Marble Falls High School football coach Brian Herman reflects on public baptism
Marble Falls High School head football coach Brian Herman was publicly baptized at Mustang Stadium on Aug. 19. Congregation members, school officials, and football players gathered to watch the ceremony. Courtesy photo
After the Marble Falls High School Meet the Mustangs event ended Aug. 19, community members gathered on the football field to witness the baptism of head football coach Brian Herman. A week later, Herman reflected on the faith-strengthening event.
“(Getting baptized) is something I’ve been praying about for quite some time, actually since I moved to Marble Falls in April of 2019,” he said. “It turned out to be even more than I could ever have imagined. The number of people who stayed and the impact it seems to have had on people has been overwhelming.”
Herman attends First Baptist Church of Marble Falls, 901 La Ventana Drive. He was baptized by Pastor Ross Chandler.
He said he was brought up around some religion and baptized during his childhood upon the request of his parents. He didn’t truly begin forming his own relationship with his Christian faith until 1994, when he met his wife, Nicole, he explained. Since then, he has attended church regularly. Earlier this year, he decided he wanted to recommit himself to his faith.
“When it first came to me, I wanted to do it in a private setting and didn’t want to make a big deal of it,” Herman said. “In some ways, I was a little uneasy that I was in my 40s and asking to be baptized. But the more I prayed about it, the more I felt called to do it more publicly.”
Herman coordinated with school administration to get permission to be baptized in the football stadium. While the baptism was not a school-sanctioned event and attendance was completely voluntary, administrators showed their support of the plan, which encouraged him, Herman said.
“Doing it publicly, I didn’t know how it would be received,” he explained. “I wasn’t sure if there would be ridicule or questioning or anything, but I felt that I was called to confess my faith in public like that to possibly be an example to someone considering it.”
Those who attended the ceremony included Herman’s wife and children, congregation members, those involved in the athletic program, and the entire football team.
“After everything was done, (the team) huddled around me and made noise and hugged me,” Herman said. “It was like winning a championship. It’s been a little over a week, and it’s been the best week of my life.”