Former NFL player is now a church planter
Eddie Williams knew early in his spiritual journey that he wanted to plant a church. What makes this an interesting concept is he was a professional football player, playing in the National Football League (NFL). Williams wrote about his journey in an article that was recently featured on The Gospel Coalition’s website titled “Why I left the NFL to plant a church.” Currently, he is serving at Bay City Church, which started meeting in...
Former OBU pitcher, Hearn, named to Rangers’ 40-man roster
SHAWNEE—Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) baseball coach Bobby Cox may have his first player see Major League action next spring. Former Bison pitcher Taylor Hearn was named to the 40-man roster for the Texas Rangers ahead of preseason. “He is a fine young man, enjoyable to be around and coach,” Cox said about Hearn who was drafted from OBU in the 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft to the Washington Nationals in the fifth round....
Four OBU players earn all-conference football honors
SHAWNEE—Following the best NCAA season in program history, four members of the Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) football team earned all-league honors from the Great American Conference (GAC). Senior receiver Cagney Roberson was named First Team All-GAC after taking home second team honors in 2017. The Coweta native led OBU with 747 receiving yards on 65 catches for the season. He ranked third in the conference with 5.9 receptions...
NFL’s Watson aids life through Psalm 139
NEW ORLEANS (BP)—National Football League player Benjamin Watson has again joined with the Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics entity to provide an ultrasound machine for the benefit of women in crisis pregnancies. Watson, a veteran tight end with the New Orleans Saints, and his wife Kirsten donated a machine through the Psalm 139 Project for a center that is part of Baptist Community Health Services (BCHS) in New Orleans, the...
Football helped McDaniel’s move to ministry
FOREST PARK—Michael McDaniel referenced a hymn titled “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand,” when describing his time of playing football at the University of Oklahoma (OU). The first verse sings: “Time is filled with swift transition, Naught of earth unmoved can stand, Build your hopes on things eternal, Hold to God’s unchanging hand” A wide receiver for the Sooners, McDaniel played three seasons, 1993-96. He played for three different...
World Series crew chief embraces mission field
BOSTON (BP)—Ted Barrett had made a deal with God, or so he thought, when he was a young umpire in the minor leagues. He wondered for a while if God was calling him into ministry. He promised God that if baseball didn’t work out, and that if he never got a job in the big leagues, then he’d pursue that calling. Barrett did more than just get a job in the big leagues. As the umpire crew chief for the recent World Series between the...
