LYNCHBURG, Va. – There are countless storylines that emerge in connection with the Super Bowl and one has a local tie.
Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Nick Foles started taking graduate classes through Liberty’s online program last offseason, studying in the Rawlings School of Divinity.
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The 29-year-old spent last offseason at his home in Southern California, taking courses online, according to Liberty.
He plans to pick up his course load once again this coming offseason.
Foles is in the sixth season of his NFL career, but he has been open about his alternate career plans, telling the Philadelphia Inquirer that he might like to be a high school pastor.
“When you’re playing in the NFL, you can only do this for a short amount of time,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Guys retire before they’re 30. If you play forever, you play into your 40s — and you’re still a young man with a lot of life left to live. … That’s what I’ve enjoyed in the offseason, being able to take classes, do that. It makes it easy to go play.”
Foles has not shied away from professing his faith. His Twitter bio reads, “Believer in Jesus Christ, husband, father, son, brother.”
Foles also talked about the relationship with his offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who had been in a similar role as a backup quarterback headed to his first Super Bowl and who had also been to seminary and become a pastor.
Liberty has another connection to the Super Bowl as alumna Sam Ponder (’09), the host of "Sunday NFL Countdown," will be covering the game for ESPN.