The round-the-clock media circus that surrounds Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has pushed spirituality in professional sports into the spotlight. Tebow’s on-the-field prayer and good-natured embracing of the “Tebowing” phenomena have been highlighted by every sports publication in the country at this point.

Tebow might be the most high profile religious athlete in he world at the moment, but he’s certainly not the only athlete with an outspoken enthusiasm for his faith.
There have been a number of professional athletes and coaches, past and present, who didn’t shy away from the subject of spirituality.

Here are 25 of the Most Religious Athletes in Sports

1. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers: Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and wife Tiffany, his junior high school sweetheart, are very active in the Catholic church.
Rivers speaks to young people about spirituality and the importance of abstaining from premarital sex. Philip and Tiffany may have abstained from sex until marriage, but they’ve certainly made up on lost ground; the pair welcomed their sixth child in October, 2011.

2. Tony Dungy, Retired NFL Coach: Former NFL coach Tony Dungy is a deeply religious man who was appointed by former President George W. Bush to serve on the President’s Faith Council. Dungy doesn’t often speak publicly on religion, but rather takes public positions on certain issues and steps in to mentor troubled NFL players.

3. Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers: Josh Hamilton had a well-reported history with drug and alcohol abuse and called his recovery “a God thing.” He’s been mostly clean since 2005 and takes every opportunity to share his stories of how Jesus brought him back from the edge and what keeps him going today.

4. Dikembe Mutombo, Retired NBA Player: Retired NBA player Dikembe Mutombo is a devout Baptist who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has devoted most of his life to humanitarian work there. He’s a spokesman for the international relief agency CARE and has worked for the United Nations Development Program. Mutombo was invited to the 2007 State of the Union Address and was specifically referred to as a “son of the Congo” by then-President George W. Bush.

5. Jimmer Fredette, Sacramento Kings

6. Morgan Pressel, LPGA

7. Chad Curtis, Retired MLB player: Chad Curtis retired from baseball in 2001, but he was very outspoken about his religious beliefs during his time in MLB.
While he was playing for the Yankees, as many as 25 players attended weekly chapel sessions or daily prayer services led by Curtis, the chapel leader. Curtis was very open with his teammates and urged those he felt were “heading down wrong roads” to reevaluate their lives and embrace religion.

8. Deion Sander, Retired NFL Player: Retired cornerback Deion Sanders was one of the biggest superstar athletes in the world during his career, but has stated he had nothing until he found God. Sanders has discussed not wanting to sleep in his $10,000 bed, not wanting to come home to his 15,000 square-foot home, and not wanting to drive his collection of luxury cars, as his “Prime Time” persona left him feeling empty. Today he finds meaning in mentoring troubled youth through programs such as those offered by the Boys & Girls Club of America.

9. Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers

10. Hakeem Olajuwon, Retired NBA

11. Jeff Kent, Retired MLB

12. Reggie White (1968-2004), Retired NFL

13. Bill Goldberg, Retired WWE Wrestling

14. Carl Everett, Retired MLB

15. Steve Young, Retired NFL

16. Joe Gibbs, Retired NFL Coach; NASCAR Sprint Cup Owner

17. Jake Peavy, Chicago Red Sox

18. A.C. Green, Retired NBA: Retired NBA player A.C. Green converted to Christianity while in high school in Hermiston, Oregon. Green has insisted that he began and ended his NBA career as a virgin, despite teammates sending him women in an attempt to corrupt his morals. He responded by calmly quoting scripture to the lucky ladies. Today he runs the A.C. Green Youth Foundation which promotes abstinence until marriage.

19. Kurt Warner, Retired NFL

20. Muhammed Ali, Retired Boxer

21. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees

22. Allyson Felix, U.S. Track and Field

23. Curt Schilling, Retired MLB

24. Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos: Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is basically the poster boy for religion in professional sports. Tebow was born in the Philippines to two parents serving as Christian Baptist missionaries and was the first home-schooled athlete to with the Heisman Trophy. Tebow isn’t shy about showing his faith and even embraced “Tebowing,” the national sensation derived from his penchant for on-field prayer.

25. Amar’e Stoudemire, New York Knicks

Read More (Use orange arrows below the headline)