For some, the thought of talking to professional athletes and esteemed coaches about their experiences and their faith stories sounds like a dream come true. For Kevin Ward, an Oklahoma Christian University alumnus, what is a dream to others is his reality.
Ward recently started a ministry venture called Suit Up 611. In this ministry, Ward interviews hailed icons in local and national sports, such as former Cowboys player Chad Jennings and 13-time state champion football coach Allan Trimble from Jenks, OK.
While Ward came onto the Oklahoma Christian campus as a walk-on to the basketball team and wanted to become a coach, he practiced with the team once and realized he was not a fit at that moment. Later, when Ward was listening to a game on the campus radio, however, it mentioned they needed an analyst.
“I got the call from the station saying I got the gig,” Ward said. “I was pretty excited, so I asked if it was my playing experience that got me the job. They said, ‘No, you’re the only one who wanted it.’ Once I started doing play by play through that job, I grew a real love for broadcasting and play by play, so that is what turned my focus to radio.”
Ward thought that through his love of sports and his connections in the broadcast world, he could combine his faith with another passion.
“I tried to figure out a way to bring my contacts in sports together with my faith to inspire people,” Ward said. “You know, a lot of folks will listen to someone who is successful in sports about God or Jesus.”
The name Suit Up 611 also has significance to Ward.
“My wife came up with the name Suit Up,” Ward said. “The 611 comes from Ephesians 6:11, which talks about putting on the armor of God to ward off the devil.”
The first interview on Suit Up with Trimble stands out to Ward as special. Trimble, who suffers from ALS, talked to Ward about facing death with faith.
“Allan has been battling ALS for quite a few years now, and to hear about facing death was crazy,” Ward said. “To watch him live out his faith and his understanding that there is a better place coming for him inspired me. I wanted to tell the story.”
Through these stories, Ward hopes to inspire people and help them in their faith.
“That’s my hope,” Ward said. “You find these stories where people have faced something really formidable. Chad Jennings was a fighter pilot in the Gulf War and had to put his NFL dreams on hold. All of the stories have real inspiration, and it has been a real blessing to me to be able to put them together.”
Ward said while attending Oklahoma Christian he never thought this was the direction his life would go, but he is thankful it did and is grateful for the opportunities Oklahoma Christian has provided.
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