Coach Greg Handlesman was the football coach at Nicolae Carpathia High School during Judd Thompson Jr.'s junior year at Nicolae Carpathia High School. Coach Handlesman played the role of a double agent, pretending to be against believers when he secretly was looking out for them, especially those that were part of The Young Tribulation Force. At the end of that school year, Handlesman claimed to be involved with the Underground newspaper and behind its illegal distribution. He was subsequently removed from the school and sent to a "reeducation" facility.
His first name was revealed in the Dramatic Audio, but he was always referred to as "Coach Handlesman" in the books.
Biography[]
After the Rapture[]
Coach Handlesman confiscated the Bibles of John Preston and Mark Eisman during an assembly at the first day of school. When Judd Thompson Jr. asked about this, he said that they hadn't allowed Bibles at the school since before they were born. During the assembly, Judd publicly objected when Principal Laverne Jenness announced the policy that the school would not allow the public discussion of the religious explanation of the disappearances because the school would be the wrong venue to entertain that hypothesis. Judd wondered why the freedom of speech would be abridged for those who espouse the religious explanation. Principal Jenness responded saying that it is not a freedom of speech issue but a separation of church and state issue. Jenness dismissed the assembly before Judd had an opportunity to respond. Judd's classmates praised him for being raucous, but Judd was frustrated that they did not realize that he was serious. As the students were leaving the assembly, Coach Handlesman shouldered his way to Judd to tell him that he liked Judd better when he made trouble by being a "no-account" and said that Judd was angling now to be a "smart-aleck".
Coach Handlesman vigorously opposed the distribution of The Underground newspaper by the Young Tribulation Force. On the first distribution attempt, Coach Handlesman removed The Underground from the bins where the school newspaper was normally available to students. After the second distribution attempt where Mark Eisman and John Preston were able to slip in the forbidden periodical within the school's official newspaper, all the students who were involved in the school newspaper for the last three years were called to the office. There, Coach Handlesman interrogated the advisor to the student newspaper, Mr. Carlson, about how he picked up the papers at the print shop and how where the papers placed in the distribution bins. Coach Handlesman then threatened expulsion of all the journalism students unless the culprits confessed. Vicki arrived in the office because she was late to school as her was at the hospital besides Shelly after Shelly attempted suicide by swallowing a bottle of sleeping pills. Vicki overheard the meeting and saw John and Mark in a conference room. John saw Vicki, and he nodded to her. Vicki then tripped off the fire alarm to adjourn the meeting.
John and Judd wondered why Coach Handlesman was so fixated with confiscating a few Bibles and copies of The Underground. Mark said that a week before, his and John's Bibles were returned to their lockers without any note or explanation. While confiscating their Bibles made Handlesman appear to oppose Christianity, such a move may also serve to protect Mark and John since taking away their Bibles would make them less notable.
Bruce Barnes alerted the Young Tribulation Force that there is another underground believer within Nicolae High and that person believes that they were in grave danger. Bruce said that person knew John and Mark were involved in the distribution of The Underground because their Bibles were confiscated and they were apart of the school newspaper. Bruce warned the Young Tribulation Force about potentially getting expelled because Nicolae High had a high profile and the Global Community wanted to make the school a test case where they would assign GC monitors who have authority to make arrests. The Global Community would not permit Christian proselytizing in a school named after him.
After the Young Tribulation Force's third distribution campaign where they sneaked into the school at 2 AM to put copies of The Underground directly into the students' lockers, Coach Handlesman was involved in the effort to confiscate as many copies of The Underground as possible. Handlesman barked at students and banged on their lockers if they were too slow in opening their lockers to give to the Global Community monitors with trash bags who collected them. During that day, Coach Handlesman came on the speaker system to announce that Nicolae Carpathia High School had witnessed its "last incident of rebellion" and that they would find those responsible that day. Coach Handlesman entered Mr. Carlson's English class with two Global Community guards to ask for Vicki Byrne. Handlesman said to Vicki that the school knows about her involvement in The Underground and that "it's over".
