Neal Thompson

What would J.T. do?

For the beefy gridiron apostles at John Curtis Christian School, Coach J.T. Curtis became a personal savior during the hellish aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The seasoned football coach shepherded his beleaguered, displaced fold back to the solid ground of River Ridge, a Big Easy ’burb and home of JCCS, one of the most famous football factories in the Louisiana low-country.

For Coach Curtis, the quest was personal. His circuit-riding-preacher father founded JCCS more than three decades ago. With an inspired combination of faith, will, tenacity and perseverance, Curtis used what he knew best—love of family and love of football—to steer his community toward the one thing it needed most: normalcy. It’s a resurrection story, pure and simple.