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Even then, however, in an academic culture much more concerned with moral development than today's, Stagg's employers also discerned the fledgling sport's knack for attracting media attention and strengthening alumni bonds. In his first two decades as coach, Stagg's Maroons dominated the Big Ten, which the school helped found under a different name in 1896. On campus, Stagg's celebrity rivaled that of the distinguished university's Nobel Prize winners.

Proving their era to be not unlike our own, the University of Chicago thanked Stagg for his 41 years of coaching at the school by firing him in 1933. Ironically, in 1938 Stagg helped clinch his former university's decision to disband their football program by returning to Chicago with his College of the Pacific squad and trouncing the Maroons 32-0. Stagg coached until he was 98, finishing with a record of 314-199-35. In 1965 he died at the age of 103.

Much of Stagg's success can be attributed to his lofty expectations—on and off the field. He viewed football as a grand endeavor in developing biblical manhood. Stagg demanded from his players hard work, intense focus, and sacrifice for the team. Coaching was his contribution to the body of Christ. "Win the athletes of any college for Christ," Stagg said, "and you will have the strongest working element attainable in college life." His holistic approach to coaching defined the role as more than just strategizing.

Were Stagg to stride today onto the sideline at Michigan's Big House or Ohio State's the 'Shoe, he might not recognize the sport he helped craft a century ago. The commercial sponsorship and semiprofessional approach would disappoint this advocate for amateurism. But is the game really so different? Stagg saw in every missed field goal a test of faith, in every tussle at the line of scrimmage the fire of character maturation. Teamwork, he believed, fashions the bonds of Christ-like love, plying the soul to receive the gospel. That's the game of football Reggie White and Amos Alonzo Stagg share.

Collin Hansen is assistant editor for Christianity Today. More Christian history, including a list of events that occurred this week in the church's past, is available at ChristianHistory.net. Subscriptions to the quarterly print magazine are also available.

This year, the University of Chicago Maroons went 3-6.

In December, 1942, underneath the stands of the University of Chicago's Stagg Field was the site of the world's first nuclear chain reaction. The field looks different today.

In a short biography, Stagg is pictured directing the U of C football team.

Christian History Corner, a weekly column from the editors and writers of Christian History & Biography, appears every Friday on Christianity Today's website. Previous editions include:

The Doctrine Doctor | Jaroslav Pelikan has written a history of the Christian tradition on a scale no one else has attempted in the twentieth century. (Dec. 30, 2004)

The Real Twelve Days of Christmas | Celebrating Christ's birth with saints of the faith during the actual Christmas season. (Dec. 23, 2004)

Compassionate in War, Christian in Vision | The man behind the Geneva Conventions knew the heights of success and the depths of failure. (Dec. 16, 2004)

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January (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49