First as a student athlete, then a coach and now athletic director, Drew Mekelburg has found his mission field and ministry by combining two constants in his life: sports and Union College. “I’ve been around Union virtually my whole life, and for some reason, I just can’t leave,” he laughs. “I’ve been drawn to sports my whole life too, and I’m not sure why, other than maybe God knew what a huge, positive impact it would have on me.” Now those seemingly inescapable constants are conduits for him to teach the next generation of students as athletic director.
Mekelburg grew up playing on campus after school while waiting for his parents to finish work. The son of Todd and Janya Mekelburg and grandson of Bill and Eva Nordgren, the 2016 graduate is a third generation employee of the university. “I didn’t set out to follow the family legacy,” he said. “But one thing my family taught me from a very young age is that Union College is a purpose worth sharing.”
Prior to accepting this new position, Mekelburg taught physical education at Belmont Elementary School in Lincoln while also coaching Union’s men’s basketball team. Under his leadership, the men’s basketball team achieved a winning record (12 wins, 10 losses) last season, the team’s best performance in many years.
“We really are focused on educating the players, not the wins and losses,” he said. “Do we like to win? Obviously. Our students and coaches work very hard, but there’s more to it. Our focus is on the process.”
As Union’s athletic director, Mekelburg will coordinate all aspects of Warrior varsity sports, from recruiting athletes and hiring coaches to coordinating schedules with other schools, creating policies and ensuring regulatory compliance. However, the part of the job he’s looking forward to most is working with the students to continue the culture of Christian sportsmanship established by his predecessors.
“We want to cultivate leaders who will impact their communities,” Mekelburg said. “That’s what athletics are for, and doing that means creating a positive culture on our teams. My experience has been that our athletes build each other up, not tear each other down. What sets Union apart from other universities is that we don’t just support each other, but we also build up the people we play against. We create a supportive community around us.”
“Union’s athletic program started as a ministry: the Witnessing Warriors,” he continued. “In the conversations I have with other coaches after games, I consistently hear ‘We love playing you guys because of how you conduct yourselves. We don’t have concerns about sportsmanship or what’s going to be said.’ It may not be as direct as a Bible study, but when we are on the court, field or golf course, we know we are representing not only ourselves and our school, but Adventism, Christianity and our God.”
Though more than 10 percent of Union College undergraduates participate in varsity athletics, Mekelburg pointed out that playing on a college team is an experience they’ll share with less than one percent of their fellow Americans. He is excited to provide students on all six of Union’s varsity teams with opportunities and experiences similar to those he benefited from as a basketball player at Union during his junior and senior years.
“Union’s not a D1 school, but we play against some good competition with really high-level athletes,” he said. “We give students an experience they’re not going to get any other time in their lives, and we give them a safe place to learn lessons they’ll use in the real world. Especially with road trips, the bonds you make on a team are lifelong. I’ve got friends I keep in contact with who are now leaders and coaches elsewhere. I feel honored to be able to give those memories, those opportunities and those lasting connections to students.”
As a coach, Mekelburg has found himself often repeating lessons he learned from his own college coach, Ron Dodds. Sometimes he even uses the same words verbatim. One Doddsism he frequently repeats: “You can’t get too high with the highs. You can’t get too low with the lows.” Mekelburg remembers, “He would preach that over and over again.”
“Dodds couldn’t care less about wins and losses,” according to Mekelburg. “He wanted to create great young men who would be leaders in their homes and offices and communities. Coach Dodds started every practice with a worship. It could be a story about his dad, his brother, the family farm. You might have to get past some of the cow stories, but deep down there were hard-earned lessons he was teaching us.”
“What I learned from mentors at Union like Dodds helped me grow as a leader and a teacher,” Mekelburg said. “I learned how to challenge people without demeaning them. I’m able to tell my students, ‘I care about you so much that I’m not going to let you keep doing this.’ On a small scale, that might mean I’m not going to let you keep throwing the ball the wrong way. But it’s really more: it’s about how they treat people. It’s speaking up to say ‘you’re better than this moment.’ Learning how to deal with others constructively shapes who you will be in your career, in your marriage, in every aspect of life. The impact is massive.”
“Cultivating people who care about people; that’s what sets Union apart,” Mekelburg said. “It’s a lesson I learned from Ron Dodds and Ric Spaulding and my parents and so many professors and staff members over the years.” And now it’s his turn to teach new student athletes. Union College is grateful to have found an athletic director committed to continuing that legacy of growing caring leaders both in the gym and for life.