CAK names Travis Mozingo head varsity football coach
Christian Academy of Knoxville has found its new football coach.
The school introduced Travis Mozingo late last week. Mozingo replaces Rusty Bradley, who resigned in January after nine years as head coach of the Warriors to take the head coaching position at University School of Jackson.
Bradley won 88 games as CAK’s head coach and guided the Warriors to consecutive Class 3A State Championships in 2011 and 2012. Mozingo inherits a CAK program that has reached the state quarterfinals in each of the last six seasons.
The new coach also takes over a program that returns some talented players, including quarterback Cole Smith. Smith has started since midway through his freshman season and will begin his senior campaign with the Warriors this fall.
“I’m looking forward to meeting the players and meeting Cole,” said Mozingo, who most recently served as defensive coordinator and strength coach at Mt. Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, Ga. “I say, if it’s not broken, then, don’t fix it. You will see some similarities on both offense and defense, but you’ll see a few new wrinkles.”
CAK athletic director John East is pleased to add Mozingo to the school’s coaching staff.
“We conducted an extensive search and we are very confident that we have found the right person to lead our football program,” East said. “Throughout the interview process, coach Mozingo communicated a vision that’s closely aligned with CAK.
“He comes from a similar institution where he had success and made a tremendous impact on and off the field. We are excited to add coach Mozingo to our staff.”
Mozingo, 41, has 17 years of coaching experience and brings 15 years of experience into the classroom. He started the football program at Shiloh Hills Christian School in Kennesaw in 2001. He was head coach there for four years.
He later went on to work as an assistant at Sequoyah High School (Canton, Ga.). He became an associate head coach there until departing to become defensive coordinator at Lambert High School in Suwanee, Ga.
While at Mt. Paran, Mozingo coached on teams that went 33-5 and won a Georgia Class A State Championship in 2014.
He comes to CAK in search of a new challenge and likes the family atmosphere at the school.
“I did my research on CAK,” Mozingo said. “It has a family atmosphere there. That was obvious throughout the entire interview process with coach East.
“That really appealed to me. I am genuinely excited about the opportunity to serve the families at CAK. There is obviously a tradition of excellence on the football field, but what excites me more is the opportunity to partner with the faculty and staff to impact the young men at CAK.”
Faith is the foundation for Mozingo’s philosophy and values.
“I believe that the Christian walk has tremendous parallels to coaching, he said. “Themes like servant-leadership, accountability, humility and love will be the everyday language of our coaching staff.
“[That is] no different than what you would hear in an individual or corporate worship setting.”
Mozingo prides himself on being a family man away from the game.
He and his wife Beth have been married for 18 years. The couple has three children. Madeline is 15. Mackenna is 13 and Maddox is nine.
He’s an avid college football fan and enjoys deer hunting.
“My favorite teams are the teams that my kids play for,” Mozingo said. “I don’t have a favorite team in college football but I love the game.
Mozingo played football at Division III Marantha Baptist University where he earned a degree in history education. He also holds a Master’s Degree in history from Western Illinois University.
