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NASHVILLE, Tenn.?Texas Christian University quarterback Andy
Dalton was quick to talk about the Lord in a post-game interview
following TCU’s 21-19 win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl Jan. 1.
Dalton,
the offensive player of the game, was interviewed by ESPN’s Erin
Andrews, who asked him if TCU, as a non-automatic qualifier for the
Rose Bowl, were playing “for the little guys out there.”
“That’s
what we were doing,” Dalton said. “We weren’t just playing for TCU. We
were playing for all the non-AQ schools out there. It’s an attitude
that we have. There’s a verse in the Bible, in 1 Peter 5:6, that says,
‘Humble yourself, and under God’s mighty hand He will exalt you in due
time.’ And that’s what happened today.”
The Horned Frogs, ranked
third in the Bowl Championship Series standings prior to the game,
finished the season 13-0. Dalton completed 15-of-23 passes for 219
yards and one touchdown against the Badgers. He also added a rushing
touchdown.
A Dec. 24 article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
explored not only the on-field legacy that Dalton, a senior, will leave
at TCU after setting school records for wins, passing yards and
touchdowns, but the spiritual legacy he’ll leave behind as well.
Dalton
was one of 11 TCU students who created a weekly nondenominational
gathering called Ignite, according to the Star-Telegram. The group’s
first meeting came April 5, the same night as the NCAA men’s basketball
championship. Leaders weren’t sure how many to expect.
“He
placed it on our hearts to do something like this,” Dalton said in the
article. “And we walked in there and the place was packed. We had
around 400 people the first night.”
This year’s average attendance at the meeting has been more than 700.
“College
is a time where a lot of people try to find themselves,” Dalton said in
the Star-Telegram. “If you’ve grown up in a church, college is a time
you may branch away from that. We felt TCU had been a little complacent
in its faith and having something like this would kind of spark up the
campus.”
In the Dec. 2010 edition of Sharing the Victory, the
magazine of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Dalton discussed how his
faith in the Lord affects the way he plays on the field.
“Like 1
Chronicles 29:11-12 says, everything belongs to God and God alone,”
Dalton said. “My talents and abilities are all from Him. So, when I
take the field to play and use those abilities, it is my way of giving
thanks to Him for all He has given me.”
At
BeyondTheUltimate.org, a website for Christian athletes and coaches,
Dalton describes how he was saved as a third grader when the pastor at
First Baptist Church in Katy, Texas, was visiting his home. He grew up
in a Christian household, he said.
“One thing I have realized
when growing in my faith is that I can’t be passive in my relationship
with God,” he wrote. “It is truly a relationship and I need to keep up
with it. God has given us prayer. I can talk to God at any time. That
is a special thing to be able to talk to the Creator of the universe
whenever I want. He wants me to tell Him my feelings, goals, wants, and
more. All He wants is just to spend some time with me. He has also
given us the Bible to help teach us. There are so many stories and
lessons to be learned from just picking up the Bible and taking some
time to read it.”
He added, “I feel truly blessed to be in the
position I am in today. I know I wouldn’t be where I am without God’s
help. He has provided me with so much and I am so thankful. To see what
He has done — not only for me but for my team and others around us —
has been unbelievable. There has been hard work involved, but nothing
would have happened without Christ.”
