'Use the Game to...Spread the Word of Jesus Christ': TN Star QB Hendon Hooker on Faith, Family, Hard Work
University of Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker says it was a "blessing" to have parents who influenced him and his siblings to be active in the church at an early age.
Hooker, an outspoken Christian, talked about his faith and his upbringing earlier this month at the First Baptist Church in Morristown, TN. He was interviewed on stage in front of the congregation by Senior Pastor Dean Haun.
A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, the 6-foot-4 Hooker was the middle child of three. He said it was his parents who inspired in all of their children the power of hard work.
And that hard work has paid off for Hooker. This past season, he helped the Tennessee Volunteers break a school record for points scored during a season. The seasoned quarterback was previously at Virginia Tech for four seasons before transferring to Tennessee in 2021.
In December, Hooker announced he was returning to the Volunteers for the 2022 season, instead of going pro. Sports Illustrated has ranked the 24-year-old as a top prospect for the NFL Draft in 2023.
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Hooker told Haun he learned something in the children's church that still remains with him to this day.
"I remember us growing up in children's church. We had a lot of activities," he said. "My dad used to lead activities all the time in children's church. We used to have game nights where we would play basketball or have laser tag, but it was always a message within the game."
"And that was something I took away from that – that I can use the game to get the message out there and spread the word of Jesus Christ," Hooker explained.
Back in November, he also added the title of author to his growing resume. Hendon and his brother Alston Hooker released a new Scripture book for young athletes, titled The ABC's of Scripture for Athletes.
Designed like a comic, it's filled with the brothers' favorite scriptures and contains flash cards.
Hooker touched on the book during Haun's interview, saying, "We just want to encourage people to get in the Word. We came out with our scripture book to encourage kids, but it could also work for adults as well. Reading the book, you start to remember the scriptures and start to use them in your day-to-day life."
At the time of the book's release, he told reporters that after his bout with COVID-19 while still playing at Virginia Tech, he was thankful to still be playing football.
According to Sports Spectrum, he underwent a heart screening after he was released from quarantine, and the tests showed a potential heart issue that was unrelated to COVID. His initial fear was that his football career could be over.
"It really just opened my eyes to show me how blessed I am," Hooker told The Ledger. "Really just gave me the thought that I shouldn't put anything other than God and my family before football. Just because I've put in so much work and have so much love for the game that I shouldn't take it for granted."
