This week’s Faith, Family, & Football feature is: David Akers, Current San Francisco 49er.
David Akers is currently in his 14th NFL season and 2nd with the San Francisco 49ers. David is a 6-time Pro Bowler and often regarded as one of the NFL’s most reliable kickers. Last year, he set the NFL single-season records for most FGs made (44), most FGs attempted (52) and most points with no TDs (166). In addition, David ranks 3rd in NFL history with 151 career postseason points, trailing only Gary Anderson (153) and Adam Vinatieri (187). His story is one of true perseverance and through hard work and determination he’s been able to achieve great success and longevity in this league.
David was an undrafted free agent out of the University of Louisville in 1997 and eventually earned his first opportunity with the Redskins is 1998. After being released by the Redskins, David was signed by the Eagles in 1999. It was there where he solidified his place as a reliable NFL kicker and has continued to do so as a 49er. Throughout his career, David has been a vocal leader on and off the field, a major contributor to his community, and used his platform as a professional athlete to spread his faith. There’s hardly ever a time where you won’t see David pointing to the sky acknowledging God on the football field. He is a firm believer and possesses a deep desire to spread God’s love.
In 2001, David founded Kicks for Kids to provide assistance to the patients and their families at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and he continues to impact lives through several philanthropic efforts today. David has a long standing relationship with NFLPE’s Vice President, Troy Vincent from their playing days in Philadelphia and they continue to support each other in all their endeavors. NFLPE was able to catch up with David and learn about his perspective on Faith, Family, & Football. Check out the interview below.
PE: Why is faith important to you?
Akers: My faith is in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and anything else other than that will probably fail you, rust, break, lie, and change over time. Therefore, I just go by the rock of the proven word. Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.” So that’s kind of where I hold on to my faith.
PE: Tell us about your family and the impact they’ve had on your life?
Akers: I grew up with hard working parents. One’s a principal and one was a school teacher. They are still married today and we grew up in a house where there was a lot of love and support. We did a lot of things together as a family, with good discipline and work ethic being instilled at a young age.
I married into a family that had those same types of values. Now I have a wife that stands by her husband and I do the same for her, so we cling together as one. As a father, I try to emulate what my parents did when I was younger and instill the same values of work ethic, family, and love. Above all, we instill faith and understanding of our Lord and Savior and our purpose on earth.
PE: What does being a father mean to you?
Akers: Being a father is a blessing. I’m grateful to be given the opportunity to teach my children the ways to be righteous, humble, serve, and love one another. That’s one thing at night that I pray upon with my children; that God will use them in a mighty way for his glory, whatever that may be. I don’t know if they’re going to be missionaries, nor do I care if they make 10 million dollars or 10 bucks. As long as they’re serving the Lord in what they’re doing and pursuing their purpose in life I’ll be happy.
PE: How has your faith and family helped you develop off the field?
Akers: There is no on and off the field aspect for me. My faith is engrained in everything I do. It’s who I am. It helps me understand that football doesn’t define me. Football is my job and it could end tomorrow. If it does, I can say that I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to play for a very long time, meet several people, and build valuable relationships. Over time I’ve developed an understanding that life’s about relationships and having faith in knowing that off the field there’s a greater purpose in life. We have to go out and magnify that in our daily walk.
PE: How do you balance faith, family, and football?
Akers: Your faith comes first. Again, you have to understand there’s a purpose, a greater purpose, behind everything that we’re doing. The success of man and the failure of man aren’t defined the same way in a biblical sense. There might be a time where you think, “Man, I’ve become an absolute failure”, but the way you respond to that defines your character. Romans 3:5 states that you’re supposed to “rejoice in our sufferings and through that you have perseverance.” Perseverance develops your character and then character shows you the hope within Jesus.
How are you going to work through that refining part? It’s not an easy thing. It sounds great to read it, but when you’re going through it, it’s a completely different situation. From my experience, I know that it’s trial under fire and you have to keep the faith and understand that God’s got an ultimate purpose for you as you’re getting refined through that fire.
PE: What advice would you give to student athletes and current professional athletes in regards to their faith, family, and football?
Akers: The biggest thing that I would recommend is for your faith to be number one. For our family there are a criteria and a hierarchy for faith, family, and football. Family is under God, football is my work, and then comes everything else. What we need to understand is if you have your focus on the things that you’re supposed to be focused on, then you’re more apt to have your life in order and understand the realities of it.
There’s going to be pressure. If you’re saying, Oh my gosh, my football career is going down the tubes or my job’s hurting me or financially I’m struggling over here, then you’ll be going through the ebbs and flows of life. However, if your focus is on God and understanding the faith in the rock that you believe in, then you’re going to be stronger in the end because the blips won’t be so up and down. I can be upset about the way I played or I can be extremely excited by the way I played. It really doesn’t matter in the scheme of life. Building relationships and serving one another as Christ did is really what I believe we’re supposed to be doing. So basically let your faith and your family guide your way, but let your actions away from that line up to what you profess.
Check out David’s testimony here.
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