Ron Coder squints as he tries to remember what sports the girls played at his English-language high school outside of Tokyo, where his father was stationed with the Air Force.

Basketball is the only one he can remember. The boys had several teams, including football, which he played.

Opportunities have changed dramatically since then. They're still changing.

Consider that Coder, 52, was way under the recruiting radar during his high school days in Japan before the Internet and international mass media. So he walked on as an offensive lineman at Penn State -- his grandparents, parents and an uncle were Penn State people -- and left with a degree and a budding pro career.

Then consider the Pittsburgh Passion women's football players Coder coaches, who on this night are going through their individual drills early in a three-hour practice at Cupples Stadium on the South Side.

Their average age is somewhere in the 30s. Because of Title IX and better public common sense, they had a chance to play a variety of sports through the years and now are extending their athletic careers by playing with the fifth-year National Women's Football Association team.

"This isn't their life's work, so this is fun for them," Coder said. "It's a hobby, a way to extend their sports careers. They have to raise their own sponsorship, buy their own equipment. They have to have their own insurance. Everything is on them, and they still want to be out here playing.

"I really like the girls. They're fun to coach."

OK, so he's not politically correct with the "girls" tag. He also tends to call them "gals."

It's hard to find too much fault with someone who has been so dedicated to sports and spiritualism.

For Coder, coaching the Passion is an opportunity he never would have expected, given the path that got him to the low-paying, time-consuming, rewarding job.

After walking on with the Nittany Lions, he put together a strong enough career playing for Joe Paterno that he was selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 1976 NFL draft.

After the final preseason game that year, the Steelers traded Coder to Seattle. He spent four seasons there and two with the St. Louis Cardinals before making the jump to the USFL, where he played on two league championship teams with the Philadelphia Stars.

After five years with Pro Athletes Outreach training athletes as role models, he and his wife, Kathy, settled in Georgia. He worked in sales, coached and served as athletic director for a Fellowship Christian Academy middle school, then went back to sales for financial reasons.

A life-altering event -- for all of us -- gave Coder new direction and brought him back to Pennsylvania.

"I knew after 9/11 that I had to do something to make a difference," he said. "It really moved me to know I had to do something more important."

He had taken seminary classes but decided he preferred sports ministry to the pulpit. He joined Pitt in November 2001 as chaplain for all the Panthers teams.

Coach Dave Wannstedt decided to hire someone else for football last fall, freeing some time for Coder.

"I couldn't get my football fix, so I thought, 'Oh, I'll coach,' " he said.

Passion founder and player Teresa Conn had been after Coder to coach her team for a couple years. This time, he said yes.

"The purpose for me is to have good influence through sports," said Coder, who forbids his staff to belittle the players or use rough language.

"I still love the game. I've never been a head coach in football. This is a fun experience."

So far, Coder is a perfect 1.000.

The Passion won its season opener against the visiting Cleveland Fusion, 23-14, Saturday and this weekend plays on the road against the Cincinnati Sizzle.

At the end of the game Saturday, Coder couldn't understand why one of his assistants wouldn't step forward to shake his hand. Then he felt the icy lime Gatorade drenching him.

"My wallet, my phone, I had dress pants on," Coder said.

But it was worth it.

"Oh, yeah."

The Passion has had a winning record the past three seasons but has just missed the playoffs. The team has had a different coach in each of its five seasons.

Coder isn't willing to commit to being a long-term stabilizing factor, but he's savoring the opportunity.

He calls a friend, Geneva College coach Geno DeMarco, for advice. He also still draws on some of Paterno's wisdom even though it's been more than three decades since he played for the icon.

"A lot of fundamentals," Coder said. "[Paterno] said, 'If you take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.' That's really what it's all about."