Les Steckel
FCA President and CEO
Veteran NFL coach Les Steckel became the seventh President and CEO of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on March 1, 2005. Steckel’s extensive involvement with FCA dates back to 1972 when, as a college football coach, he attended his first FCA conference. In his 30-plus years since, Steckel has served as a Huddle Leader, camp clinician, coach and local board member, spoken at numerous national FCA events. Steckel and his wife, Chris, also speak at annual FCA marriage enrichment weekends. They are also the only couple to serve together on FCA’s National Board of Trustees.
A veteran football coach with more than 32 years experience, Steckel spent 23 years in the NFL. His experience includes serving as offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, whom he helped guide to the 2000 Super Bowl. He also helped lead the offense for the New England Patriots during their 1985 Super Bowl season. He also held the position of offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Additionally, he has been a position coach with the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills.
In August 2006, Steckel’s autobiography, One Yard Short: Turning Your Defeats into Victories, was published. The title is derived from the final play in the 2000 Super Bowl between the Rams and Steckel’s Titans, a play that has been called the most exciting play in the history of the Super Bowl. The book chronicles Steckel’s life journey in coaching which ultimately led him to Kansas City to head the largest sports ministry in the world.
Les and Chris Steckel are blessed with three grown children, Christian (married to Christi), Lesley (married to Shaun) and Luke.
Ken Smith
Master of Ceremony
A former high school coach and former team chaplain for Florida State University and the University of South Carolina, Smith is a graduate of Baylor University and holds graduate degrees from Southern Baptist Seminary and Mississippi State University.
He has served churches in Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. He is the author of It Ought to be a Joy and Lessons from the Top: What I’ve Learned About Winning and Leading. He is currently pastor emeritus of the First Baptist Church of Wauchula (Florida). He is also a 2010 inductee into FCA’s Hall of Champions.
Dr. Ken Whitten
Speaker/Teacher
A member of FCA’s national Board of Trustees, Ken Whitten or “Pastor Ken” is the Senior Pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa, where he has served for more than 21 years, which currently has a membership of over 10,000 and where he has pastored Tony Dungy and Les Steckel.
In addition to FCA, Dr. Whitten has served on numerous other boards of nationally recognized organizations, committees and associations. He lists his hobbies and interests as: family, soul-winning, baseball and golf.
Dick and Mel Tunney
Worship Leaders
The husband and wife musical team of Dick and Mel Tunney met when both were traveling with the contemporary Christian group, TRUTH. After their marriage in 1980, Dick continued touring with TRUTH and later became music director for Sandi Patty, the Imperials, and the Young Messiah Tour.
Mel formed the group known as First Call; and when their daughters were born in 1986 and 1987, Mel and Dick chose to step away from traveling to spend more time at home. This led to songwriting and studio recording work that brought the Tunney’s 10 Dove Awards (plus 9 more nominations) and a Grammy Award for How Excellent is Your Name, co-written with the Imperials’ Paul Smith.
After their daughters graduated from high school, the Tunneys returned to concert ministry to encourage, challenge and stretch believers in local churches across the nation. Dick and Mel both serve as worship leaders and artists in residence at their own church. Mel also continues to do studio work and participate on a worship team for the Billy Graham Evangelical Association. And Dick also serves as the music director for Steve Green.
The Tunneys make their home outside Nashville, Tennessee.
Dr. Tony Evans
Speaker
Dr. Tony Evans is founder and senior pastor of the over 8,000 member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. He is also founder and president of The Urban Alternative, a national organization that seeks to bring about spiritual renewal in urban America through the church.
The organization’s national radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, is heard daily on more than 500 stations in the U.S. and in over 40 countries worldwide. Among the many books he has authored are such titles as Get In the Game; God, Do You Really Care?; No More Excuses; and The Best Is Yet to Come.
