Are there any famous Unitarian Universalist sports figures out there? Commenter Patrick Murfin says no. I think he’s probably right, but I’d love to prove him wrong.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to identify a Unitarian, Universalist, or Unitarian Universalist who was or is a major sports figure, using the following criteria:
“Major sports figure” means plays on a major-league sports team in the U.S. (or equivalent abroad), or plays professionally (e.g., pro boxer, jockey, NASCAR driver), or is an Olympic gold medalist). I’m willing to consider those who hold world records with duly constituted sporting bodies. College players acceptable if their team wins a major event, or if theyr are personally a record holder. Crew member on a winning America’s Cup boat. Test match cricket would be fine. Dressage champion, sure why not. Hey, we’re desperate here. I’ll settle for a WWF wrestler (actually, finding a Unitarian Universalist pro wrestler would make me personally very happy).
The sports figure must have acknowledged himself or herself to be a Unitarian, Universalist, or Unitarian Universalist, and/or have been a member of a U, U, or UU congregation.
I’ve posted this same challenge on this blog before, with no results. But now the World Wide Web is bigger and shinier than it used to be, and our search skills are so much better. I’ve heard rumors about a Unitarian Universalist who got an Olympic gold medal in canoeing or kayaking — can we track that down? If we can’t have a Unitarian Universalist superhero, surely we can at least have a Unitarian Universalist sports figure!
http://www.firstuchicago.org/newsletter/news_0108.html
“We also send our deep sympathy to the family and friends of Ruth Owens, who was remembered here in a funeral on July 3, 2001. Mrs. Owens was the widow of Jesse Owens, the renowned Olympic athlete. After Jesse’s death, Mrs. Owens continued the spirit of his work to nurture young people. They had discovered Unitarian Universalism while they lived in the southwest, and Mrs. Owens began to attend our church when she returned to Chicago in 1991.”
Jesse Owens was a Unitarian?
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/misc/text/lgb.in.sports-AUSTIN.STATESMAN
Pro bodybuilder Bob Paris came out through an article in _Ironman_, a bodybuilding magazine, which announced his Unitarian marriage to model Rod Jackson in July 1989.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Paris
A Unitarian marriage is not the same as being a UU…especially since the requirements for getting married in a UU church do not usually revolve around membership…
Both seem like long shots to me, I just thought both were interesting enough to mention.
I’d like to see a UU sumo wrestler.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lombard_College
Evar Swanson graduated from the Universalist Lombard College.
He was a professional football and baseball player in the 1920s. He holds the distinction as the fastest player in baseball history – in a contest held between games of a doubleheader on September 9, 1929, he circled the bases in 13.3 seconds, a record that apparently still stands.
However, he does sounds to be a tad Lutheran to me. Maybe he was a a Garrison Keillor UU ;)
James Field @ 1 — Alas, they say only that Mrs. Owens was a UU….
James Field @ 2 and UU College Student @ 3 — One of you should write to Bob Paris and ask him if he thinks of himself as a UU. I actually have one of his workout books, and it would be fun if he thought of himself as a UU!
Jean @ 5 — Doubtful, but there were some Japanese Universalists, so who knows….
It does say “they discovered Unitarian Universalism while living in the Southwest”, which is a bit amibiguous but suggests that he might have attended services as well.