Brock Purdy, the starting quarterback of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and an unlikely star after coming out of Iowa State University as a prospect who many teams thought was not worth taking in the draft, talked about growing in his faith as a member of the Iowa State Cyclones. Purdy has been an inspiration for his instance of sharing his faith before and after games, making him one of the most likable young quarterbacks in football.
On November 4, Purdy was in attendance at the Cyclones’ games against the Kansas Jayhawks. Purdy, now a legend at his alma mater after becoming such a household name in his second year as a starting NFL quarterback, was taken onto the field to be recognized in front of more than 60,000 roaring fans who packed the stadium.
“I love you guys” was the only message that Purdy was able to get out during that recognition. The noise, along with the emotions, made it tough for him to do anything other than put his hand on his heart in a gesture of thanks and smile at the deafening noise of a standing ovation.
Purdy found himself growing in astronomical ways while he attended Iowa State. According to the Des Moines Register, his time in school led to his baptism, among other things. Purdy’s father knows that the school holds a special place in his son’s heart, calling it “his safe space.”
Jack Bertilson was a friend of Purdy during his time at Iowa State and shared a story about the young quarterback that seems to give a nice summary of the teammate and leader that Purdy strove to be. When entering his senior season, Bertilson asked his friend what his goals were for the senior year.
Purdy’s goal did not include a personal statistic goal, a trophy from the NCAA, or even a team goal like wins or a bowl game victory. Bertilson said, “He’s like, ‘All I want at the end of the day is that the guys in the locker room would know that I loved and cared about them.'”
Bertilson continued, “He was just another leader that wanted to invest in the guys in Ames and wanted to be a part of the community and to meet new people and to welcome them to Salt Company. He never used his influence, never used his fame or what you would call it for his own advantage.”
Purdy, who was baptized while at Iowa State, also sees that school as a major step in his Christian Faith, and that makes him thankful for his time on campus. Purdy said, “It was huge for me in growing in my faith.”
Purdy’s star is burning brighter than anyone would have guessed when he entered the NFL as a prospect who did not have a surefire way to earn playing time in the league. Now, just two years removed from that, he is the betting favorite to win the NFL MVP award and leads one of the most explosive offenses in the world.
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