He heard the paramedic tell the ambulance driver, “We need to get him to the nearest hospital. He’s not going to make it.”

Physicians told his wife three times he might not live. A priest-friend traveled an hour to give him last rites.

John Knuth had been hit by a massive heart attack, a blockage in the left descending artery. Five stents did not create blood “reflow.” His body went into cardiogenic shock, sending him into a coma for four days, and 13 days in critical care.



After release from the hospital, he went through rigorous rehabilitation over three years that has him back doing things he liked so much before: hunting, golfing, exercising, enjoying family life with his wife, Ketha, son, daughter, and four grandkids.

All of this is remarkable in itself, a story that Knuth, 65, will share with you, in a kind of an aw-shucks manner, because he’d rather tell you about the new direction his life has taken since.

His life centered on Marysville High School, nearly 40 years teaching, coaching and administering athletics. For 27 of those years, he spent 14-15 hours a day coaching football, basketball and track.

It was in volleyball, however, where Knuth made his mark, winning nine state championships — eight in a row 1997-2004 — and racking up the sixth-best victory total, 1,135, in the state. Between 1996 and 2000, his teams won a state-record 192 matches in a row. He has received numerous national and state honors, including induction into national and state coaching halls of fame.

That part of his life came to an abrupt, shocking ending Oct. 1, 2011, when he suffered the heart attack coaching a volleyball game. Ironically, when John was seven, his father died while playing volleyball. He was 43.

Now, the part of his story Knuth likes to tell.

Last October — five years and 10 days after his heart attack — Knuth’s book, “Coaching 100 Days with Jesus,” was published. It’s subtitled, “Words of Wisdom for Coaches.” More accurately classified as a devotional, each of the “days” (chapters) begins with a scriptural quote that pertains to a particular aspect of coaching.

The hundred days coincide with the average length of a sports season.

“When I reached 75, I told Ketha that’s it,” he said. “But she told me, ‘You said you were going to do a hundred.” Knuth dedicated the book to his wife, a retired assistant superintendent of the East China Schools, “a great assistant coach who is my earthly guardian angel.”

In an interview in his home on the shore of the St. Clair River, Knuth said it took him 15 months to compile, research and write.

“I’ve sinned so much, made so many mistakes in my life,” he said. “Whatever I have accomplished, it’s because of the grace of God. When I failed, I wasn’t doing God’s will.”

He recalled his mother’s “great devotion to God. She didn’t preach it. She lived it. That resonated with me. It kept pulling me back to the Lord.”

In the introductory notes to his devotional, Knuth cites Psalm 118:17, “I did not die and I will proclaim what the Lord has done.”

Knuth’s intended audience includes coaches for all sports at all levels. The day-by-day ideas seem to cover just about all facets of coaching: organization, motivation, innovation, problem solving, expectations, on and on. He compares his book to a kind of coaching clinic, where techniques and strategies are discussed, but coaches pick and choose what they can adapt to their situation.

It’s also a spiritual clinic. The scriptural references — and they are numerous — are God’s words, Knuth writes. “My words may improve your coaching, but His will help you get to heaven.”

Each day becomes a moment for meditation. Here’s the gist of some:

Day Four, Passion. It’s the most important thing a coach must have. “It’s the fire in your belly, fueled by your love for the sport.” Passion “is the key to making Jesus the center of your life ... the Passion of Christ is the reason for having a passion for Jesus.”

Day 13: Plug the holes. Proper preparation by plugging the holes, the weaknesses, may help your team reach its potential. Those “holes” may be attitude, hustle, bench conduct, leadership, fundamentals, etc. What are the holes in your spiritual life: lust, envy, selfishness, greed? When you plug those holes, you will become closer to the Lord.

Day 53: Commitment. Coaches must be willing to give time and energy to something they believe in. A Christian must be willing to give time and energy to God. Do you believe in Him?

“Jesus is the center of my life,” Knuth said. A lifelong member of St. Christopher Parish in Marysville, he is involved in works of mercy, such as teaching religious education, working at a soup kitchen and leading a prison ministry, to help bring the love of God to other people.

Knuth said he has received much positive feedback from coaches and non-coaches alike who have read his work, but he knew from the beginning it was a success. “I helped one coach come closer to God. That was me.”

“Coaching 100 Days with Jesus” is published by Cross Training Publishing and has a list price of $15. It is available online at http://crosstrainingpublishing.com and at Amazon.com. Proceeds will be donated to Hope Smiles Uganda, headed up by dentist Dr. Ryan Shinska: www.hopesmiles.org.

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Don Horkey may be reached at [email protected].