Spreading the word

Published 10:47 am Friday, February 29, 2008

SEATTLE — Even for a mid-week matchup against a struggling Pacific Division rival, the commotion inside KeyArena starts to swell at least an hour before tip-off.

Die-hard Sonics fans filter into the sea of empty stands, TV and radio crews solicit prospective soundbites and autograph-seeking youngsters bump elbows along the railing as they wait for players to emerge from the tunnel.

Outside the home locker room, Mike Rohrbach sets down his briefcase and takes a few moments to review his notes.

The longtime Edmonds resident and father of four is a behind-the-scenes fixture at Sonics games and plays a prominent part in the team’s pregame routine.

For 14 of the past 17 years, Rohrbach has served as team chaplain for the Sonics, a volunteer role that intertwines two of the ordained minister’s passions in life: church and sport.

By day, Rohrbach is the director of Run to Win Outreach, a youth sports ministry he and his wife co-founded in 1992. Run to Win puts on sports camps during the summer and on Feb. 27 the organization will partner with the Sonics for its annual Celebration of Joy postgame rally.

“It’s awesome. I feel like I have the best job in the world,” said Rohrbach, a linebacker and team captain on the University of Washington’s 1978 Rose Bowl team. “Once in a while I joke with my wife and say, ‘Well, Honey, I’ll see ya. I’m going off to play.’”

On game days, Rohrbach arrives at the arena about two hours early and greets players and coaches from both teams with an outstretched hand and gentle smile. Like a doctor making his rounds, Rohrbach pauses every few feet to catch up with police officers, ushers and other support staffers.

After the final stop on his goodwill tour, Rohrbach heads back to the weight room, which he quickly transforms into a makeshift chapel with a bit of redecorating. A handful of players fill the padded weight benches that double as pews and following some brief introductory words, Rohrbach reveals the theme of the night’s service: “Stand firm, even when the battle heats up.”

While most of their teammates are on the court stretching out and loosening up, it’s Rohrbach’s job to make sure those who are interested get “prayed up,” a phrase he borrows from ex-Sonic Avery Johnson, who happens to be Rohrbach’s favorite player.

Time is a precious commodity for NBA chaplains and Rohrbach is watchful of the clock. Services generally last anywhere from eight to 15 minutes and if there’s an overriding message to Rohrbach’s sermons, he said it’s that “no matter what the circumstance, there’s hope in Christ.”

Or in more sporting terms, that “God has a game plan for everyone.”

“I always try to make it real uplifting to the guys, but also challenge them with their faith and the way they’re living it out,” said Rohrbach, who has also been the volunteer team chaplain for the UW football team since 1989 and hasn’t missed a game — home or away — in 15 years.

Rohrbach shares the Sonics chaplain duties with Steve Carter, of Everett. At the start of the season, the two split up the schedule and depending on which team is coming to town, sometimes they’ll work games together.

“People are surprised when they first learn that every NBA team has a chaplain and chapel is offered before every game and a number of guys in the league choose to participate in that,” Rohrbach said.

“Over the last number of years (attendance) has been pretty steady. You can always count on three or four guys from the Sonics and maybe two or three guys from the opposing team.”

It wasn’t always that way. When Rohrbach first took over as Sonics chaplain for George Toles in 1986 there was a stretch of three straight games where no one showed up.

“You put a lot of time into preparing a message you hope is going to be uplifting and encouraging and challenging,” Rohrbach said. “I remember the first time it happened to me, I was pretty discouraged … you invest quite a bit of time.”

Chaplains have become commonplace in today’s college and professional sports world, but the NBA is unique in that players and coaches from opposing sides can meet for a joint service. Not everyone, however, is a fan of the current arrangement.

While he was still coaching the Knicks, Jeff Van Gundy caught some heat a few years back when he told New York magazine he wanted to limit the time the team chaplain spent with his players.

Van Gundy criticized the notion of excessive socializing between players before games, saying “the two worst things to happen to the NBA were God and golf. … It used to be alcohol and women. I think we’ve given this guy, the pastor, too much freedom. Everyone is hugging before games, praying together. The interaction between opposing sides before games, the fraternization, is wrong for the league.”

Rohrbach paints a different picture.

“This league is so transitional and so many guys have played so many places. They know each other, they’ve met each other, in many cases they’ve played together,” he said.

“Our chapel message isn’t designed as a, ‘Rah, rah, go out and kill your opponent.’ It’s much more than that. It’s dealing with (the players) as men and taking the responsibility that God has placed within their lives, utilizing the platform they have and being a good witness on and off the court.”

Besides Van Gundy’s complaints, Rohrbach has encountered other misconceptions about NBA chaplains.

“Sometimes I think people maybe think it’s very glamorous. It’s not,” he said. “You’re here to cultivate relationships and encourage guys.”

Not that there aren’t perks that come with working for a pro franchise. Like the time Rohrbach’s son got to meet Michael Jordan, or the time he held an impromptu chapel on the Bulls logo at midcourt during the 1996 NBA finals in Chicago because the media had taken up every inch of real estate backstage.

Those are the moments Rohrbach treasures most, but he also remembers occasions when he’s been able to offer comfort to players and their families when he least expected.

“A guy called me one time at like 4:15 in the morning to let me know his sister was having emergency surgery in Dallas and (asked if) I could call and pray with her over the phone,” Rohrbach said. “So I called her and said, ‘You don’t know me, but your brother who loves you a lot asked me to call and wish you well and pray for you.’”

As Rohrbach sees it, being available 24-7 comes with the territory. Team chaplains are important members of the support system athletes of all ages depend on for guidance.

“The life of an NBA player is one of pressure,” Rohrbach said. “You’re only as good as your last jump shot. There’s always younger guys coming into the league trying to dethrone the guys who have been here and paid their dues.

“It’s a job where you’re very well paid and rewarded for your talent, but it’s a pressure-cooker. It really is. I marvel at how these guys handle themselves.”

With too many comings and goings over the past few seasons to count, Rohrbach acknowledged he’s still getting to know some of the newer Sonics. But though the names and faces around him are subject to change, Rohrbach’s faithful service remains the same.

“These are young guys who are no different from the rest of us, except they’re blessed with the ability to play basketball,” Rohrbach said. “Like all of us, they’re looking for answers and encouragement. I’m thankful they’ll take time out for the Lord. That’s inspiring to me.”