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s a college student at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, Tony Mathews loved nothing better than to hold a basketball in his hands. Attending college on a basketball scholarship, he played for Angelo State against Dennis Rodman, and he played against Chris Mullin and Sidney Green at the amateur, Olympic-style Empire State Games in New York. Although Mathews had been introduced to the church as a 12-year-old boy in Buffalo, N.Y., God used his passion for basketball to draw him to faith in Christ. In his college dorm room, he read Power for Living, which shared the testimonies of famous athletes like Tom Landry and Julius Erving. After reading the book, he followed the guidance of a “sinner’s prayer” written at the end of the book and prayed that Christ would be his Savior and Lord.
summer 2013 SouthwesternNews 11