Photo above, Ben Malcolmson

September 2018 – Ten-year-old Ben cried as Dad drove him to Pee Wee football practice.

“Please let me quit, Dad,” he pleaded.

“Nope. It’s good for you.”

Their goals were worlds apart, and it was a miserable season in the boy’s life. Once it was behind him, the future looked bright. He’d never again be involved with organized football.

Ben was somewhat of a loner by nature, and he endured a measure of family dysfunction. In 2003, he jumped at the chance to enroll at University of Southern California a year early. A journalism major, he joined the staff of the Daily Trojan, USC’s campus newspaper. He became sports editor and soon met legendary USC football coach Pete Carroll.

Ever creative with story ideas, Ben persuaded Carroll to let him join the scores of guys who would “walk on,” i.e., try out for the football team after scholarships had all been awarded.

Ben was a 165-pound David surrounded by more than 40 250- to 300-pound giants trying out for 9 open slots. Not a place for the weak. He was battered and bruised. But never a quitter, he persevered. The startling outcome (sorry – no spoiler here) led to a long-time friendship with Carroll, to whom he is now personal assistant at the Seattle Seahawks.

Ben Malcolmson talked about his roller-coaster faith journey with AFA Journal.

AFA Journal: Tell us how you came to faith in Christ.
Ben Malcolmson: I grew up in a church culture in Dallas, Texas. And from the age of eleven, I spent two weeks each summer at Deerfoot, a Christian wilderness camp for boys in the Adirondack Mountains. I knew all about God from the Sunday school stories and teachings. But it was an academic knowledge.

I didn’t get a personal relationship with God until college. At USC, I joined Alpha Gamma Omega, a Christian fraternity, and experienced what it looked like to surrender to Jesus, to be discipled and mentored.

The summer after my freshman year, I worked as a counselor in training at Deerfoot. It was that summer when my faith became real and relational. I got to know God at Deerfoot.

AFAJ: How did you manage to get early enrollment at USC?
BM: I got a letter when I was a junior that invited me to apply. They would only be taking about thirty kids, but it sounded like a cool opportunity. On a whim, I decided to apply. Things were hard at home, and I think I sensed that God had a plan, had something for me there.

AFAJ: Why did you major in journalism?
BM: Well, I spent the first year switching majors a few times, but settled on journalism my sophomore year. I had trial by fire at the Daily Trojan, the campus paper. I quickly learned how to overcome rejection, use my people person skills, and develop relationships. It becomes an art. And before long I was sports editor.

AFAJ: You tried to share your faith with the Trojan football team with a Bible study, then a prayer group. How did they work?
BM: God had impressed on me that He had something special for me to do at USC. But nobody showed up for Bible study or prayer time. [So I] snuck Bibles into the locker room super late on Christmas Eve, placing one on the seat in each locker. I felt the room fill with an undeniably holy presence, and I knew I wasn’t alone.

AFAJ: What kind of impact did the Bibles have?
BM: I took my time getting back down to the locker room [December 26]. …I took a deep breath, lifted my eyes, and slowly pulled the door open. … Everywhere I looked, shredded, tissue-thin pages of the Bibles were strewn on the floor. I stood frozen in place as my heart sank, and I felt the blood drain from my face.

Seeing those Bibles on the floor of the locker room was heart wrenching. I had tried to have an impact, but I had failed. It was too great to fathom.

AFAJ: How does a young Christian recover from an experience like that?
BM: God carried me through. One Scripture I have always clung to is Habakkuk 1:5 where the prophet said:

Look among the nations! Observe!
Be astonished! Wonder!
Because I am doing something in your days –
You would not believe if you were told.
You would not believe if you were told (NASB).

Yes, I was crushed, but somehow, I was still certain of God’s hand.

AFAJ: That was senior year; what came next?
BM: Coach Pete Carroll hired me as a special assistant to develop a website and handle other social media. For the next three years, I had a blast. …That’s why the breaking news on SportsCenter on January 5, 2010, blindsided me.

Coach Carroll was considering an offer from the Seattle Seahawks. When I heard the news, my heart just dropped. I felt sad, angry, and somewhat betrayed … Why didn’t he tell me?

AFAJ: Did that end the relationship?
BM: No. For the next two months Coach Carroll called me every Wednesday night and told me he was getting closer to bringing me to Seattle. … But when an opportunity arose with the San Diego Chargers, I jumped on it.

I decided to text Coach Carroll to share the news. I typed out a brief message that read, “Hey Coach, thanks so much for everything over the years. I’m taking a job with the Chargers.” I hit the send button, and almost immediately, my phone started ringing. When I answered, he emphatically said, “You cannot take that job. I have a job up here for you!”

AFAJ: What had that two-month period been like for you?
BM: It was a hard time. But my faith and trust increased during that time. I learned to be happy in God’s timing. It’s always better than ours. Psalm 27:14 became a favorite passage that winter:

“Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord (NASB).”

AFAJ: What about this new platform you now have, your book, for sharing your faith?
BM: I never could have imagined this platform. I had experienced a nudge that I needed to write my story down, but I didn’t know how to begin. Then Patti McCord, a writer who had heard me speak online, called and said I needed to write my story down. She wound up being my co-writer.

AFAJ: What are two critical things one must know to be an effective witness for Christ?
BM: One is to know who you are. Know who God has called you to be, the identity He’s given you in Jesus Christ. Soak in it.

Next is to know your purpose. He has an incredible mission for each of us. He saved you to go reach others with the gospel. You are His ambassador.    

See the August issue of AFA Journal for a review of Walk On, Ben Malcolmson’s engaging and entertaining autobiography written with Patti McCord. The book includes countless illustrations of how God worked in Malcolmson’s life for God’s glory. Available at online and retail booksellers.