Metro Voice News Celebrating Faith, Family & Community
The Kansas City Chiefs have had a number of improbable finishes to games this season on their way to homefield advantage in the AFC playoffs. While some might call these finishes miraculous, faith plays a foundational role throughout the organization.
“In our family, it’s faith, family and football, and in that order,” CEO Clark Hunt said before the Super Bowl last February. “That’s a challenge, but it’s something we really focus on as a family, and it’s the No. 1 thing in our lives.”
Hunt founded the NFL’s only onsite chapel service for fans, a service that is regularly standing-room only. It’s not just the Hunts, either, KYTV in Springfield reported. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who leads one of the best defenses in the league, is also a devout believer. He tries to read the Bible every morning and is active in the coaches’ Bible studies.
Read: Clark Hunt at faith breakfast: video
“My wife and I are very grounded Christians,” Spagnuolo told God Behind Bars. “She’s the best example in my life of how to lead a Christian life. So we try to make that the foundation of everything we do and what we’re involved in. And quite frankly, you couldn’t get through the ups and downs of NFL football during the season if you didn’t have that.”
Team leaders in key positions such as Chris Jones, Trent McDuffie, Harrison Butker, Drue Tranquill, Noah Gray and James Winchester, as well as offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, publicly profess faith in Christ. Patrick Mahomes, the most important weapon in the Chiefs’ arsenal, integrates his faith into every aspect of his game.
“Before every game, I walk the field and I do a prayer at the goalpost,” he said before Super Bowl LV. “I just thank God for those opportunities, and I thank God for letting me be on a stage where I can glorify him.”
The “Voice of the Chiefs,” radio play-by-play announcer Mitch Holthus, is an outspoken believer. The decorated announcer points to Christ regularly in interviews and has served on the elder board at a local church despite his heavy schedule with the Chiefs.
“We want our employees to develop spiritually,” Hunt said previously. “In the National Football League, Christ is really glorified. My identity is my faith in Christ.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
