OXFORD,
Miss. – University of Mississippi head football Coach Houston Nutt and
former University of Colorado football coach Bill McCartney are the
keynote speakers for The Standard, a men’s ministry conference this
weekend at C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum.
The conference, set for 7-9 p.m. Friday (May 1) and 9-11:30 a.m. Saturday, is sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Tickets are $25 general admission, $15 for UM students, and are available at the door or by calling 662-607-2400.
“It’s our desire to have a men’s conference and encourage men to be godly men, to be better husbands and fathers, and to be leaders,” said Isaac Jenkins, director of Campus Crusade for Christ. “We put this together, and it has really taken off. It’s become sort of a statewide conference.”
Nutt headlines the Friday night schedule, which also features talks by David Kellum, announcer for Ole Miss football, basketball and baseball broadcasts; Kent Austin, offensive coordinator and former quarterback for the Ole Miss football team; and Keith Carter, analyst for Ole Miss basketball broadcasts and a former honorable mention All-American for the Rebels.
McCartney, who is co-founder of Promise Keepers, is the keynote speaker for Saturday. Other Saturday morning speakers include Jason Cook, former starting fullback for the Ole Miss football team who agreed this weekend to join the NFL Baltimore Ravens.
The goal of the conference reflects Nutt’s philosophy of “play like a champion, work like a champion and live like a champion,” said Don Decker, Ole Miss football strength and conditioning coach. Decker is co-emcee for the event with Jenkins.
“This is an opportunity for us to reach out to this community and give back,” Decker said. “This community has embraced us since we got here, and we wanted to give something back. We feel like this conference will challenge men and give them an opportunity to walk away better, and when you walk away better, you have a better chance of living like a champion.”
For more information, go to http://www.mensstandard.org . For assistance related to a disability, call 662-607-2400.