When Vicki was brought in the office, Coach Handlesman asked why Vicki pulled the fire alarm and that they analyzed the video of the kids who broke into the school the night before. Vicki was not intimidated into confessing that she broke into the school and her involvement in distributing The Underground, but she did apologize for tripping the fire alarm and expressed her willingness to pay a fine. Mrs. Jenness said that they are willing to overlook the fire alarm prank, but the newspaper is much more grievous. Coach Handlesman said that Vicki knew that they were bluffing about being able to see her face on the security cameras that night. Handlesman and Jenness expressed that they were willing to show Vicki leniency if she confessed as they portrayed her as a suggestible lackey who got caught up in something that she did not orchestrate. Shelly and her mother were in the office too. Shelly's mother implicated Vicki because Shelly said that she and Vicki talked about the newspaper. Coach Handlesman told Shelly's mother that the accusation does not prove anything so she would not get a monetary reward. Mrs. Waltonen came in the office and interrupted the meeting, saying that it would be worth their while for Handlesman and Jenness to hear from her. Mrs. Waltonen expressed interest in Vicki's beliefs and at one point dropped off Vicki at Judd's house, which upset Judd because they can now connect Vicki to Judd. Vicki was dismissed from the meeting with Principal Jenness saying that she is to return tomorrow with her parents. After school, Vicki was walking, and she was suspicious that someone was stalking her with a car.
As Vicki was running from someone who was stalking her, Judd showed up in his car and picked her up. Judd said it has got to be Handlesman or someone he assigned to follow her. Later that day, Vicki decided to stop by New Hope Village Church to see Bruce Barnes on the way home. As Judd waited in the car with the engine on, Vicki emerged from the church, urging Judd to go, as Coach Handlesman surprisingly was chasing her. Vicki said that Pastor Bruce's door was slightly open and that she knocked, but then Coach Handlesman starts yelling and accuses Bruce of crimes and threatening to have him thrown in prison. On the next morning, Coach Handlesman showed up at Judd's house, rang the doorbell, and pounded on the door. He was let in by Judd, and Handlesman grabbed Vicki by the arm to take her to a hearing to decide her fate.
Coach Handlesman, Mrs. Jenness, and Mrs. Waltonen testified against Vicki during the hearing. Candace Goodwin, a Global Community social worker, was also present. Since Vicki did not show up with any parents or relatives, Candace Goodwin assumed that Vicki's parents were lost in the vanishings. Vicki said that she had no living relatives in her vicinity and that she was living with friends. Vicki recounted her life ever since her parents became Christians, how it positively affected their lives, and her experience of being left behind after the Rapture. Goodwin said that they are contemplating sending her to an emergency shelter called The Haven or to Northside Detention Center. Since Vicki was unwilling to say who she was working with when distributing The Underground, Goodwin committed her to Northside Detention Center.
Vicki was later adopted by the Stein family from Northside Detention Center. After she was adopted, one day, Vicki went back to Nicolae High and saw Shelly in the girls' gym class. Shelly said that she should have seen what the guys have done with The Underground. Vicki became suspicious towards Shelly since her mother reported her to the school administration and that she seemed to know the identities of the people behind The Underground even though Vicki did not tell her. A few minutes later, to Vicki's surprise and horror, Shelly brought out Coach Handlesman, pulling him by the arm. Mrs. Jenness and a GC guard appeared, and Mrs. Jenness asked for Judd Thompson Jr., as he just boarded a flight to Israel. Jenness said that they had proof that Vicki was Thompson's accomplice in helping him distribute and compose the newspaper. Coach Handlesman vehemently interjecting, asking what evidence they had that Vicki helped Thompson. Jenness asked Handlesman again where was Judd, but Handlesman said that he did not know. Mrs. Waltonen entered the room, and Mrs. Jenness ordered her secretary to get the superintendent, Gerald Pembroke, on the phone. Jenness said that Handlesman's career was in jeopardy. When Principal Jenness kept implicating Vicki with The Underground, Handlesman shouted, "Enough!" and asked them to leave her alone as he will tell them everything. Handlesman told Superintendent Pembroke that they should not blame Vicki because it was all his responsibility. Handlesman inferred that Mrs. Waltonen told them that he is a born-again Christian. Handlesman said he was motivated to distribute The Underground because he wanted to reach as many students as possible.
