The Fellowship of Christian Athletes Through The Years

1954: The Fellowship of Student Athletes is established

Basketball coach Don McClanen sparked the idea of The Fellowship of Student Athletes after being touched by God. “If athletes could endorse automobiles or cigarettes, why couldn’t they endorse this thing that was about life?” McClanen stated. After speaking with a group of Pittsburg businessmen, this program was launched and grew quickly: Creating leadership in coaches, opportunities for athletes to share their minister through sports, and changing communities across the nation.

1956: The First National Camp was held in Colorado with 256 athletes and coaches in attendance. These camps grew throughout the years: by 1969, 16 National Camps were held with 7,000 attendees, in 1995, 13,048 individuals attended FCA National Camps, and today there are 400 camps in 35 countries where individuals can go for “inspiration and perspiration.” Camps are held for a week at a time and include 7 different types: Sports, Leadership, Coaches, Power, Partnership, Team, and International.

1966: Huddle program established

A Huddle program is anything that relates to FCA that is not constituted as a camp. This includes bible studies on college campuses, middle and high schools, coaches’ bible studies, and the sort. For example, the Huddle here on the College of Charleston’s campus meets every week with about 20 members. The study lasts for a little over an hour and consists of a study of scripture in relation to athletics.

1974: The Fellowship of Student Athlete’s National Conference Center opened in Indianapolis, IN

This area was set up for the purpose of hosting camps and events. Various church and sport groups have primarily used the facilities to host camps for sports such as football, basketball, and tennis, just to name a few. A local college in the central-Indiana area, Wabash College, has used the facilities for pre-season training for a handful of years now. Wabash football Coach Chris Creighton stated, “We've used it for a time of team bonding and it's the ideal place to do that.”

1995: The Fellowship of Student Athletes is established on the World Wide Web: www.fca.org This website holds many purposes. It is a site you can go to and learn just about anything related to FCA there is (FCA camps, how to start a huddle, FCA gear, etc.). However, it is so much more than just informational. This website also contains other branches such as FCA resources. This page includes devotionals, bible studies, videos, and other resources that students, coaches, and leaders can use to further their bible studies on their own. This is extra helpful when students miss a few weeks of FCA sessions or during the summer when FCA does not meet on a regular basis.

1996: One Way 2 Play (OW2P) is launched

This program is a “systematic Christ-centered program developed to confront the problem of drug use among students by instill values, encouraging goal-setting and establishing accountability through positive peer pressure” (OW2P Playbook). Students recognize this commitment by signing a card that states they will be alcohol and drug free for they understand this is the only way to play without jeopardizing their future success.

2012: The previously existing magazine undergoes a name change and currently holds this name today: FCA Magazine

The magazine is published bi-monthly and contains feature stories from Christian coaches and athletes. Each story provides an account from athletes and coaches that relate to sports through their religious beliefs and experiences. It gives the readers a first-hand account to how integrated religion and sports truly is. It also features stories from professional athletes and shines a positive light on those individuals who tend to have a negative light in media.