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Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(article posted by Jeremy Rushing, Student Sports Information Assistant)

Oct. 11, 2012 - From the moment Gary Ireland was named North Central's dean of students in 2002, he wanted to make an impact. Little did he know, he would get a great opportunity right away with the football team. 
 
“Through a series of events, I was asked to join a Bible study my first month here,” says Ireland. “Guys were meeting as a Bible study group, and it just developed from there.” What developed is known today as “Football FCA,” a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) group started by football players, for football players.
 
The initial group of five or six football players was interested in having a Bible study with their teammates, so they began meeting once a week to explore their faith. Ireland was happy to step up and be the unofficial mentor. “It wasn't an official FCA at the time,” he says. “The name Football FCA just happened over time.”
 
And, over time, more and more people came to the meetings. Some of the growth was because this gathering was the only fellowship opportunity North Central students had at the time. “For a number of years there was no other FCA program on campus,” says Ireland. 
 
Still meeting once a week, the group is stronger than ever. There are, on average, 25 to 30 players who attend, including tight end and marketing major Austin Sadnick, who has emerged as one of the “player leaders” of the group and faithful attenders over his four years on campus. 
 
“Anybody can be a leader,” explains Sadnick. “Coming in as a freshman, I was intimidated by the upperclassmen. But, here, freshmen discover we're all just normal guys and there's nothing that should intimidate them.”
 
Along with making younger players feel comfortable, the group places an emphasis on taking what's learned in the meetings and applying it to everyday life. “I try to take those messages (from the meetings) and live the life God's led me to live,” Sadnick says.
 
To a man, players who attend say the benefits of participation are endless. “I think we all feel we lead more disciplined lives as players, students and people,” says Sadnick. “We're more intentional in living out our lives of faith.”