Mike London, the University of Virginia’s head football coach, had more than a few reasons why he could’ve been places other than Suffolk’s Liberty Baptist Church and could’ve been spending his boundless energy in a way other than at the annual Freedom Banquet for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Southside chapter Saturday night.

He could’ve been busy with other responsibilities or taking a spring Saturday off altogether four months ahead of the ACC football campaign. Instead, London was still coaching, and doing something he considers more meaningful than designing Xs and Os.

“For all the young people we work with, we have to show them what the model is,” London said.

London spent part of Saturday with his father, who’s in ailing health and is losing his memory.

“It’s tough to see that in front of your eyes,” London said as the keynote speaker in front of around 200 banquet guests.

With different, yet related, emotions London could well have been spending the spring weekend with his family and daughter Tycinn because Friday was the seventh “New Life Birthday” for his 15-year-old daughter.

Eight years ago, a bone marrow transplant, with Mike donating to his daughter, succeeded, combating a rare white blood cell disorder. Doctors had been seeking a bone marrow match for Tycinn and time for an answer was growing very short when a doctor suggested testing Mike, even though the odds of finding a match there was 10,000 to one.

“Now she plays soccer, she had a game yesterday,” London said.

“Eight years ago yesterday, it could have been a catastrophe, but it was a miracle,” he said.

Even aside from those two family callings, the Cavalier coach, entering his second year at Virginia, could have easily spent the day on the recruiting trail, grinding through video tape or perhaps on a golf course.

“Where two or three of us are gathered, He’s in the midst of us,” London said.

It was a mini-reunion as well since Tracey Parker, Nansemond River’s head football coach, played for London when he was an assistant coach at the University of Richmond.

“Parker was a defensive end and he wore these big goggles,” London said.

London unfolded a memory of a hot, tough Spider practice. Parker was messing up a drill and London stopped everything, saying, “You’ve got to do better than that!”

While demonstrating the proper technique, London continued explaining with plenty of emotion.

When London paused for a second, Parker took off his foggy, sweaty goggles and said, “Coach, can you do that again?”

The full punch line to the story was left to the audience’s imagination.

FCA is at work at high schools and middle schools around Hampton Roads and on the campuses of Old Dominion, Norfolk State and Virginia Wesleyan.

To students and coaches, especially to coaches as they can serve as ministers multiplying the Christian word and values, the Fellowship exemplifies being as competitive as possible on the field while having love, dignity and respect for oneself, teammates and opponents.

The banquet included video testimonials from Norfolk State and King’s Fork, the featured institution of the night. KF football coach Joe Jones spurred the creation of an FCA group more than a year ago. It’s grown to include athletes from all Bulldog sports teams in that short time.

Kenny Johnson, father of Bulldog football, baseball and track athlete Noah Johnson, was named Fellowship of Christian Athletes Southside Volunteer of the Year. Jones was named FCA Southside’s Coach of the Year.

London spoke about valuing significance above success, a thought seemingly at odds with so much of what coaches shoot for with every practice and game.

“With success, you’re going to equate your self-worth with your win-loss record, with stats, with how many yards or touchdowns you get,” London said.

As grand as championships are, and London won the FCS (Division I-AA) national championship as Richmond’s head coach before being hired by Virginia, how a coach builds his young men or women lasts a lot longer and carries more significance.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another,” London quoted Proverbs.

“To the young people here,” as many young Bulldog athletes volunteered their time to make the banquet run smoothly, then got to listen to London, “you will only want to associate with people who will sharpen your sword.”

“Then, as you have integrity, character and become a family, then people will gravitate to you. As others sharpened you, you will begin sharpening others,” London said.

KF student-athletes Devin Taylor, Andrew Gould, Noah Johnson, Briana Parker, Charles Clark, Octavia Gould, Matt Hommell and George Riddick spoke in the KF FCA video.

The banquet included a live auction, raising a winning bid of $1,050 for the FCA, in exchange for a Cavalier game-day experience for, presumably, a Hoo fan to be on hand from a Friday afternoon practice to all the team meetings and meals to Saturday’s game on the sideline.