Terry Slack helps young athletes navigate faith, life and sports.

Terry Slack in his 36th year with Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Periodically, 318 Forum’s Tony Taglavore takes a local person to lunch — someone who is well-known, successful and/or influential — and asks, “What’s Your Story?”

My son is a miracle every time I look at him.”

Married in 1984, the man and woman — both 28 years old — were ready to start a family.

They tried. And tried. And tried. Finally, in 1989, the couple faced reality.

“We couldn’t have children.” Or so they were told. “Our doctor here, after doing all the treatment to my wife, said, ‘You’ve got two choices. You can adopt, or you can go down to Houston and try this new thing called In Vitro Fertilization.’” Remember, this was back in the '80s. “I told Peggy, ‘We’ve come this far, let’s do all we can do.’” So, they went to Houston and tried that “new thing.”

“We went through that whole process, and she got pregnant on the first try.”

Thus, their “miracle” son.

70-year-old Terry Slack, in his 36th year with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), told me that story — and his story — during lunch at a place Terry chose, Sky Grill, at Shreveport’s Downtown Airport. We both had “Today’s Special”: Chicken- N-Dressing with carrot souffle, green bean casserole and a roll.

“(Peggy and I) tried again a couple of more times, and it didn’t work. So, Hayden was our only child and still is.”

Terry grew up in north Bossier’s Greenacres Place subdivision and, admittedly, was more interested in sports than school.

“I didn’t make D’s and F’s, but I wasn’t the smartest guy on the campus.”

But Terry was one of the best athletes at Greenacres Middle School and Airline High School. That’s not surprising, since Terry’s father played his way into both the Bossier High School and Louisiana Tech Hall of Fame.

“I was not naturally gifted. I had to work hard at it.”

Especially — in 1975. On April 10 (yes, he still remembers the day), Terry was getting ready for his redshirt sophomore season at Tech when he tore his ACL in the spring football game.

“It crushed me. It took something away that I loved.”

Terry couldn’t help but ask, “Why, God?”

But during those grueling months of rehabilitation (he worked out three times every day), Terry learned a valuable lesson.

“I realized football goes away for everybody. It’s not something to put your identity in. It’s not something you’re going to do the rest of your life. My identity had been too much in the ball and not enough in the Lord.”

Terry earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in education and wanted to be a coach. When his time at Tech was done, Terry spent four months at Parkway High School filling in for a girls’ physical education coach on maternity leave. Not really his thing, Terry moved on to Airline High School, where he worked 10 years with the football program — the last four years as head coach.

“When I was coaching in high school, I really wanted to coach in college. I wanted to get that opportunity. The Lord gave me that opportunity to go over to Tech for a couple of years.”

But Terry soon found out that the lifestyle of a college coach didn’t fit his lifestyle.

“I saw a lot of things that were difficult on a family that coaches go through. They don’t have much time off. ... I realized coaching in college was probably not for me.”

At the same time, Terry had been offered a job as FCA’s executive director. Not once, but twice. Both times, he said, “No.”

“The third time, they asked, ‘Would you pray about it with your wife?’”

Terry did, and in the summer of 1990, said “Yes.”

“I just really felt led to go to FCA. I came back to them and said, ‘I’m going to do this for one school year.’” That was 36 school years ago. “It was a blessing, and something that God certainly had his hand on to direct me that way.”

Today, there are approximately 450 FCA chapters in Louisiana — 80 in northwest Louisiana. Terry has taken God’s message to thousands of young men and women. For 14 years, he was FCA’s state director. As an FCA area representative for northwest Louisiana, Terry still visits as many as eight schools a day.

“Plant that seed in their heart at a young age. They may not accept Christ when they are a sophomore or junior, but the seed has been planted, and God can nurture that. It’s not me that does the saving. It’s God.”

But I wondered, since Terry was so good at preaching to athletes and coaches, why didn’t he preach on Sundays?

“I never imagined myself behind the pulpit, having a church or doing anything like that. What’s cool about FCA to me is that if you go to church — and I’m not against church — it’s important. ... but a lot of times we have a sermon and we leave and go other places. What’s important is what we do with the lesson that’s given to us from the pulpit to go out in the world and share the love of Christ. Don’t you see the world needing the love of Christ? (People) need love from somewhere. They need love and caring that comes from Jesus.”

Knowing Terry could better spend his time helping save the souls of area athletes, I asked my final question. As always, what has he learned throughout seven decades that he would like to share with others?

“Don’t leave God out of your life. ... Ask God what he wants you to do with your life. What is his purpose for you being here? You were born with a purpose. You. Me. He has a purpose and a plan for both of us. You either follow that, or you don’t follow the purpose God has for you. Sometimes it’s hard to find, but if you pray and seek him, you will find it. Be the best you can be at it.”

Just like Terry.

Tony Taglavore is a freelance writer with 40 years of media experience. A former television news and sports anchor, he owns Sweet Lou Media, a full-service advertising agency.