October 26, 2026
For UCLA Bruins basketball champion Coach Cori Close, victory belongs to Christ alone
Close’s ‘level of dedication and faithfulness’ remains an inspiration for Christian coaches and athletes looking for success on every level, says FCA President and CEO Shane Williamson
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As the collegiate basketball season begins, all eyes are on national champion UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team after their monumental 37-1 record for the 2025-2026 season. But for Bruins Coach and longtime Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) supporter Cori Close, the victory — while sweet — is the best opportunity to bring glory to God rather than her own athletic and coaching prowess. After coaching the Bruins for 15 years, Close has maximized the program’s efficiency, focusing on long-term growth and team camaraderie. But for Close personally, the success is a reminder to remain close to God and trust Him rather than bask in her own merit.
“UCLA was my first head coaching job. I didn’t earn this,” Close commented. “Somehow God appointed me here, so I’ve been keenly aware that He gave me a vision and a mission that I could never do on my own strength. He has given me the opportunity to impact people, enter their worlds and love them where they are through basketball. It’s a gift, so it’s my job to steward it well.”
“Coach Close is a wonderful example of how coaches and athletes can perform to the highest caliber while giving all the glory to God,” said FCA President and CEO Shane Williamson. “Throughout her career in basketball, as both a player and a coach, Coach Close has always modeled how to prioritize a relationship with Christ instead of the sport. It’s this level of dedication and faithfulness that we at FCA hope to instill in our coaches and athletes.”
Raised in a basketball-focused family, Close attributes her passion for the sport to her father, another coach who both loved the game as well as God. Heading into her own collegiate career, Close was determined to succeed in basketball, putting her faith on the back burner. But her plans for her future were dashed by a ruptured Achilles tendon her freshman year, uprooting her personal goals and causing her to question God’s plan for her life.
“It was really in brokenness and failure that I started to learn how to cling to Jesus and boast all the more of my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me,” Close noted. “There have been truth tellers in my life, role models who have poured into me, prayed for me and supported me, and I am so grateful for them. There’s just no way I’m in this position without that group of people.”
This change in trajectory resulted in an award-winning coaching career and a passion for Jesus that spills out into Close’s everyday life. Close earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the 2025-2026 season and was also named the 2025 Naismith Coach of the Year and Associated Press Coach of the Year. Additionally, Close has used her position for the Kingdom of Jesus, serving at FCA Camps and creating relationships with staff. Thanks to her undeniable faith and partnership with FCA over the years, she was awarded the 2020 FCA Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Award, which is given to a women’s basketball coach who has coached according to biblical principles and nurtured the heart, body and mind of the athlete.
“We are honored to partner with coaches and athletes like Coach Close who have a heart not only for the Kingdom, but to instill that same love for Christ into the hearts and minds of others,” said Williamson.
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).
###
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.
