Curtis Eichelberger - Men of Sunday: How Faith Guides the Players, Coaches, and Wives of the NFL

As NFL writers, we often click off our recorders when players begin to delve into their faith, largely unwilling to carry that message to the masses in any meaningful way. In Men of Sunday, however, Curtis Eichelberger uses his wide array of NFL sources, graceful writing, and consistently unique perspective on stories to breathe new life into the topic. Through his impeccable lens, Eichelberger reveals in incredible detail a side of the nations number one sport that is often mentioned but seldom truly examined. In doing so, he teaches us so much more about the men we watch for three hours every fall Sunday butuntil nownever truly knew.

Sam Farmer, NFL Columnist for the Los Angeles Times

Dedicating ones life to God and playing the violent game of professional football would seem a contradiction. But Curtis Eichelberger explains how and why it is not in his book, Men of Sunday. In a brilliant narrative, Eichelberger explores how some of the sports biggest namesMike Singletary, Reggie White, LaDainian Tomlinson, Ray Lewis, and morehave been able to dedicate their Sundays both to their God and to their careers. Faith can both survive and thrive under the helmet.

Rick Gosselin, Sports Columnist for the Dallas Morning News
Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee

Men of Sunday is a real, authentic, and honest look into the lives of players, coaches, and wives of the NFL. I was drawn into the stories, the hurt, the pain, the challenge, and the realities of those who make their livelihood by playing football on Sunday. Curtis Eichelberger has made a strong and timely contribution to our understanding of the movement of God that has been growing for years throughout the NFL. I am so thankful for Curtis and this book!

Mark Householder, President of Athletes in Action

NFL players have money, fame, and adoring fans, but for the Christian athletes who roam football fields on Sundays, faith is more important and lasting. With feeling and keen insight, Curtis Eichelberger shows how their belief in Gods plan helps them deal with the challenges of family, leadership, and crisis as they navigate a world that doesnt always share their values. In Men of Sunday, he delves into questions unique to football: Does God really want me to violently hit an opponent? Eichelberger comes up with satisfying answers everyone can use.

Rick Morrissey, Columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times

A sensitive look at the spiritual lives of the men who risk their bodies on Sundays while offering their souls to God.

Aaron Kuriloff, NFL Writer for Bloomberg News

The ties between football and religion are strong even though the news media often undervalue the connection. Curtis Eichelberger does an outstanding job of exploring that union on numerous levels. Men of Sunday is a must-read for those who want to understand how strongly faith plays a role in the NFL games they watch each season.

Alex Marvez, Senior NFL Writer for FOXSports.com

MEN
of
SUNDAY

MEN
of
SUNDAY

HOW FAITH GUIDES THE PLAYERS, COACHES & WIVES OF THE NFL

CURTIS EICHELBERGER

2012 by Curtis Eichelberger

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc. titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Bible.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Eichelberger, Curtis.
Men of Sunday : how faith guides the players, coaches, and wives of the NFL / Curtis Eichelberger.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-8499-4734-6 (trade paper)
1. Football playersReligious life. 2. Football players spousesReligious life. 3. Football coachesReligious life. 4. National Football League. I. Title.
BV4596.F6E33 2012
277.3'08308879633dc23

2012020233

Printed in the United States of America

12 13 14 15 16 QG 5 4 3 2 1

To my wife, Judit. It was your love, patience, and
support that made this project possible.

CONTENTS

T he National Football League is the most popular sports league in America. Every Sunday in the Fall, millions of people attend a game or watch one on television. The big hits, scintillating runs, precision throws, and acrobatic catches furnish the awe; while an eighty-yard, last-minute scoring drive provides the simulated real-life drama that inspires even the unathletic to believe anything is possible.

The league is so successful that it does not need personalities to prime its popularity. Unlike the NBA, the NHL, or MLB, the NFL is an association of teams whose employees, by necessity, must employ a face mask while they perform their duties, making facial recognition difficult at best. Men of Sunday removes the mask from some of the most prominent gridiron greats to give the reader a window into their spiritual journey. Off the field, both coach and player are the everyman. He has health concerns and family issues. His duty to his profession stretches his relationships. To be sure, he generally has significantly more financial means to address his concerns, but material resources cant fix every problem.

Men of Sunday does a masterful job of providing very personal cameos, unveiling these superhuman performers humanity. It is a rarity for any high-level athlete to show vulnerability. Even rarer is for said athlete to reveal proof of normalcy to an unacquainted author who could leverage his weakness into tabloid-like fodder. Amazing is the only word to describe the trust these men have given author Curtis Eichelberger. Equally as stunning is the sensitivity with which he writes each story. Coaches, players, and wives are surprisingly honest as they recount both victories and defeats that cannot be tabulated on a scoreboard.

Eichelberger records lessons on how to maintain a trust-filled marriage when a road-warrior husband is the target of many gold-digging women. He also details how God has journeyed with families through the valley of devastating financial difficulty. He leaves very few stones unturned, lifting even those that uncover the pain of loss unbearable by the unspiritual. Curtis wonderfully allows their story to unfold within its original context and without embellishment. In so doing, the reader is introduced not only to the storyteller but to the Storymaker. Each persons intentional application of biblical truth reveals a spiritual foundation whose cornerstone is Christ.