As a coach and as Santa, Scott Calwell adds light to children’s lives

By John Shaughnessy

If you were limited to just one word to describe Scott Calwell’s life, a great choice would be “joyful.”

For the past 33 years, he has experienced the joy that comes from playing the role of Santa Claus for children in the Indianapolis area.

“There’s that connection you get when a true believer looks in your eyes,” he says.

As hard as that connection could be to match, Calwell has strived to do it for the past 22 years in coaching girls in basketball and softball at Christ the King Parish in Indianapolis.

“I just love doing it,” he says. “I always have. I like being around kids.”

As the athletic director at Christ the King, Geoff Thompson views Calwell’s gifts as a coach and as a Santa as being complementary.

“The best of Santa is in Scott every day,” Thompson says. “He loves kids.”

That combined love of children and his desire to help them grow in their sports, their faith and their lives have led Calwell to be named as a 2023 recipient of the St. John Bosco Award, the highest honor from the archdiocese’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO).

As distinctive and as telling as that honor is about Calwell, so is another moment from his coaching career. That’s the only time he was given a technical by a referee—for insisting that his team and the opposing team had time to pray together before the game.

It’s a story he shares with glee.

“Before every game, the teams would pray together. I’ve always done that,” he recalls. “One time, the games were running behind, and a ref said, ‘We don’t have time for that.’ I said, ‘We’re going to do this.’ We were arguing about it, and meanwhile the teams are out on the floor gathering to pray.

“Finally, I said, ‘You do whatever you feel you need to do, but we’re going to pray before this game.’ He gave me a technical. The only time I’ve ever been called out by an umpire or a referee is because I wanted to say a prayer at a Catholic Youth Organization game!”

For Calwell, that moment ties into his desire to help his players see what’s important in life.

“As a mentor, I hope they see a bigger picture,” he says. “The bigger picture is really about being of service to others. I firmly believe that service to others will set you free. That’s a common thread through any of my volunteer work. Whether that’s co-chair of the beer garden at the Christ the King festival, to being Santa Claus, to coaching, to helping a neighbor, it’s a connection to something greater.

“To me, the number one most important thing is building community. Especially in this day and age, it’s desperately needed. I want to help them understand that we’re all together in this life. And the more you can do for others, the more light there is to spread.

“We’re trying to create responsible individuals who understand teamwork, community, humility—all those things about life.” †

Related story: Archbishop encourages CYO volunteers to keep Christ as their focal point