior Bible classes, provided direction to Bible departments in local Christian schools, trained Bible teachers, and instructed a college senior class on biblical leadership.

Ty continues to work passionately to train and develop current and future Christian leaders, first and foremost, through Christ-centered character and sound doctrine. Additionally, he has written articles, created ministry resources, served as an election judge, and is part of the We Love Police organization as a Trusted Advisor in Barrington, IL. Ty holds degrees from Northwestern University (BS), Moody Theological Seminary (MDiv), and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Doctor of Theology – under the late Haddon Robinson).

Ty has been faithfully married to his wife since 2000. They committed to homeschooling their now young adult daughter to ensure a Christian foundation and a biblical worldview and to train their children to live under the authority of Scripture in all aspects of life. Over the years, the Goochs have distinctively opened their home and shared their lives with the next generation, providing structure, discipline, and spiritual support. Ty’s greatest ministry is to his family, and his greatest calling is striving to count Christ as more significant than anything else (Philippians 3:7-11).

Cole Espenschied, Illinois Director

cole@kingdomsports.online / 309-222-0374
Cole oversaw the ministry of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in the Greater Peoria Area of IL for over 15 years before joining the Kingdom Sports Team in 2020. He is a 2004 graduate of Greenville University, where he played basketball and football. The Lord has used Cole’s involvement with sports to impact his life for Jesus Christ in a powerful way.

Cole and his wife, Kristi, have a passion for helping coaches and athletes integrate faith and sports, which has only grown over the years as they have coached themselves and led with FCA. By God’s grace, Cole and Kristi have walked alongside coaches and athletes as disciple-making missionaries in sports and have helped train and consult coaches and ministry leaders in “Doing Sports God’s Way,” resulting in a significant impact through multiplication. They currently reside in Delavan, IL, with their four children, Kenzi, Kasen, Micai, and Ryler. To learn more about Cole’s ministry, click here.

Cole also co-founded and serves as the head coach of Lions Football. A HS Club Football partnership, between Kingdom Sports & Christian Life Academy, based in Central IL. To learn more about Lions Football, click here.

Rod Handley

Rod Handley is the founder and president of Character That Counts, a ministry established in 2000. Rod speaks to men, women, and teenagers across the nation about character, integrity, and accountability issues.

He has written over 40 books, including ‘Character Counts: Who’s Counting Yours’.

From 1986 to 1999, he served on the staff of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, including 11 years as the COO and CFO. He has also spoken at hundreds of chapel services for numerous NFL, NBA, and MLB teams, including serving as team chaplain for the Kansas City Royals (1995-2009) and the Seattle SuperSonics (1986-1989).

Rod and his wife, Janna, live in Lee’s Summit, MO, and they have four children and three grandchildren.

Doug Pollock

Doug was born and raised in Decatur, IL. He attended Bradley University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. He worked for Hanson Engineers Professional Services in Springfield for 34 years as an accountant before joining FCA’s staff. Doug has been serving FCA for the last 16 years as an Area Representative for Central IL. He attends Faith Bible Church and has a passion for ministering to and discipling the younger generation and helping them grow in their faith journeys. DP has served on the Kingdom Sports Board of Directors since its inception in 2017.

Dan woods

Daniel has been a professional educator for 40 years. For the last 20 years, he has presented seminars and workshops on a variety of topics related to the Christian worldview. He has served in public and private Christian schools in Nebraska, Texas, and Idaho, holding various roles, including teacher, principal, director of international programs, and superintendent.

For six years, he served as the Head of School at Northland Christian School in Houston, Texas, where he created and developed a premier international student program. He has worked with businesses, schools, parents, and students in China, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan. He also serves as the Head of School at Lighthouse Christian School in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Daniel earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Doane College (Nebraska), master’s in educational leadership from Wayne State College (Nebraska), and an Educational Special degree (Ed.S.) in school administration from the University of Nebraska.

Daniel has been married to his wife, Kimmarie, for 39 years, and they have three grown children and eleven grandchildren.