Lisa Harper
Speaker
Lisa Harper is a gifted communicator, author and national speaker, whose writing and speaking overflow with comedic wit and colorful pop cultural references. She was the director of Focus on the Family’s national women’s ministry where she created the popular Renewing the Heart conferences.
Lisa is the author of nine books including Holding Out for a Hero, A Perfect Miss and What the Bible is All About for Women. The holder of a Masters of Theological Studies degree from Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, Lisa is also a columnist for Today’s Christian Woman magazine.
Bobby Bowden
Speaker
Bobby Bowden coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons. Bowden led FSU to an AP and Coaches Poll National Title in 1993 and a BCS National Championship in 1999, as well as twelve ACC championships.
Bowden announced his retirement from FSU on December 1, 2009, just weeks after his 80th birthday. Bowden finished his career second in all-time wins by a Division I-FBS coach with 377 wins.
Leah O’Brien-Amico
Speaker
Three-time All-American softball player, three-time Academic All-American, three-time NCAA champion at the University of Arizona, three-time Olympic Gold Medalist and now mother of three boys, three seems to be a very special number for Leah.
Now the co-host of the Christian sports program, More Than Conquerors, on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, Leah has been featured in numerous magazine articles including Sharing the Victory and in several devotional books.
Dennis Swanberg
Comedian
This Austin, Texas-born pastor-turned-comedian is a well-qualified teacher, speaker, author, counselor, preacher and TV host. Dr. Swanberg first served in various pastorates before following his passion for entertaining.
Dennis, affectionately known as “The Swan” to his national cable TV audiences for The Dennis Swanberg Show and Swan’s Place, has been called “America’s Minister of Entertainment.” His numerous impressions include Billy Graham, John Wayne, Don Knotts, Paul Lynde and others. Dennis has many performances on CDs and DVDs and has authored The Man Code.
Melinda Doolittle
Musician
Melinda Doolittle’s 7th grade chorus teacher told her she was tone deaf and in a concert she should just mouth the words. She said, “Don’t you dare sing out loud!!” That early experience did not deter Melinda, however. She says, “I loved music so much; I prayed I would get better.” And she certainly did.
Melinda went on to study music at Belmont University’s storied program in Nashville. Soon she became a backup singer to such artists as CeCe Winans and the Gospel group Anointed and learned from them what it takes to be a great performer.
But nothing could have really prepared her for the wild roller coaster ride she experienced on American Idol. In the show’s 6th season she became a household name as she garnered millions of votes each week and became one of the finalists.
Now, a powerful recording artist in her own right, Melinda’s debut album was entitled “Coming Back to You.” She also devotes her time to numerous hands-on charitable endeavors, including The Boys & Girls Club of America and “Malaria No More,” whose goal is to eradicate malaria in our lifetime.
Fernando Ortega
Musician
Fernando Ortega has risen to critical and popular prominence as a singer-songwriter of immense sensitivity and charm. At the heart of his appeal is a complex combination rare in contemporary Christian music – Ortega is a storyteller, worship leader, artist and vocalist of unparalleled talent.
As a vocalist, he has been described by critics as gifted, unusually engaging, and he has established himself as a champion of the classic hymns of the church, insisting that our praise needs to carefully balance experiential and theological reflection. And as a story-teller, Ortega has written and recorded songs that are both unnervingly intimate and universal in appeal, lifting listeners both into and beyond themselves, moving them into stark personal reflection, joyful adoration and praise.
Steve Fitzhugh
Presenter
Former Denver Bronco and Cleveland Brown, Steve Fitzhugh, is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio where he captained both the football and track teams, and he holds a Master of Divinity degree from Howard University. Steve is the national spokesperson for FCA’s “One Way 2 Play” program, encouraging student athletes to play sports drug and alcohol-free.
A resident of Washington, D.C., he serves as the executive director of PowerMoves, leading students into success and significance. His frequent school auditorium messages delivered across the country are filled with humor, energy and inspiration.