Jean-Jacques Taylor

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While standing on Southwestern Assemblies of God's muddy football field under a steady drizzle a few days ago, John Tomlinson's faith never waned.

When the bills arrive, and he's unsure how they'll get paid since he doesn't have a paying job, his faith remains fervent.

And when folks question why in the world he moved his wife and children from northern Virginia to Cedar Hill to be a volunteer running backs coach at an NAIA school, his faith grows stronger.

Tomlinson, 38, believes that one day, he'll coach in the National Football League.

No doubt exists.

Ever.

"It's not something I would ever do unless I saw a burning bush or some stone tablets," SAGU coach Jesse Godding said with a chuckle.

"But John feels strongly that this is what he's supposed to do."

Understand, this is not Don Quixote chasing windmills. Tomlinson realizes he's at college football's lowest rung.

Godding and his two coordinators are SAGU's only paid full-time staffers. Most assistant coaches at this level are older guys hanging around the game they love or youngsters breaking into the business.

For now, Tomlinson's goal is to gain college coaching experience, because that's among the requirements to obtain one of the coveted NFL minority summer internships that all teams in the league offer.

Achieve that, and getting into the NFL becomes considerably more tangible because of the vast networking opportunities the internship provides because Tomlinson would be spending training camp with a team.

On rare occasions, interns get hired. The odds increase slightly for Tomlinson, who counts Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, Washington Redskins secondary coach Jerry Gray and Cowboys tight ends coach John Garrett among his mentors.

"I didn't bring my family 2,000 miles not to pursue every avenue to accomplish my dreams. That would be insanity," Tomlinson said. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm excited every day I get up. I'm excited every day I step on the field. I'm happier than I've ever been."

John and Kathy Tomlinson have five teenaged kids in their blended family. Only Derek, a junior in high school, was interested in moving to Texas.

"I like trying new things," he said. "I thought it would be fun."

The others – Kenny, Amesha, Imani and Kirsten – had no interest in leaving Herndon, Va., no matter how easy cellphones, Twitter and Facebook make it to stay connected with friends and family.

Home is home; Texas wasn't home.

But John, encouraged by Kathy, had already decided to leave his six-figure job as an IT specialist, which paid the bills and allowed him to moonlight as a high school football coach.

When his company informed him of an impending layoff, Tomlinson viewed it as a confirmation of their decision.

The Tomlinsons picked Texas because the best high school football is played in the Lone Star state, plus Texas had an abundance of college coaching opportunities, and the cost of living was good.

While their kids don't love Cedar Hill, most of their complaints are weather related.

"It's like the weather is bi-polar," Imani said.

All of the Tomlinson kids are involved in sports, easing their transition.

Kenny, a senior, starts at linebacker for Cedar Hill, the state's top-ranked team, and Derek is a key backup. Amesha, a sophomore, is a swimmer. Kirsten, a freshman, plays volleyball and Imani, a freshman, runs cross country.

"It was a little easier for Amesha and Kirsten because they're so outgoing," Kathy said. "But once summer workouts started, they all began meeting a lot of people."

Tomlinson arrived in Texas without a job. So did his wife, a radiology technologist, who specializes in mammography.

Neither has found a job yet, though they fill out applications weekly. Tomlinson recently passed the tests to become a substitute teacher.

"We have everything we need, not everything we want," Kathy said. "Things are a little hard, but we have air conditioning, we have food, and John and I still have our weekly dates."

John Tomlinson's résumé looked fine, but it takes more than football acumen to fit in at Southwestern Assemblies of God, tucked away in a corner of Waxahachie just off Route 77.

"I wanted to know about his Christian walk and how he lives his life," Godding said. "We tell our coaches, they're not going to be cussing at our kids."

SAGU has 2,113 students and a football operations budget of $90,000. As they practiced the other day, one goalpost tilted forward as though it might eventually topple over, while a student sat atop a rickety stand videotaping practice with a handheld video camera.

The players here aren't quite big enough. Or fast enough. Or talented enough.

"I coach them all the same," Tomlinson said. "I just want guys to get better. I'm a teacher."

Watch Tomlinson at practice, and it's easy to see his passion. His voice drowns out the others.

"C'mon baby!"

He must say it 100 times during practice.

After good plays, he says it in a high-pitched, excitable voice. He says it in hushed tones after poor plays and with an edge when someone needs to increase their intensity.

"He has a lot of energy," Godding said. "That's why we have him work with the scout team."

Not bad for a guy Godding had never heard of until he received an e-mail this summer.

"Other people have told me they're coming, and I never hear from them again," Godding said. "John kept telling me he was coming even though he didn't have a job and he didn't have one lined up.

"I figured he'd chicken out at some point."

The voice mail impressed Jim Caldwell before he ever spoke with Tomlinson.

"You could hear the great hunger and passion in his voice," Caldwell said. "When I called him back, he was very persistent. There were so many questions he wanted to ask.

"He reminded me of myself as young coach grappling to find out information. Sometimes, I'd call folks and they wouldn't call me back. I always said if I got in a position where young coaches called me, I'd call them back."

So he did.

Their short conversation laid the foundation for a relationship built on football and faith.

Tomlinson met John Garrett at a college football camp. Like Caldwell, Tomlinson's quest for knowledge impressed Garrett.

"He was the only person after the camp to come up to me and ask me questions," Garrett said. "We've stayed in touch over the years, and he's used me as a resource."

Tomlinson coached Gray's son, Jeremy, in high school. Gray said Tomlinson's schemes impressed him because he consistently adapted his personnel to his scheme.

None of Tomlinson's mentors have discouraged him.

"It takes crazy faith to get crazy results," Gray said. "Look at all of the characters in the Bible who did things and people called them crazy, but the results were excellent.

"He's not just dreaming. He has a vision. He has a plan."

Stop laughing.

Just a few years ago, Bill Parcells contemplated adding former Southlake Carroll coach Todd Dodge to his staff.

"It's not easy, but it's not impossible," Caldwell said of Tomlinson's journey. "There have been some coaches who had quite unusual journeys. John believes he can do it."

That's what faith is all about.