It was April 21st of 1966 when Coach Tom Landry helped with the official launch of the Dallas chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He was introduced to FCA in 1962, later stating, “FCA is about the future; about changed lives.” As a result, he faithfully supported the organization in a variety of ways, including serving as board Chairman for many years.
On Sunday, Nov. 20, over 800 people gathered at the Irving Convention Center for DFW FCA’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. The evening was highlighted by a Q&A with NFL legends Bob Breunig, Bob Lilly, Dan Reeves and Roger Staubach. These men all have ties to Landry and FCA and shared touching and humorous stories of the early days.
Duran Collins, Garland ISD teacher from Brandenburg Middle School received the Male Huddle Coach of the Year.
Awards were also presented to several deserving FCA volunteers. Among them was, Carolyn Allen, wife of Highland Park Football Coach, Randy Allen. She was awarded the inaugural Alicia Landry Coach’s Wife Impact Award. Alicia Landry and Tom Landry, Jr. were on hand to help present the award to Mrs. Allen, who has dedicated her life to helping other women by sharing the experiences documented in her book, The Coach’s Wife.
In addition, the Neal Jeffrey Leadership Award was given to local businessman, Mark Biebighauser, who has volunteered with FCA for over 10 years and now serves as the chairman of the Jim Sundberg FCA Golf Classic.
The President of FCA, Les Steckel, honored the late Jon Randles with induction in the National FCA Hall of Champions. Randles was a pastor, former Texas Tech football Chaplain and long-time supporter of FCA, speaking at many events throughout his life and making a huge impact everywhere he went. His wife, Kelly, was present to accept a plaque to commemorate the event.
The Female Huddle Coach of the Year was awarded to Sue Husbands, a special education teacher at Sanger Middle School.
After 50 years of ministry, the DFW Fellowship of Christian Athletes has grown to represent not only Greater Dallas and Fort Worth but is also reaching areas throughout North Texas through camps and outreach programs for student-athletes and coaches alike. For more information, visit dfwfca.org.
Information and photo provided by DFW Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Photo provided by Almond Photography.