Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Encyclopedia
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a non-profit interdenominational Christian
organization founded in 1954 and that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri
since 1956. It falls within the tradition of Muscular Christianity
. Although established by evangelical Protestants, the concept has spread to where chapters have been opened in several Catholic
schools. Members are encouraged, but not required, to be athletes.
A religious organization, FCA uses the influence of coaches and athletes as a means of Christian evangelism
. The group operates chapters based in schools, and operates camps, workshops and conferences. FCA currently has about 600 paid employees.
The organization's headquarters are located across Interstate 70
from the Truman Sports Complex
.
's name, The National Bobby Bowden Award, which honors one college football
player for their achievements on the field, in the classroom and for his conduct as a "faith model" in the community. Nominees must have a 3.0 GPA or better and must also have the backing of his school's athletic director
and head football coach. The award is presented each year prior to the Bowl Championship Series
' national title game. Committee members are Bobby Bowden, Terry Bowden, R. C. Slocum, Vernon Brinson, Vince Gibson, Les Steckel, Dal Shealy, Grant Teaff, John O'Dell, and Tommy Boney.
Winners:
, Ray Simmons, Mike Cobb
, Wade Hopkins and former NFL
player Harry Flaherty
. The FCA camps feature sport practices and conditioning as well as daily chapels and huddles.
. The FCA Ministry Leader application requires applicants to agree to a statement saying that homosexuality is "an alternate lifestyle" and is not acceptable. The FCA website also includes the testimony of a coach who claims, "I was delivered from homosexuality." The concept of homosexuality as a changeable condition or disease in need of cure has been largely dismissed by mental health professionals such as the American Psychological Association
.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
organization founded in 1954 and that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
since 1956. It falls within the tradition of Muscular Christianity
Muscular Christianity
Muscular Christianity is a term for a movement originating during the Victorian era which stressed the need for energetic Christian activism in combination with an ideal of vigorous masculinity...
. Although established by evangelical Protestants, the concept has spread to where chapters have been opened in several Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
schools. Members are encouraged, but not required, to be athletes.
A religious organization, FCA uses the influence of coaches and athletes as a means of Christian evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
. The group operates chapters based in schools, and operates camps, workshops and conferences. FCA currently has about 600 paid employees.
The organization's headquarters are located across Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
from the Truman Sports Complex
Truman Sports Complex
The Harry S. Truman Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.. It is home to two major sports venues- Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, and Kauffman Stadium, home of Major League Baseball's Kansas City...
.
The National Bobby Bowden Award
In 2003 the Fellowship of Christian Athletes presented the first of what is now a yearly award in Bobby BowdenBobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
's name, The National Bobby Bowden Award, which honors one college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
player for their achievements on the field, in the classroom and for his conduct as a "faith model" in the community. Nominees must have a 3.0 GPA or better and must also have the backing of his school's athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
and head football coach. The award is presented each year prior to the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
' national title game. Committee members are Bobby Bowden, Terry Bowden, R. C. Slocum, Vernon Brinson, Vince Gibson, Les Steckel, Dal Shealy, Grant Teaff, John O'Dell, and Tommy Boney.
Winners:
- 2003: Jason Wright, Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, Signed by San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
as an undrafted rookie - 2004: Billy BajemaBilly BajemaBilly Bajema is an American football tight end for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, Oklahoma State University, Drafted by San Francisco 49ers - 2005: D.J. Shockley, University of GeorgiaUniversity of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, Drafted by Atlanta FalconsAtlanta FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... - 2006: Carl Pendleton, University of OklahomaUniversity of OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, Medical School - 2007: Jacob TammeJacob TammeJacob Tamme is an American football tight end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He played collegiately for the University of Kentucky Wildcats.-High school:...
, University of KentuckyUniversity of KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, Drafted by the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League .... - 2008: Stephen McGeeStephen McGeeStephen Richard McGee is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for Texas A&M....
, Texas A&M UniversityTexas A&M UniversityTexas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
, Drafted by the Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... - 2009: Colt McCoyColt McCoyDaniel "Colt" McCoy is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
, University of Texas, Drafted by Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - 2010: Christian PonderChristian PonderChristian Ponder is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Vikings with the twelfth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, and signed with them on July 31, 2011, shortly after the 2011 NFL lockout ended...
, Florida State UniversityFlorida State UniversityThe Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
, Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings
Camps
Every summer for several years, the FCA has held sports and leadership camps for youth and high school students. The camps are held at different colleges throughout the United States, and feature professional athletes such as Steve FitzhughSteve Fitzhugh
Steve Fitzhugh is a former professional American football player with the Denver Broncos. He began as a track and field all-star, becoming one of the top five sprinters in the country. Steve attended Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. There he was a highly-touted football player and...
, Ray Simmons, Mike Cobb
Mike Cobb
Michael "Mike" Cobb is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League. He played five seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Chicago Bears...
, Wade Hopkins and former NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player Harry Flaherty
Harry Flaherty
Harry Flaherty is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints. He played college football at Princeton.-References:...
. The FCA camps feature sport practices and conditioning as well as daily chapels and huddles.
Criticism
The organization has been labeled an "anti-gay organization" by the media initiative Equality MattersEquality Matters
Equality Matters is a media and communications initiative in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality in the United States. The organization is associated with Media Matters for America, a liberal media watchdog group...
. The FCA Ministry Leader application requires applicants to agree to a statement saying that homosexuality is "an alternate lifestyle" and is not acceptable. The FCA website also includes the testimony of a coach who claims, "I was delivered from homosexuality." The concept of homosexuality as a changeable condition or disease in need of cure has been largely dismissed by mental health professionals such as the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
.
External links
- http://www.fca.org/
- http://www.fcacamps.org
- http://www.fcaresources.com
- http://www.sharingthevictory.com/