MIAMI LAKES – Former United States Congressman and college football great J.C. Watts Jr. to be featured guest speaker at the 39th Annual Baptist Health Orange Bowl Prayer Breakfast in Support of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes during the 2009-10 Orange Bowl Festival.
The Prayer Breakfast regularly features appearances and testimonies by players and coaches of the teams participating in the FedEx Orange Bowl. This year’s event will be held Saturday, January 2, 2010 at Jungle Island in Miami, beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Watts Jr., who was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1994, served eight years in Washington D.C. representing the fourth district of Oklahoma. A highly regarded member of congress, Watts Jr. was elected by his peers to serve as chairman of the Republican Conference, the fourth-ranking leadership position in the majority party in the U.S. House of Representatives, a position once held by Dick Cheney, Jack Kemp and Gerald Ford.
A two-time Orange Bowl MVP, Watts Jr. rallied his Oklahoma troops to victories over Florida State as a heralded Sooners quarterback. In 1980, he rushed for 127 yards and scored on a 61-yard touchdown to help beat the Seminoles, 24-7. His 78-yard drive late in the 1981 game that culminated with an 11-yard touchdown brought the Sooners within one point of FSU. Watts then tossed a 2-point conversion pass for the 18-17 win. In 1991, Watts was named to the Orange Bowl’s Hall of Fame. Following his playing career, which included time spent in the Canadian Football League, Watts Jr. worked as a Baptist minister before being elected to congress.
For more information on this event, please contact the office of Fellowship of Christian Athletes at (305) 445-1600.
