---Captain Crunch's Journey of Faith --Sometimes, a nickname tells all you need to know. Sometimes, it doesn't.
When Mike Kolen played linebacker for the Auburn Tigers in the late 1960s, and later for the Miami Dolphins, he earned the tag "Captain Crunch" for his fierce hitting style. He tracked down and leveled ball carriers with incredible intensity.
His hard-hitting play catapulted him to All-America honors with the Tiger's and helped him play a large role on the Dolphins' defense for eight seasons [including the famous 1972 undefeated team] before he retired from knee injuries.
That ferocious image, however, is belied by a gracious and gentle spirit that has marked his life since he came to saving faith in Jesus Christ as a college freshman in 1967.
"When I first came to Auburn, I guess you could say I had a Burger King philosophy--I liked to have it my way." Kolen said as he prepared to attend the first night of the Will Graham Celebration in Auburn. "I had been in church some, but I didn't know the Lord."
That changed when Kolen went to view "The Restless Ones," an evangelistic film produced by Billy Graham's World Wide Pictures. He'll never forget the evening.
"At the end of the film, two groups of young people were portrayed--one frustrated and confused, the other with meaning and purpose." Kolen said. "I went back to my dorm room and got on my knees to ask Christ into my life.
"I knew it was for real, that it wasn't just a feeling. For the first time in my life, I knew I had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ," he added.
Kolen has shared his faith with thousands of athletes and businessmen during the past 40 years, always reminding them that "Captain Crunch's" journey of faith began and continues on his knees. ~~
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From: Decision Magazine
May 2010
