When Jason Doran needed a place of security in high school, he landed at Fellowship of Christian Athletes. As an adult and going through the hardest trial of his life, FCA was there again.
Jason wasn’t familiar with church when he was growing up in Oklahoma, but he did know about sports. Athletics provided a sanctuary. Over time, he noticed a confidence shared by some coaches and teammates, an assurance about things even bigger than football. It was a reassurance he wanted, and knew he needed.
“FCA was big for me,” Jason said, an assistant coach at Mustang High School in Oklahoma. “My parents divorced when I was young and I lived with my mom. We didn’t really attend church. So FCA was my introduction to all of that.”
Doran attended FCA Camp at Estes Park, Colo., during his senior year of high school. He heard from FCA legends Grant Teaff, John “Bull” Bramlett and Derrick Moore.
“It was huge to see men like these stand up for what they believe and still be a tough athlete,” Jason said.
Back home, individuals mentored and discipled him further.
FCA remained a big part of his life at Sterling University, where Jason was a wide receiver and would later join the coaching staff. It’s not unusual for people to propose during college, but it is for it to happen at an FCA meeting, as Jason did to his wife, Tami.
When they married and discussed a future family, they made sure FCA was included in the plans.
“Our kids went to FCA Camp every summer, and we helped raise money for others to go, too,” he said. He and Tami have given their time to camp every year, even as their own kids grew. “Almost every single time we’ve celebrated our anniversary in June, it was with a car full of teenagers going to FCA Camp,” Jason said.
The Doran family got to know FCA staff, developing deep friendships.
“We’ve been very active and have built lifelong relationships with FCA staff, like [Moore/Norman Area Director] Jeremy Tims and [State Director] Drew Beard. They’ve been with us through some tough times.”
Jeremy has known the Doran family for 20 years, when a note at the FCA office where Jeremy had just started said a family from Florida needed help unpacking a moving truck.
“We immediately hit it off,” Jeremy said. “He’s a fireball, and a heck of a coach.”
The Doran family faced the toughest in March 2024. Zach, his youngest and the latest Doran to star for Mustang High’s football team, collapsed while training for an upcoming mixed martial arts match. He never recovered and died ten days later. The innumerable calls, texts and notes of condolences included the thousands of FCA threads connecting to the Dorans from their years of work and service.
The family immediately knew how they wanted to respond: through continued connection to the ministry and its people.
“When Zach died, we didn’t want flowers,” Jason said. “We asked them to donate to FCA. I think it raised something like $7,000, so we take money out of that every year and send kids to camp for free under Zach’s name.”
“Zach was a tough kid. He wanted to be like his brothers and dad. Jason and Tami have been through valleys, but they never lost their footing in their faith with the Lord. God has been the anchor in the storm, and they have always trusted him.”
The Dorans have also been incredible contributors to FCA’s mission, Jeremy added.
“Their kids have attended as campers. They’ve all come to family camp. Jason and Tami have led marriage retreats. They’ve spent so many summers driving kids to camp – and not just theirs. They’ve given scholarships. They’ve been all-in and didn’t want to just minister to their kids, but others. That’s pretty unique,” Jeremy said.
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Photos courtesy of the Doran family and Scott Barkley