A mentor's mantle: Mike Blanc, Auburn football chaplain

AUBURN, Ala. – On his recruiting visit to the Plains 20 years ago, Mike Blanc met Rev. Chette Williams, Auburn football’s team chaplain and Fellowship of Christian Athletes campus director. 

“I didn’t even know teams had chaplains,” Blanc said. “I didn’t know it was a thing.”

Brother Chette, as Williams was known, told the prospective Tiger about Bible studies, one-on-one meetings with student-athletes and an optional Friday chapel service before football games.

“’Here at Auburn, you have an opportunity to grow physically, mentally and spiritually,’” Brother Chette said. 

That was all Blanc needed to hear.

“I’m going to Auburn,” he recalled. “That’s for me. I felt like God was trying to make it clear as day, ‘Here’s the spot that I have for you.’ Chette was a big part of me choosing Auburn University.”

Blanc traces his Christian faith – and his athletic prowess – to ninth grade at Deerfield Beach High School in South Florida, when he began attending and serving in his church while excelling in football, basketball and track and field. 

“When it came to deciding what school I was going to go to, my faith was extremely important to me,” Blanc said. “I said, ‘Lord, whatever school I go to, I want to be able to serve you there.’”

After playing defensive line for Auburn from 2006-10, Blanc followed his mentor into ministry, serving as team chaplain at the University of Miami from 2017-25. 

“What Chette did better than anybody else, we call it in the world of FCA or chaplaincy, the ministry of presence,” Blanc said. “When Chette spoke to you, he made you feel like you were the only person in the world who mattered at that time.

“That’s what I learned from Chette: taking the time to develop relationships with staff, with people, and do life with them. I was able to do that with him and that was a huge thing I took from him.”

After Williams passed away last December, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze invited Blanc to return to his alma mater. 

At first, Blanc hesitated. 

“Chette is this Moses-like figure,” Blanc said. “How can you come after Chette?”

Blanc found his answer in his Bible, recalling how Joshua succeeded Moses and led the Israelites into the Promised Land. 

“God tells Joshua, ‘I’m going to be with you the same as I was with Moses,’” Blanc said. “That’s what’s comforting. My prayer is, Lord, the same way you were with Chette, be with me in that way even more. Lord, give me a double portion of what you gave Chette.

“That’s why I’m back here. I really felt like, and know that, God was saying, ‘This is where I want you to be. You’re going to continue to build upon what Chette started here over 26 years ago.’

“God called. Chette was my mentor. Chette meant a lot to me and this program.” 

Blanc began his new role in March. His family – Mike’s wife, Melanie, and their four children – joined him in June. 

“Coach Freeze and his staff have opened the doors and made me feel like family already,” Blanc said. “We have a great group of young men on this football team who want to do right and work hard. I’m excited about this season to see those guys go out there and play.

“It’s been really good coming back here and getting connected with not just the team, but the Auburn family and the Auburn community.”

Blanc’s experience as a former Auburn football player helps him connect with student-athletes. 

“This guy actually sat in my seat, went through what I went through, knows about hard workouts, knows what it looks like to balance athletics and academics,” Blanc said. “College was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, but God uses all those things to create you into the Auburn man or the man he desires you to be, so it’s a beautiful thing.”

Blanc ended his Auburn career triumphantly, helping the Tigers win the 2010 national championship, noting how that team’s off-the-field bond translated to on-field success.

“I think about a team that was connected,” Blanc recalled. “We did everything together. We challenged each other on and off the field. Everything was a competition. Everyone had each other’s back, and we loved each other. Faith was a big foundation of that team.”

Blanc carried that lesson ever since, from Miami back to Auburn. 

“I told our guys I haven’t been on any good teams that faith wasn’t the foundation,” Blanc observed. “Those circles of chapel and small group give you opportunities to be there for your brothers. You hear what’s really happening in the lives of your brothers.”

To help build that connection, Blanc again takes a page out of Brother Chette’s playbook.

“It’s really about doing life with them,” said Blanc, mentioning “Chicken tender Tuesdays” as an example of how he tries to connect with every player, not only those inclined to participate in FCA events.

“I tell people being a team chaplain means you are the team chaplain,” Blanc said, emphasizing the word team. “That means you serve every single individual on this team: coaches, staff, support staff, equipment, training room and all players. 

“Guys who might not come from a faith-based background, you’ve got to find ways to interact with those individuals because that’s important. I try to find unique opportunities to get into those guys’ lives as well.

“How do you serve everybody on the team regardless of what they believe and what backgrounds they come from. For me, it helps that I played here, I was in their shoes. I can relate to them on a lot of different levels.”

Two decades after that fateful and faith-filled meeting with Brother Chette, Mike Blanc carries on his mentor’s ministry.

“Because of how Auburn blessed me, coming back was really important,” Blanc said. “There were great coaches and great men like Chette who poured into my life. I want to make sure I can return the favor and do the same exact thing, and even more, for our players, our coaches and the Auburn community. That’s a big reason why I’m back.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer