October 19, 2026
FCA community becomes lifelong source of faith and support for Oklahoma football coach
After years of service and profound personal loss, Jason Doran and his family remain devoted to helping others through FCA
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With the NFL season underway and football commanding national attention, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is sharing the story of Oklahoma high school assistant football coach Jason Doran. Introduced to FCA as a teenager, Doran built a lifelong connection to the ministry that would help sustain his family through profound loss.
For Doran, sports offered a refuge growing up. Though unfamiliar with church, he noticed that certain coaches and teammates shared a confidence rooted in something bigger than football.
“My parents divorced when I was young, and I lived with my mom,” Doran said. “We didn’t really attend church as a family. So FCA was my introduction to all of that.”
During his senior year of high school, Doran attended FCA Camp in Estes Park, Colorado, where he heard from former Baylor football coach Grant Teaff and former NFL players 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,” Doran said.
At Sterling College in Kansas, where he played wide receiver and later joined the coaching staff, FCA remained a key part of Doran’s life. He even proposed to his future wife, Tami, at an FCA meeting.
As they raised a family, the Dorans made FCA Camp a summer tradition, volunteering and helping other children attend.
“Our kids went to FCA Camp every summer, and we helped raise money for others to go, too,” Doran said.
Through those years of service, the family built relationships that would prove invaluable when tragedy struck.
In March 2024, their youngest son, Zach, an 18-year-old senior and football captain at Mustang High School, collapsed while training for an upcoming mixed martial arts match. He never recovered and died 10 days later.
As the Dorans grieved, calls, messages and condolences poured in from the FCA community they had been part of for decades.
The family chose to honor Zach by giving other children the opportunity to experience the faith and community they had found through camp over the years.
“When Zach died, we didn’t want flowers,” Doran said. “We asked them to donate to FCA.”
The result was the Zach Doran Camp Scholarship Fund, established with approximately $7,000 in memorial donations. The family continues to use the money to send children to FCA Camp at no cost.
The scholarships bring the family’s story full circle. Decades after a camp helped shape Jason’s faith, other young people are receiving that same opportunity.
“Football first connected Jason to FCA, but the ministry became part of his family’s life,” FCA Chief Field Officer Rick Isaiah said. “Jason and Tami spent years investing in young people and building relationships that supported them through their loss. Now they are honoring Zach by giving other children the opportunity to experience the faith, encouragement and community they found in FCA.”
Jeremy Tims, FCA Moore and Norman Area Director, said the Dorans’ commitment to serving others began long before the scholarship.
“Their kids have attended as campers. They’ve all come to family camp. Jason and Tami have led marriage retreats,” Tims said. “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.”
Doran continues coaching at Mustang High School and serving through FCA, while the scholarship bearing Zach’s name carries forward the family’s legacy of faith and service.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ vision is to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. Its mission is to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church. FCA’s guiding values are integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence.
Since 1954, FCA has used the powerful medium of sports and building relationships to reach the world for Jesus Christ. FCA is cultivating Christian principles by engaging, equipping and empowering coaches and athletes to know and grow in Christ and lead others to do the same so that lives are changed for current and future generations.
Visit Fellowship of Christian Athletes at fca.org and on Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly Twitter).
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To interview a Fellowship of Christian Athletes representative, contact Hamilton Strategies, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096 ext. 105, or Richard Jefferson, rjefferson@hamiltonstrategies.com.
