On Jan. 1, 2024, Liberty University faces off with the University of Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
As millions of Americans tune into the football game, they will be watching the fulfillment of Liberty founder and chancellor Jerry Falwell’s greatest prophecy. Athletic success formed a foundational part of Falwell’s plan for the school, so much so that its founding mission statement promised “Here we Train Champions for Christ.”
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From the beginning, Falwell declared it a goal for Liberty to be the evangelical equivalent of Notre Dame for Catholics and Brigham Young University for Latter-day Saints, both football powerhouses. Falwell’s vision has had major implications for the country. He infused students with a new, strident, aggressive form of faith that has reshaped American religion and politics over the last half century. In real ways, Liberty has driven the growth of the
Founded in 1971, Liberty did not field a football team for its first two academic years. In 1973, however, Liberty added football and Falwell immediately began using it as a tool to preach his message that the U.S. had to return to what he argued were its Christian roots.
The football media guide for 1975 signified his vision for the school.
From 1975 to 1988, Falwell stressed the spiritual qualifications of Liberty’s football coaches, but they lost more games than they won. Their record and lower level of competition limited the team’s visibility and Falwell’s platform.
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In 1988, Falwell decided it was time to hire a coach who would bring more attention and wins to his burgeoning football program. He settled on former Cleveland Browns coach and ESPN announcer Sam Rutigliano.
In 1989, Falwell shuttered
But that wasn’t all. Falwell saw a winning football program as a path for fueling his fight to restore Christian America. In 1995, the NCAA gave him a chance and he seized it. The governing body made all end zone celebrations a 15-yard penalty, including kneeling or pointing to heaven. Liberty, Rutigliano, and four players filed a lawsuit against the NCAA charging that the new rule violated their First Amendment Rights.
Falwell brought Rutigliano onto his television program,
In 2007, Falwell died and his son Jerry Falwell Jr. took over Liberty. Falwell Jr. maintained his father’s commitment to building the school’s political influence and its football program. In 2013, Liberty brought NFL quarterback
Five years later, Liberty’s football team jumped back into the political fray, once again over kneeing, but this time on the opposite side. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality, igniting a firestorm. Nike
While that message could’ve meshed with Liberty’s brand of faith, Falwell Jr. instead saw Kaepernick as unpatriotic — a danger to the Christian nationalism for which Liberty stood. He threatened to break the school’s athletic apparel contract with Nike. Liberty’s football team gave Falwell the platform and power to publicly shape the politics and consumption of conservative evangelicals. His threat to boycott through his football team’s gear codified
In 2017, the NCAA approved Liberty’s bid to join the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). After 46 years, the Falwells’ dream of building a football program — and a school — that would compete against the likes of Notre Dame and BYU became a reality.
At the May graduation ceremony that year, it took another step. Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Barak Obama had all followed victories with trips to South Bend to serve as Notre Dame’s commencement speaker. Donald Trump, by contrast, rewarded evangelical Christians for their overwhelming support by venturing to Liberty instead. Over 50,000 people filled the school’s football stadium. The crowd roared as Falwell Jr. boasted about the president’s slight of Notre Dame.
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Trump emphasized Falwell Sr.’s vision for an evangelical university that would shape the minds of young Christians.
Trump’s logic illustrated why the Falwells needed to build a football powerhouse. With a winning, big-time college program, Liberty could spread its brand of conservative Christianity. To continue doing so Falwell Jr. hired Hugh Freeze as coach. The former University of Mississippi coach had been fired for
While both Liberty football and Christian Nationalism have only recently entered the national consciousness, the two forces have been feeding one another for over half a century. In that time, Liberty’s enrollment has increased exponentially to over 130,000 in 2022 making
From the start, Falwell foresaw creating a university that shaped conservative Christians like Notre Dame has Catholics and BYU has Latter-day Saints. The 2023 football season is the culmination of years of work and hundreds of millions of dollars spent. While Notre Dame is playing a lower tier bowl game, and BYU failed to qualify for one, Liberty is on one of the biggest stages in the sport in front of a projected television audience of over 8 million. According to marketing executive
No matter the outcome of the Fiesta Bowl, then, it will be a victory for Jerry Falwell Sr.’s prophetic vision for his Christian Nationalist football program. As Christian Nationalism is