Chicago Bears’ Lovie Smith underscores his faith

Chicago Bears’ Lovie Smith underscores his faith

By Art Stricklin
Baptist Press

MIAMI (BP)--Lovie Smith had a limited amount of time during his Super Bowl XLI media session Monday, but the Chicago Bears head coach said he could spend hours talking about his star players and their efforts to get the team to their first Super Bowl berth in 21 years.

Smith also wanted to spend part of his allotted time talking about what was most important in his life, his faith in Jesus Christ.

“God is the center of my life. It controls all that I do. I hope I don’t have to spend my time telling my players I’m a Christian. I hope they see it in my life every day,” Smith said.

Since taking the helm of the Bears in 2004 -- his first head coaching job in the NFL -- he has led his team to back-to-back division titles and, now, to this year’s NFL championship game.

And he has done it in the same faith-based style of his close friend, mentor and opposing Super Bowl coach Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts.

“I could spend the rest of the day talking about Tony Dungy and what he means to me,” Smith told a ballroom full of media reps. “We have similar beliefs, and to see him go through the storms and see he’s the same person is truly encouraging.

“I’m happy we can to lead our teams to the Super Bowl. I’ve learned a lot from Tony Dungy.”

Smith grew up in a Christian home in the small east Texas town of Big Sandy, going to church regularly with his mother, his brothers and sisters.

“My mother always made sure we went to church and knew about the Lord. My faith has been with me all the time and I knew I needed God to be a part of my life,” he recounted.

Smith’s father battled alcoholism most of his life, which led his son never to drink, and his mom always emphasized to him the need for a clean mouth and a pure heart.

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