When Coach Handlesman and Vicki were alone, she came clean to Vicki about his role in the Young Tribulation Force's affair in the last months. Vicki was in immediate disbelief and thought this was another scheme by Handlesman to get her in trouble. Coach Handlesman wanted Vicki to confess her involvement in The Underground because he believed that he can protect her before the Global Community authorities became involved. While Vicki was in Northside Detention Center, she learned that someone spoke up her so that should would be immediately adopted. Coach Handlesman told her that he pretended to be someone else and that they believed every word.
Coach Handlesman was sent to a reeducation facility for claiming to be the mastermind behind the distribution of The Underground newspaper at Nicolae Carpathia High School. He showed up at the graduation at Nicolae Carpathia High, saying that he got out on good behavior, and said that he supported Judd Thompson Jr. no matter what he did. In Judd's speech during the graduation which was televised by CNN and had Leon Fortunato attending, he claimed responsibility for the paper. Judd Thompson was able to then evangelize during his speech saying that "there is one way, one truth, one path to life and peace, and that is through Jesus Christ." The tech crew tried to shut down the sound system, but it was to no avail. Judd finished his speech with a composition of the sinner's prayer. Coach Handlesman was in the back and was standing clapping after Judd delivered the speech. The peacekeepers concluded that Handlesman was behind the device that allowed Judd to override the sound system. He was then sent back to a reeducation camp and never appeared in the series again.
In On the Run, Candace Goodwin confirmed that he and Mrs. Waltonen were at a reeducation facility.
It is not revealed what had happened to Coach Handlesman after he was sent to a reeducation facility the second time. He may have escaped from the reeducation facility after the Wrath of the Lamb earthquake, just as LeRoy Banks escape prison during the earthquake or Judd and Taylor Graham escaped just as they were being transported to a reeducation camp. Coach Handlesman would have been executed when the Mark of Loyalty to Nicolae Carparthia would be rolled out to prisoners, just like Anton Rudja, if he remained in the reeducation camp. If he was not in Global Community custody during the introduction of the mark of loyalty, it is possible that Coach Handlesman may have survived to the Glorious Appearing.
Personality[]
Coach Handlesman has a gruff voice. He seems to have an intimidating presence. While the Young Tribulation Force were contemplating the perils of distributing a forbidden newspaper at Nicolare Carpathia High School, Mark Eisman asked the group whether they would have the fortitude to maintain secrecy and not betray the group if someone Coach Handlesman was looking down on them. When Coach Handlesman went into Vicki's English class to get her to question Vicki about her involvement in The Underground, he leaned into her a just few inches away from her face.
While he was ostensibly opposing the Young Tribulation Force, he seems prone to anger when he thinks that students are not complying with the school's directives for suppressing The Underground. Perhaps this behavior reflected Coach Handlesman's personality before he became a believer.
Appearances[]
- 5. Nicolae High (first appearance)
- 6. The Underground
- 7. Busted!
- 8. Death Strike (last appearance)
Mentions[]
- 10. On the Run
Trivia[]
- Coach Handlesman's first appearance is in book 5.
- Coach Handlesman's last appearance is in book 8.
- Coach Handlesman was the first staff member from Nicolae Carpathia High School to become a believer.
- Coach Handlesman's first name is revealed in the Dramatic Audio Series.
- Coach Handlesman is never written about or mentioned in the series again after book 10.
- Coach Handlesman's fate after the Wrath Of The Lamb earthquake is never revealed. It is unknown if Handlesman died in the earthquake or some other judgment, was beheaded by the Global Community, or survived to the Glorious Appearing.
- It is unknown if Coach Handlesman emerged as a model citizen of the Global Community after his term of reeducation.