By Morgan Davenport
For some, transitioning from student to full-blown adult is a breeze- a whisper in the wind. Graduate college, find a job – life goes on.
For others, it’s a hurricane-force gust that destroys all possible hopes and dreams like a straw house.
Enter Drew Posada.
As more of the previous of the two options, the Oklahoma Baptist Athletics Department named Posada the head coach of the men’s golf program in August of this year.
Simple, right? Finish school, apply for your dream job, get your dream job – it’s deliverance.
Here’s one more dismissible detail: Posada’s graduation date is Dec. 16, 2016.
Photo credit: Jeremy Smith.
Two thousand and sixteen.
The straw house just lost its roof.
The man is still working toward his degree while also leading a successful golf crew to multiple tournament championships, including a berth to the National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA) Championship.
“I had played golf for four years at OBU and wanted to help the program get better,” Posada said. “I also wanted to be able to mentor the young men on the team and pour into their lives.”
A Cross-Cultural Ministry major, Posada was “called to ministry [his] senior year of high school.” He grew up in Choctaw, Oklahoma- a smaller town just outside of Oklahoma City and about 20 minutes from Shawnee, so OBU seemed like the clear winner out of his college options. “My dad game me a golf club when I was two-years-old and the rest is history,” he said. “My family is one of my most prized possessions- they’re so loving, caring, supportive and whatever else they need to be for me. They are a huge reason for where I am today.”
“God gave me a great opportunity to play golf on scholarship,” Posada said. What could be better for a kid from small-town Oklahoma to play the sport he loved and get a higher education for over half the cost?
Throughout his career at OBU, Posada led the Bison to multiple Great American Conference and NCCAA honors, as well as posting three top-five finishes and two tournament wins.
He shot a course record (63) at the Shawnee Country Club last year.
Not to mention, Posada served as the team’s captain during his last three seasons.
It’s simple to say that the guy’s a stud.
It’s not so simple to coach the team that he had just been joking around in the back of a van with not even three months prior.
“There are two things that are definitely weird about being a coach: the first is bridging the gap between being a teammate and friend to being a coach that’s in charge of those former teammates,” Posada said. “The second thing is just being at the tournaments and not being able to play. It’s a helpless feeling at times when you’re watching your players and can’t play to help the team yourself.”
While coaching is strange to him, it’s also turned out to be a blessing.
“I learned so much throughout my career at OBU, so being able to share those experiences with my players and watching them get better is such an awesome experience,” Posada said. “I also love being able to mentor the boys and getting to know who they are on a personal level.”