Coach Mike Ketchum: Assistant Coach of the Year

Photo provided by Rampage student photographer Abby Gasperson.

Bluefield University football coach Mike Ketchum has been a coach for more than 40 years — a long journey that has helped make him the coach he is today as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator for the BU Rams football team.

Coach Ketchum’s journey in coaching started in a very unique way — a way some might consider a blessing in disguise.

“It started when I was a senior in college,” Coach Ketchum recalled. “My knee got hurt so I got a redshirt year. While as I was hurt my coach allowed me to coach. After that year, I got my degree in business, but six months later I quit my job and started teaching and coaching football.”

Coach Ketchum’s first official coaching job was in Florida as a high school junior varsity coach.

“Football started down in Florida six months after I graduated,” Coach Ketchum said. “Ogalley High School did not have a JV coach and needed someone who could coach. I had played collegiate football for four years and had one year of coaching experience under my belt already, so I talked to the head coach. I had my business degree, so they hired me. It all came down to me getting hurt and taking educational courses that year.”

Coach Ketchum would eventually make his way to the collegiate level of coaching. In fact, when he takes the field this fall, Coach Ketchum will be entering his 45th year of coaching. The 2023 campaign will be his sixth at Bluefield. Before BU, he was the defensive coordinator at Hampton University, and before Hampton he was the head coach at his alma mater Guilford College. While at Guilford, Coach Ketchum won the school’s only conference championship in program history.

As offensive coordinator for the Rams, he helped lead the team last fall to its most successful season (8-3) since the program was revived in 2012. He was also named the 2022 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Assistant Coach of the Year.

When it comes to coaching, there are many different types of coaches. Some yell and are more firm, while others are positive. But the best kind of coach is a player’s coach. They correct players but they also love them, and everything they do when it comes to coaching benefits the players and makes them better.

“I’m a people’s coach,” Coach Ketchum said about his style of coaching. “I’ve always gotten along well with the players, and I always try to do right by the players. I will discipline you, but I think as long as you are fair with it, players will respond.”

And players do respond. One player, in particular, who has a lot of love for Coach Ketchum is three-time All-Conference left tackle Termaine Baker.

“Coach Ketchum is a great coach,” Baker said. “He praises us when we’re right and disciplines us when we’re wrong. He has his days where he can be tough on us, but everything he does is to make us better and for the greater good of our careers and the team. He played a big part in my success since I have been here in Bluefield, and I wouldn’t be the player I am without his guidance and knowledge.”

Coach Ketchum said he’s thankful for his 40-plus years of coaching and the accomplishments he has enjoyed along the way. He acknowledged how fortunate he is to have had such a long career in coaching knowing that a lot of people around the world want to be coaches. With that in mind, he offered some advice on how to get started on a coaching career.

“First thing is to make sure you get as much experience as a player as you can,” he said. “We all play a certain position in college, and we learn that position. While you are around football and football players in college you need to learn about the other positions also because there’s no guarantee that a DB (defensive back) gets to be a DB coach.”

Getting a career started can be difficult, and being pointed in the right direction and knowing where to start can be challenging. Coach Ketchum offered this added advice.

“You have to make connections; you have to talk to people and let them know this is what you want to do,” he said. “As a coach, you kind of have that responsibility to help other people become coaches and get where they want to get. The more people you know the more people that can help you.”

Lastly, coaching can be very stressful. Coaches work hard and have a busy schedule, but it’s necessary Coach Ketchum said to find a way to wind down. He shared a few thoughts about how he spends his free time and ways he relaxes when he gets the opportunity.

“My favorite thing to do when not coaching football is to go fishing,” Coach Ketchum said. “I come to find it very relaxing. A lot of times I forget my phone in the car on purpose, so I don’t have to hear it. Fishing is my real relaxation. I’ve caught a couple 10–12-pound sharks down in the Florida Keys.”

The Rams have a big year coming up. One thing that has been made clear by other coaches and the players is that Bluefield is a better team with Coach Ketchum on staff.