18 Carson–Newman Football Players Baptized in Historic Mossy Creek

A Sacred Tradition Continues

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 7, 2025) — At the heart of Carson-Newman’s fall football camp, the banks of Mossy Creek bore witness to a familiar yet profound event as 18 Eagles football players embraced believer’s baptism. Officiated by FCA area director Marty Blakely, FCA Lakeway Ambassador Alan Duncan, and Pastor Drew Eudy of Mossy Creek Fellowship, this annual ceremony reflected both personal commitment and community affirmation.

According to campus reporting, the “number one goal” of the athletics program is “to graduate these kids, but more importantly… to develop young men of Christian faith,” said Head Coach Ashley Ingram, now in his second season.

“This is really what it’s all about,” he added, scanning the community gathered around the creek. “I couldn’t be more excited for them as they start their walk with Christ.”

More Than a Game, It’s a Calling

This event is etched into Carson-Newman culture, now over a decade old. It’s a moment when teammates, friends, and mentors stand along the creek to witness—not as a sporting event, but as a spiritual milestone.
And it’s not limited to the gridiron—just the week before, three female volleyball players also participated in Mossy Creek baptisms.

Capturing the broader impact, Movieguide.org reports that “It’s been 30 years since Coach Sparks started this tradition… Conservatively, we’re somewhere between 500 and 600 football players who have followed through in baptism.” Marty Blakely reflected,

Old self buried under the water, raised to new life… to do that with that brotherhood of football family is pretty special.”

The Revival Context

This moment is more than a local story — it resonates with a broader hunger for renewal in America. Baptisms on a public football team reflect a countercultural witness in an age when young people are often pulled in opposite directions.

From a Christian perspective, this baptism echoes Romans 6:4—“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death… so also you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Through this symbol of dying and rising, student-athletes publicly affirm their faith before their campus community.

Such a public display resonates with the Great Commission: baptism is not merely a rite—it is a visible testament to the inward transformation wrought by Christ.

A Movement Across America

The Carson–Newman baptisms come at a time when revival news continues to spread across the nation. From jailhouse baptisms in Georgia to citywide gatherings like the upcoming AWAKE Boston rally on October 24–25, 2025, believers are seeing signs of God’s Spirit at work.

AWAKE America exists to mobilize prayer and gather Christians for revival in cities across the country. Nearly 500,000 prayer warriors have already joined America’s Prayer Room, where testimonies, praise reports, and weekly prayer focuses lift up the nation before God.

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