Andy Studebaker: “Chief” Defender

By Mark Darnall and Bruce Darnall

Andy Studebaker, defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs, grew up the youngest of five siblings, in a family where his values and Christian beliefs were foundational for the success he is experiencing today in the NFL.

“I grew up in a home where my parents (Ken and Jane) instilled in me and my siblings Christian values,” Studebaker says. “I was familiar with the Bible and the story of the Cross (of Jesus); I went to church camps in the summers where I made a commitment of faith.

“I wasn’t involved in bad things or doing bad things, so I thought I must be okay,” he adds.

Studebaker competed in basketball, track and football at Eureka (Ill.) High School, but was surprised when he was recruited to play football at Wheaton (Ill.) College. “I considered myself best in basketball,” Studebaker says, “but I was not offered anything for basketball. Football was not on my radar until my senior year. The coaches at Wheaton started recruiting me then.

Studebaker discovers it’s not about what you don’t say or do

“I think throughout college and especially the last couple of years, I have grown in the realization that it is God’s grace that saves me and not my lack of going to parties or my lack of saying bad words or the fact that I do charity work,” Studebaker explains. “Those things are never going to save me; only the Cross is going to save me, and only the grace of God is going to save me.

“I don’t know where I would be if it weren’t for God stepping in and changing me. I see certain situations in my life like going to a great college and surrounding me with great people. The people I have been around in my career in football have left an impact, and it has sharpened my faith.”

In 2008, Studebaker was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles and placed on the practice squad. Twelve weeks later the Kansas City Chiefs picked him up and placed him on their active team. He has been there ever since. In the fall of2010, Studebaker signed a four-year contract through 2013 with the Chiefs.

Living out his faith in the NFL

Studebaker now tries to live out his Christian faith through his actions as a football player, friend and husband. His dad says, “Andy does not blow his own horn very much. He has always been one who lets his actions on the field, on the court, on the track, speak for themselves. Andy’s faith is reflected in his humility, looking at other athletes for who they are and the gifts they have (not being negative or critical), and in the attitude he takes on and off the field.”

Studebaker agrees with his dad, “Actions are more powerful than words,” he says. “When people see faith in action, it causes people to question: Why are you joyful? Why do you have peace when there is calamity? Why are you walking differently? It gives me an opportunity to open up and share (my Christian faith).”

“Andy has been rock solid in what he believes in,” says his brother Ben. “He is committed to all of his relationships, but most importantly to Christ. He is a model in the ways he conducts himself.”

Former teammate and close friend Rudy Niswanger says, “Andy is a man of character who stands on principles he believes in. He is not afraid to be who he is in Christ.”

A Bible study with other Chiefs makes a difference

Andy and his wife, Mallory, attend a Bible study with several other Kansas City Chiefs players and wives on a regular basis during the season. Rev. Tim Howey, pastor at Grace Church of Overland Park, Kan., leads the study. “Andy strikes me as a very passionate follower of Jesus Christ and a student of the (Bible) who enjoys digging into the Scriptures,” Howey says. “Andy is a man that I trust in terms of his integrity. He stands by his word and he supports his fellow teammates and encourages them to follow Christ as well.”

Studebaker adds, “As I grow more aware of God’s holiness and in my own sinfulness—in the fact that God is infinitely holy and I am more sinful than I can bear to admit, (I realize that) without the Cross, we would be lost.”

Studebaker finds it hard to pick out a favorite Bible verse but says, “I love the book of James because it has been encouraging to me. It is an important book, teaching you what faith looks like in action. You talk about trials and suffering and when things are not going well; but ultimately, it is our faith that defines us. We need to look for how God is going to be glorified (through our lives) in good times and bad times.

Photos from the Kansas City Chiefs

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