Bio

Coach Chris Springer enters his eighth season on the Bethel football staff in 2024-25. He is the defensive coordinator and serves as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.

Springer helped Bethel to an 11-0 regular season, Mid-South Conference championship and playoff appearance in 2022. The Wildcat defense finished the regular season ranked among the top 10 in the nation in multiple categories including scoring defense (12.3 points per game), pass defense (152.2 yards per game), defensive takeaways (25), interceptions (16) and third down defense while finishing in the top 25 in a number of other categories. The Wildcats held top 10 opponents on the road to an average of 12.6 points per game. Coach Springer helped mentor Brandon Moore to finish as a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, presented to the top small school defensive player in the nation. Moore was also named to the NAIA All-American team. Moore led the nation in passes defended while hauling in three interceptions. Springer helped mentor Bethel great Devious Christmon who was named first team All-Conference his senior year as a defensive back. Christmon went on to to receive a rookie mini-camp invitation from the NFL's Indianapolis Colts and finished his career as one of the all-time school leaders in interceptions.

Bethel went 7-4 in 2021, finishing 4-3 in the Mid-South Conference and 2-1 against opponents ranked in the top eight in the country. The Wildcats led the conference in total pass defense and pass defense efficiency. The Wildcat defense finished top 10 in the nation in third down defense and defensive takeaways. In 2019, Bethel was 5-5. The Wildcat defense finished fifth in the nation in defensive takeaways with 27. Springer helped Bethel capture the Mid-South Conference, Bluegrass Division championship in 2018 while going 10-0 during the regular season. The Wildcat secondary led the division with 18 interceptions and aided Bethel's 10th-ranked pass defense efficiency in the nation. The Wildcats finished first in the nation in defensive takeaways with 37. The Wildcats ranked 29th in total and scoring defense.

Springer arrived at Bethel before the 2017 season and helped lead the Wildcat defense to a improvement in total defense, scoring defense, pass defense and run defense while finishing third in the nation in defensive takeaways with 26. Springer spent the prior spring season at Georgia Military College. The previous three seasons he served as cornerbacks coach (2016) and defensive assistant (2014 and 2015) at Western Kentucky University. During his tenure with the Hilltoppers, Springer helped Western Kentucky to 31 victories, including two Conference USA championships and three consecutive bowl wins.

Springer got his coaching start in 2013 at Eastern New Mexico University where he oversaw the wide receivers for one season. That year, ENMU had its first winning season since 2004 and secured its first LSC conference title since 1991.

Springer played at Bethel and Lindenwood University where he was a four-year letterman and served as captain as a defensive back. Springer graduated from Lindenwood in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and earned a master's degree in sports recreation and administration from Western Kentucky University in 2017. Springer is a native of Bartlett, Tenn., and resides in Lexington with his wife Megan and daughters Chandler and Sydney.