College football season is quickly approaching and with it, the return of the popular “College Gameday” show on ESPN. Rece Davis, the host of the show, recently shared with Sports Spectrum how his faith keeps him grounded.
Davis, who grew up in Alabama and graduated from the University of Alabama, said he was “really fortunate” to have grown up in a Christian home where Bible study and church attendance were required.
“I would be wanting to watch `Monday Night Football,’ at least for a while until I had to go to bed,” he said. “And I couldn’t — we didn’t do that until we had done our devotional that night.”
His father was a deacon in a local Church of Christ congregation, and his parents modeled faith for him. “I was blessed in that regard,” he said. “But there’s always that moment when you realize that your faith doesn’t get grandfathered. I was baptized when I was 13 going on 14 and stayed active.”
Once in college, he realized people were watching him to see if he lived out his faith.
“People are watching you,” Davis, who is 57, said. “Regardless of your station in life, they’ll notice how you treat them. And it will reflect upon what you say you are. There might be someone listening who says, `Well, I can give you 15 examples of where Rece Davis wasn’t what he says he is’ — and they would probably be right about that.”
The ESPN host said his faith story isn’t one of radical transformation but one of “constantly trying to repent and get it right.”
“I’ve been blessed to have a couple of guys that I’ve worked with that are just tremendous men of God and influences,” he said, referencing Hubert Davis, LaPhonso Ellis, David Pollack and Kirk Herbstreit. He and those men often text back and forth – “checking on each other, challenging each other. I think all of that kind of helps if you start to get off track.”
College Gameday has aired since 1987.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice