Published: December 04, 2008 10:42 am      

Christian group founded at EOSC

A man who dreamed of a Christian athletic organization 54 years ago at Eastern Oklahoma State College is about to see his visionary work honored.

“What we have discovered is that few individuals are aware that the Fellowship of Christian Athletes began in Oklahoma, much less Wilburton,” said Eastern President Dr. Steve Smith.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is now recognized as the largest Christian sports organization in the nation.

Don McClanen, the man who founded the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is set to be honored with the unveiling of a larger-than-life bronze bust at Eastern’s Wilburton Campus on Friday.

The event is set for 2 p.m. in the gymnasium at the college, known as the Claude C. Dunlap Field House.

Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Jari Askins has been invited and the public is welcome to attend.

McClanen and his wife, Gloria, planned to travel from their home in Maryland for the ceremony.

“We feel that this recognition is long overdue,” Smith said. “It all started right here on this campus.”

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Web site states that “In the past year, the FCA reached more than 356,250 people on 7,125 campuses and worked with more than 46,000 coaches and athletes at campuses across the globe.”

McClanen served as the athletic director at Eastern from 1951 until 1955.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes had its beginnings in 1954 after McClanen mailed 19 letters to sports figures across America, Smith said.

McClanen mentioned his hopes of a starting an organization for athletes and coaches to speak to young people and witness for Christ, as well as about principles of good character and clean living.

Among the athletes McClanen contacted were baseball greats Warren Spahn, of Hartshorne, and Pepper Martin, of Quinton.

In connection with the effort and with a March of Dimes drive held at the time, supporters held a rally at the Eastern gymnasium.

McClanen later contacted other sports figures and held a rally, which became known as the “First Huddle,” at the flag pole in front of Eastern’s library.

That’s considered the start of the FCA.

After the project accelerated, McClanen resigned from Eastern in 1954 and moved to Norman, establishing the FCA’s first headquarters near the campus of the University of Oklahoma. The headquarters were later moved to Kansas City as the FCA spread across the nation.

McClanen is credited with founding five major ministries in his life, including the FCA and the Ministry of Money, which is concerned with the relationship between faith and money.

McClanen’s biographer, Joe Murchison, says that during McClanen’s career, he collaborated with Mother Teresa to lead American Christians to sites of deprivation in the Third World, so they could use their affluence to help with the world’s need.

At Eastern, Smith said he belonged to the FCA himself, both as an athlete in Quinton and then later as a coach in Stigler.

He’s glad to see McClanen getting the honor he feels he deserves, which came about because of a collaborative effort.

“We had the right people here at the right time,” Smith said.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.