Oakland City, IN – With the addition of a Sprint Football program, starting in the Fall of 2023, Oakland City University and the Mighty Oaks Athletic Department are rapidly growing. The newly hired head coach, Todd Miller is excited about how the program is getting along.
Coach Miller grew up in Bowling Green, Ohio, before he moved to Alabama around the age of fifteen. After high school, he went to play junior college football at Minnesota State Community and Technical College. A torn ACL cut his playing career short. "I knew I wanted to stay involved in football, but I didn't feel like coaching yet if I still have eligibility left as a player," Miller said.
Not much later he ended up helping his dad coach high school football at the age of 21. After this a big journey around the United States started with several different coaching jobs. One of his favorite jobs was at Kentucky Christian University. "I loved the place, the smaller faith-based campus was awesome and I think that's why Oakland City will be another great fit for me," Miller explained.
Miller wasn't expecting to be moving to another state anytime soon. "I'll be honest, I was surprised when my wife told me that she wanted to move. A few phone calls later and we ended up in Oakland City, Indiana," said Miller. The newly hired head coach and his wife love the small college and small-town feeling, he explained how it's a great fit for his entire family and expects to be here for a long time.
This time in Oakland City will start by building a brand-new program, something that Miller hasn't done before. "I have helped programs turn around, from losing teams to making it to the playoffs. Building a program from the ground up is a challenge, but I'm excited about the opportunities," said Miller.
So far there are over twenty players that have committed to play Sprint Football at Oakland City University, coach Miller explained that he is ahead of schedule when it comes to recruiting and is excited about how the group of players is getting along. "I think we're working on getting a group of talented freshmen and some junior college players that know what it is like to play college football and what it takes to win."
As far as the coaching staff goes, Terry Gaitor, who is currently in his second year as a Track and Field assistant coach, will also be part of the Sprint Football coaching staff. Miller said he's working on growing his staff and is getting ready to announce the hiring of his third member of the staff. With this there will be three more spots open on the staff. "I am not in a rush when it comes to creating my coaching staff. I would rather make sure to get a good mix of coaches than rush through the process," Miller explained.
When talking about goals for the Sprint Football program, the first thing Miller mentioned was, "I want to run this like a NCAA Division 1 program, even though we may not have the same facilities, I want to structure to be top notch." Another goal for his team is to have an average GPA of 3.0 or higher. Finally, on the field Miller made it known that wants to win. "I want the Mighty Oaks Sprint Football team to win a conference title sooner, rather than later," said Miller.
Coach Miller is excited about how the program is getting along and can't wait to get to work with the team. The Sprint Football team will compete in the Midwest Sprint Football League, where they will be playing against Fontbonne University, Quincy University, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, Calumet College of St. Joseph, Midway University, and Bellarmine University. The team will be using the Wood Memorial High School football field, located about a mile away from the university.
