King's Business - 1955-01

Clarence Norris: “ In becoming a Christian my attitude toward all sit uations has changed. Facing a situa tion on the football field, whether it is very difficult or very easy, with the attitude of a Christian has made life all the better for me.” Bob H eydenfelt: “ Football is a means to an end for me and that end is serving and witnessing for the Lord.” Primo Villanueva: “ Confidence in the Lord has given me confidence on the football field and made me a better football player. The Bible says, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ ” Bob Davenport: Playing on the great Bruin varsity is like playing on the great Christian team. On the UCLA team I feel like I am a mem ber of a team that is unbeatable. I know that playing on the Christian team I am on the top team and that I have a great coach in Jesus Christ.” That’s the way six of the nation’s top players are talking about their faith in Christ.

denominational Campus Crusade for Christ. Through their influence 50 per cent of the squad has been active in the campaign. You can’t estimate the inspiration and example these fellows have been to the high school and grade school kids of the com munity. Even the teen-age rat packs look up to an athlete. They are dis covering that you can be a church member without being a sissy.” These young men are not ordinary fellows in any sense of the word whether it be on the gridiron or behind the pulpit. All of the men mentioned in this article not only make a Christian profession, they work at it. Some of them speak as many as 10 times a week to youth clubs, high school assemblies, church groups and others, of their faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. An indication of the respect this year’s team has won on the playing field is seen in a report by Paul Zimmerman, sports > editor of the Los Angeles Times. Says Zimmerman, “The finest compliment possible was

paid [Coach Sanders and his team] by Oregon’s George Shaw, who told us in the dressing room after the Bruins had thwarted him all after noon that this was the cleanest team he had ever played against.” The record shows that the Bruins drew less than four penalties a game, which is something of a record in big-time football. It’s a pretty common thing these days out in Westwood on the UCLA campus to hear some of the biggest names in college football give a hum b le Straight-from-the-heart w ord about their faith in Christ. Here’s how six of them put it. Bob Long: “The Bible says, ‘bodily exercise profiteth little but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.’ Although sports mean a lot to me, living for Christ counts much more.” Terry Debay: “ In the game of life my coach, the Lord, has never lost and He will use you in every situa tion even on the gridiron.”

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Meeting for Bible study from left to right: Bob Heydenfelt, Terry Debay, Primo Villanu eva, Clarence Norris (kneeling). Bob Davenport, Bob Long (kneeling) and Don Shinnick.