‘LIVING IT’: Religion now a part of tradition for Georgia football team

April 15, 2011 by JACOB DEMMITT
Filed under Featured, Football, Sports

There was no crowd waiting in the parking lot, no band sounding their arrival and only a handful of a fans trying not to stare. As quiet as the 100 or so late-comers tried to be at that Sunday service, the congregation found them difficult to ignore.

Orson Charles, one of the team’s devout Christians, kneels down to pray after scoring a touchdown against Arkansas in 2009. Charles said he looks forward to the team’s trip to church with Richt and other coaches during the fall camp.

Players recalled the scene as they followed Mark Richt off the bus. Walking into their head coach’s home church, they sported slacks and carried tattered Bibles instead of donning silver britches and football helmets. They scattered themselves throughout the pews, head and shoulders above their fellow churchgoers

This is a summer tradition. This is what it means to be a part of Georgia football.

“People get excited, mostly little kids,” linebacker Christian Robinson said. “It’s obvious — a bunch of linemen going through the door. But especially during camp, it’s nice to just be able to wake up and go to church. Everybody looks forward to that every year.”

But even as the crowd may buzz with excitement about the visitors, this is just a typical Sunday morning to many players.

“We jump on the bus and everybody’s dressed up. It’s optional, but a lot of people always come,” tight end Orson Charles said. “We just go to [Richt’s] church … listen to the word, praise God, say ‘hi’ to a couple of people then leave.”

This may seem oddly religious for a Division I college football program, but at Georgia, it’s just the beginning.

In addition to the usual activities associated with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, University football players have a variety of

religious opportunities available to them on a daily basis. These include player-led bible studies, church visits and one-on-one time with coaches and team chaplains.

“[Richt] likes it when we come one-on-one if we ever have questions about life,” offensive guard Kolton Houston said. “He always has his office open so we can come and he’ll talk to you like your best friend or a dad, it just depends on the situation.”

But Richt isn’t alone.

Mark Richt, a devout Christian, emphasizes spirituality with his team, but does not cross the boundary of being pushy to the players who don’t have similar beliefs.

“Coach Richt always tries to stress the importance of growing not only physically and mentally, but spiritually as well … and not just coach Richt, but assistant coaches as well,” fullback Bruce Figgins said. “I think every coach is in some church in Athens every Sunday. They’re always asking us if we need a ride or anything.”

‘Just something we do’

But for the Bulldogs, worship isn’t limited to between the pews — it’s between the hedges as well.

Throughout the years, religious traditions have spread to every corner of the program, including gameday weekends.

Stepping away from the tailgating chaos of the Classic City, the team often meets together in a Lake Lanier hotel the Fridays before games. Typical of the Georgia football program, this is used as an opportunity to grow spiritually.

“[Richt will] speak about football then he’ll put football to the side,” Figgins said. “He always reminds us there’s a bigger picture. He reminds us that football is just an avenue to use to reach others and to grow spiritually … It’s real nice. I think everyone enjoys going. It’s been a lot of laughs, a lot of tears in that time just with us, but it’s always good.”

The following morning, the team goes through the usual routine — wrapping ankles, suiting up, working out pregame jitters in warm-ups — but they’ll always make time for even more prayer.

Huddled around one another, they bow their heads and someone will lead them in a blessing — usually a right reserved for a team senior.

“Georgia football is a big deal. You get caught up in wins and losses and forget you’re a believer,” Robinson said. “Throughout the season, we’ll pray together before and after games. Just saying thanks for keeping us safe and reminding us it’s not all about us, but there’s something greater. … It’s just something we do. It’s a part of Georgia football.”

Minutes later, Larry Munson’s voice will fill the Athens air as highlight reels recap the greatest plays in Georgia’s rich football history. Pom-poms begin to twirl; the stands grow ever louder before erupting into the sound of 90,000 fans barking in unison.

All this is for a group of college athletes. But the players are doing it for someone else.

“To tell the truth, we don’t control what happens on the field,” Charles said. “We going to just give it up and leave it in his hands … We just have to give him praise for everything that happens. Good or bad, we still have to give him praise no matter what.”

‘Not just talking’

Among players, it seems pretty unanimous the team puts a special emphasis on religion in football — but this is something most players said they knew long before joining the Bulldog nation.

“Since day one, I can remember the first time I sat down with Coach Richt as a high school student,” Figgins said. “Sitting with my parents, Coach Richt always talked about his faith and about his family.”

Senior center Ben Jones said this played a major role in many athletes’ choice to play for Georgia.

Athletes who were used to attending church back home found comfort in knowing these opportunities would be still be available during their time in Athens.

“That’s why I came here,” Charles said. “Because he’s real bold and blunt about his faith and his Christianity. That drew me in and I could tell by just talking to him when I first got here.”

However, Richt isn’t the only coach who expresses his religious beliefs during the recruiting process. As the battle for commitment letters becomes ever more intense, coaches often turn to faith as a tool for landing prospects.

But with Richt, some players said it’s a little different.

“I feel like some schools take advantage of that, but coach Richt lives it,” Robinson said as he recalled the numerous insincere religious conversations he had with coaches from around the country during the recruiting process. “I want to see people live it, not just talking.”

‘A respect’

Even as religious as the Georgia football program may be, team chaplain Thomas Settles said he recognizes not everyone comes from the same background.

In addition to Christians, the team is composed of nonbelievers as well as those of other faiths. But Settles said his role is to serve all students — regardless of beliefs — “in any capacity” in which he’s needed.

Nonetheless, it’s clear Christianity is the dominant religion of the team.

However, most players seem to agree this doesn’t cause any problems in the locker room.

“I witness to a couple of people and they always want to know what’s going on and why people are doing such and such,” Charles said. “I try to reach out and tell them and bring them to church but I don’t think they feel awkward when we have that function.”

When the team prays, players said those who don’t believe usually bow their heads and listen.

“There’s a respect there,” Robinson said. “Coach Richt never pushes that on anybody and no one on the team criticizes anybody for their religion or their background … Even if you’re not a Christian, I think people respect that [Richt] stands for more than just football and winning games.”

Jones said the spiritual aspect of the team usually has an opposite effect — uniting the team, rather than dividing it.

“Some nights you’re in there telling your testimony and you know what that guy is going through. That definitely makes you closer to the guy playing beside you. You know what his struggles are in life and if you’re able to help him, he can help you. That makes you that much closer on the field.”