On a mission to educate and inspire at-risk youths with athletes and positive role models, J. David "Coach" Miller founded the SoCal Coyotes in 2012. The faith-based organization has supported more than 500,000 Coachella Valley youths in their clinics over the years and continues to grow.
In a recent email interview about the nonprofit and its impact on local kids, Miller talked about the importance of creating a support system for athletes who may be lacking as well as providing necessary coaching for aspiring football athletes. In a sign of success, SoCal Coyotes gained recognition in 2021 from State Senator Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) as the District 28 California Non-Profit of the Year. It has also been recognized by National Football League (NFL) executives.
“The Coyote vision is to become a national leader in the sphere of youth and family behavioral health, and in many areas we are already leading the way," Miller said.
According to Coach Miller, the Coyotes is a faith-based organization founded on two goals: firstly, to build a developmental professional football platform, and secondly, to provide strong, positive male role models and father figures, particularly to those who are lacking. At first, the program centered on football but it has since expanded into a full-service nonprofit for boys and girls of all ages, he said.
In recognition of the Coyotes. NFL executives have named them “America’s #1 Developmental Pro Football Program.” The Coyotes lead through their model of “Building Champions, Building Men” and “Defends the Shield” through year-round “Faith, Family, Football” leadership programs, community service opportunities and sports initiatives. The Coyotes' leadership programs provide blueprints for attainable progress which in turn benefit schools, communities and other organizations, Miller said.
Additionally, the nonprofit offers educational classes, employment programs, motivational leadership symposiums, coaching clinics and intramural football. Coach Miller said that “upwards of 50,000 youth each year” benefit from the nonprofit’s “Above the Line” leadership curriculum, which puts “special emphasis on at-risk, unprivileged, minority and displaced children.”
The Coyotes have many partners in their effort to help children, including other Coachella Valley youth programs like Boys & Girls Clubs, the YMCA, the Desert Strength Academy, the Boys & Girls Scouts of America and Rotary International. According to Miller, the SoCal Coyotes have seen several athletes go on to successful careers including Jeremy Lane who won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks, the Kentucky Christian University Head Coach Jacob Russell and Arena Football MVP Jarrod Harrington of the Arizona Rattlers.