Top 12 Evangelical Christians in Sports

You can stay home on Sunday to watch football, skip Tuesday night prayer meeting for the baseball game of the week, and miss Saturday's church retreat in favor of a pro golf tournament--chances are, you'll still hear about Jesus. Evangelical athletes populate the major sports, and many of them enjoy the chance to be outspoken about their faith--thanking God for that winning field goal, late-inning homerun, or 18-foot putt.

We've scanned the sporting world to come up with a gallery of some of the most dominant athletes and coaches working today. Each of these men and women work hard, as their Bibles tell them, "to win the prize," both in their sports and in their faith.

• Joe Gibbs - owner of champion NASCAR team, Joe Gibbs Racing, and until January 8, 2008, the head coach and team president of the Washington Redskins
• Mariano Rivera – relief pitcher for the New York Yankees who helped the team win four World Series titles throughout his career
• Derek Fisher – point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers
• Shaun Alexander – running back for the Seattle Seahawks, 2005 NFL MVP
• Allyson Felix – track and field sprinter, won three gold medals at the Outdoor World Championship in Japan in 2007
• Hunter Smith – punter for the INDIANAPOLIS Colts
• Jake Peavy – pitcher for the San Diego Padres
• Tony Dungy – coach for the Indianapolis Colts
• Curt Schilling – pitcher for the Boston Red Sox
• Tim Tebow – quarterback for the Florida Gators at the University of Florida
• Michael Waltrip – driver and owner of Michael Waltrip Racing
• Zach Johnson – American golfer, won the 2007 Masters Tournament

Read more about each of these on Beliefnet.