Contact: Jon D. Wilke, Faith Comes By Hearing, 505-881-3321

MEDIA ADVISORY, Mar. 31 /Christian Newswire/ -- Rev. Billy Graham once said, "One coach will impact more young people in a year than the average person does in a lifetime. So who's coaching the coaches?"

Two influential Christian ministries have teamed up to do just that. This week in Detroit at the NCAA men's basketball tournament, Faith Comes By Hearing and Nations of Coaches will inspire about 700 coaches to lead their teams from a biblical perspective and then provide them with free Audio Drama New Testaments.

"Faith Comes By Hearing is providing free Audio Drama New Testaments to these coaches because we want to invest in the next generation of leaders on and off the field," said Troy Carl, Faith Comes By Hearing's national director.

"Coaches are given a unique opportunity to mold young men and women at crucial times in their lives," Carl explained. "Often the impact of an athletic coach will be greater than any other adult."

Faith Comes By Hearing is the world's foremost Audio Bible ministry and works in more than 100 nations around the world.

Carl said this outreach is a continuation of the You've Got The Time student athletes program from 2008. Last year, nearly two dozen NCAA football teams listened through the Audio New Testament. Feedback from chaplains confirmed that Audio Bibles are a perfect fit for today's busy athlete.

Roger Holien, a Faith Comes By Hearing representative and a 10-year sports chaplain, said athletes listen nearly everywhere they go, "between classes, while traveling, in their dorms and in the hotel rooms."

"By using Audio Bibles, we're meeting the athletes were they're at," Holien said.

According to a 2007 ECAR Study, 83 percent of 18- to 19-year-old college students own mobile media players and listen up to two hours a day.

"With this exciting partnership with Nations of Coaches, Faith Comes By Hearing has extended their student athlete outreach from NCAA football to NCAA basketball," said Carl. "Nations of Coaches is helping make this possible at the Final Four in Detroit."

Tommy Kyle, the executive director of Nations of Coaches, said impacting coaches is their organization's goal, and that they believe the Bible is the foundation of sound leadership.

"It is our desire at Nations of Coaches to equip coaches to leave a legacy of excellence," Kyle said. "However, our legacy is not in the number of games or championships we win but how we impact our players for eternity. This is done by helping coaches master the greatest game plan ever written -- the Bible -- and to coach from a Biblical perspective."

"The Bible teaches the values of respect, teamwork and commitment," said Carl. "It's in the best interest of every coach to know and apply the truths of the Bible to their daily life and coaching methodologies."

"As coaches, we all know that winning a game comes with a great game plan. Winning in life is no different," said Jim Haney, the executive director for National Association of Basketball Coaches. "Knowing God's Word is the foundation on which we build our lives. Faith Comes By Hearing is providing a great tool in listening to the Bible as a way of learning this great game plan."

Pastor Brett Fuller, the board president of Nations of Coaches and Chaplain of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, said that listening to the Bible was a great way for him to understand God's Word.

"The Gospel comes alive, and hearing the Word makes it seem as if the writer is penning a letter to you," Fuller added. As a result of Faith Comes By Hearing's Audio Bible, I find myself more prepared to lead in this day and age."

"In our sports outreach efforts, Faith Comes By Hearing's goal is to provide every collegiate team with the Word of God in the format that coaching staff and student athletes can and will use -- audio," said Carl.

In college basketball alone, there are more than 2,000 teams and nearly 32,000 athletes.

"For about $500, Faith Comes By Hearing can provide a free Audio Bible to every member of an athletic team," Carl said. "We'd like to see every athletic program take advantage of this opportunity."

To learn more, contact Roger Holien at 800-545-6552 or sports@FaithComesByHearing.com.