As the most exciting time in NCAA college
basketball comes to a close for the year,FCA is proud to present its annual John Lotz “Barnabas” Award to Indiana
Wesleyan University’s (IWU) Greg Tonagel for his leadership, dedication and
commitment both on and off the court.
The
award is given annually to honor a basketball coach who best exhibits a
commitment to Christ, integrity and encouragement to others, and lives a
balanced life. Tonagel is the 20th winner of the “Barnabas” Award, named for
former North Carolina assistant and Florida head coach John Lotz.
“Greg Tonagel
exemplifies the ideals of the John Lotz Award—commitment, integrity and
encouragement,” said Shane Williamson, FCA President
and CEO. “For almost 20 years in basketball, we have loved watching Tonagel
lead both on and off the court and truly impact the lives of his players.”
Tonagel etched himself into the Indiana Wesleyan Basketball
record books, setting program coaching records for most wins (478), highest
winning percentage (.802), most NAIA National Tournament wins (34), most NAIA
National Tournament appearances (14), most Crossroads League Regular Season
Championships (13), and most CL Tournament Championships (5). IWU has also
enjoyed 8 seasons with at least 30 wins under Coach Tonagel and possess a
current streak of 16-straight seasons with at least 20 wins.
Off the court, Tonagel has invested time to share God’s Word at
IWU FCA campus huddle meetings, led chapels at FCA Leadership Camp for high school and middle school students and served as the
keynote speaker for an FCA Banquet as well.
Coach Tonagel also joined the FCA Coaches Chat—
a weekly fellowship time for coaches over Zoom in 2020— to share how God was
working in his and his players’ hearts immediately following the cancellation
of the 2020 NAIA National Tournament. IWU was warming up for its First-Round
game as a number one seed poised to win a 4th national title when they received
word that the tournament had been cancelled, and Coach Tonagel used that
opportunity to share the hope of Christ with others during a time of great
disappointment for the program.
Tonagel’s coaching mission is “to raise a generation of men who
will trade the pursuit of ‘me’ for the pursuit of ‘three,’” meaning that Christ
should be a first priority, followed by others, then the self.
Tonagel and his wife, Amy, have six children, Jace, William,
Allie, Riley, Abbigail, and Joel.
Since
its launch by FCA in 2003, the “Barnabas” Award has honored an
impressive and impactful lineup of coaches. Past winners and their respective
schools at the time of the award are: John Wooden,
UCLA (2004); Steve Alford, Iowa (2006); Ritchie McKay, Virginia (2009); Tom
Crean, Indiana (2013); Hubert Davis, North Carolina (2018); Scott Drew, Baylor
(2019); Tony Bennett, Virginia (2020); and Brad Soucie, Liberty University
(2021).
-FCA-
Photos courtesy of IWUhoops.net