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'Coach Pop' an inspiration for Shorter men's basketball squad
ROME – He never calls a play, sets up the offense or
defense, or decides to when to substitute when he sits on the bench
during a game. Yet he remains a vital part of the Shorter
University men’s basketball program – especially to the
members of the team who call him “Coach Pop.”
He is Charles Warner, a man who has volunteered his time, his advice and his prayers to the Hawks for the past five years after his son Chad Warner took over the program as its head coach.
“Chad asked me if I wanted to be involved with the kids and help the team when he became the head coach,” Charles said. “He said ‘Dad, lend me your years of experience’ and I’ve been involved since Day 1.
“I love being with the team and they’ve been as good for me as I’ve been for them.”
“He’s a guy who pulls for them – he’s in their corner all the time,” Chad Warner said of his father’s key role for the Hawks. “He admits he’s not a basketball expert, but he has life experiences we’ve never had.”
What ‘Coach Pop’ brings to the team is a message of perseverance, faith in God, family and respect for others.
Born and raised in Rome, Charles graduated with a degree in marketing from the University of Georgia – he attended Shorter for a semester – and returned home to become a successful insurance agent who owned his own agency.
His life, however, was turned upside down when Chad was a junior at Georgia. With his son nearing graduation, Charles was involved in a near fatal head-on automobile accident, one that resulted in life-threatening injuries and months of rehabilitation.
Although he retired from the business world in the wake of the accident, Charles remains active in his church and in the community, serving on the NAIA Football National Championship Host Committee and operating a local soup kitchen once a month.
But it is the Hawks – the players – who he so dearly loves to be involved with.
“Just being with the kids and getting to know them – that’s amazing to me and I’m blessed to be able to do it,” said Charles, who noted that his ‘Coach Pop’ moniker came from the players that first year.
“It’s amazing how much they can talk and I’m always happy to listen,” he said. “If any of them have a problem, I’m more than happy to help them with it.”
That help doesn’t just come in the form of words of wisdom or encouragement, which are strengths of Charles.
“If they need to get their car fixed, I can tell them where to go around Rome,” said Charles.
“He brings a different perspective to it,” Chad said about his dad’s willingness to help the players adjust to life in Rome.
Adjusting to being a student-athlete, however, is what ‘Coach Pop’ understands can be hard.
“The kids have been great and they’re not just basketball players, but students as well,” Charles said. “I’m impressed with them and what they can do. They all come from different backgrounds and some of them have overcome insurmountable odds to get this far. In addition to having the pressure every college kid has, these kids also have the pressure of practices and games. But I believe athletics makes better people.
“Basketball is a good way to reinforce life’s lessons you’ll encounter. It’s about working together, being respectful, looking professional – things you use in life.”
When Shorter tips off the new season Nov. 1 at home against Point University from Atlanta, ‘Coach Pop’ will take his usual seat on the bench, there to support the team no matter what happens throughout the season.
And all the while, he will leave a lasting impression.
“What is surprising to me is that at the banquets we’ve had after the season ends, there has always been a player who gets choked up when they talk about ‘Coach Pop,’” said Chad.
“They know I love them,” Charles said. “I’d do anything for them.”
