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After NFL's First Prayer, Religion Touched Down
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Lusk, who gave the invocation at the 2000 Republican National Convention, serves as an adviser to President Bush, who has made two appearances at Greater Exodus and has given People for People more than $1 million in grants as part of the administration's program to support faith-based initiatives.
A year after retiring, Lusk said he saw Wendell Tyler of the Los Angeles Rams copy his end-zone routine.
"I saw that and said, 'That's why I played,' " Lusk said. "I felt accomplishment. I felt vindication. People always asked me [after retiring] why did I even bother to play, and then I pointed to that."
Eventually, stars such as future Hall of Famer Reggie White displayed their faith on the field, giving it additional credence.
"When superstars who are so powerful and influential can make a gesture like that, then others are going to follow," said Joseph Price, professor of religious studies at Whittier College, who has written extensively about the relationship between sports and religion.
Lusk doesn't need any further affirmation. He knows what place 48 Toss has given him in the 30 years since that run. Never mind that he scored only one other touchdown in his career.
"All I wanted to do more than anything else in life was to make a difference and be a changing force," Lusk said, "At the time, I wasn't thinking about what I started, but now, I look back and say to myself, 'Yes, I've given birth to something.' "
