Random Famous Athletes Who Are Catholic (28 items)

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  (#1) Kobe Bryant

  • 41

  Kobe Bryant was raised Roman Catholic. His family moved around a lot due to his father's basketball career.
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  (#2) Tom Brady

  • 42

  Tom Brady was raised Catholic in San Mateo, California. He says, "Look at the attention I get: It’s because I throw a football. But that’s what society values. That’s not what God values. He didn’t invent the game. We did. I have some eye-hand coordination, and I can throw the ball. I don’t think that matters to God."
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  (#3) Brett Favre

  • 50

  Brett Favre is Catholic. He says, "As you grow older, a lot of the things you thought were important are not near as important as they once were. I think it was during the latter part of my career that my faith started to become more of a fixture."
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  (#4) Babe Ruth

  • Dec. at 53 (1895-1948)

  Babe Ruth was a Catholic and a member of the Knights of Columbus.
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  (#5) Rocky Marciano

  • Dec. at 46 (1923-1969)

  Rocky Marciano was a devout Catholic. He would often visit church before a big fight.
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  (#6) Joe DiMaggio

  • Dec. at 85 (1914-1999)

  Joe DiMaggio was a devout Catholic, but he was banned from the church after his divorce from Dorothy Arnold. Bishop Fulton Sheen also scolded him for marrying Marilyn Monroe.
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  (#7) Dominique Dawes

  • 43

  Dominique Dawes converted to Catholicism before marrying Jeff Thompson on May 25, 2013. Thompson is a Catholic school teacher.
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  (#8) Vince Lombardi

  • Dec. at 57 (1913-1970)

  Vince Lombardi grew up Catholic in Brooklyn. He was also an altar boy at St. Mark's Catholic Church.
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  (#9) Pat Riley

  • 74

  Pat Riley is a practicing Roman Catholic.
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  (#10) Mike Piazza

  • 51

  Mike Piazza is Roman Catholic. He was featured in the Champions of Faith DVD, which examines the relationship between Catholic religious faith and sports.
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  (#11) Herman Edwards

  • 65

  Herman Edwards was born and raised Baptist, but he converted to Catholicism with his family.
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  (#12) Tommy Lasorda

  • 92

  "I like being a Catholic because of the faith. The faith is very true. I was taught by the sisters for my first eight years of school and they not only taught me religion, they taught me so many other facets of life," said Tommy Lasorda in 2014.
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  (#13) Howie Long

  • 59

  Howie Long is a Roman Catholic.
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  (#14) Bonnie Blair

  • 55

  Bonnie Blair was raised in a Catholic household in Champaign, Illinois. She has also worked as a spokesperson for Catholic Relief Services.
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  (#15) John Stockton

  • 57

  John Stockton is Roman Catholic. Karl Malone said, "From the very first, I realized that what you see is what you get with John. Stockton never wavered one iota from his beliefs. He never shared them publicly, so people thought he didn’t have them. He did, and he stayed true to them."
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  (#16) Gil Hodges

  • Dec. at 48 (1924-1972)

  Gil Hodges was Catholic, and he always had the support of his congregation when facing tough opponents.
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  (#17) Kate Ziegler

  • 31

  Kate Ziegler is a devout Roman Catholic. She says, "I know God has given me the gift of swimming, so I recite a Scripture verse each time before I jump in the pool to swim."
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  (#18) Kimmie Meissner

  • 30

  Kimmie Meissner was raised in a Catholic household in Towson, Maryland.
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  (#19) Bob Griese

  • 74

  Bob Griese is Catholic and attended a Catholic high school.
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  (#20) Willie Bloomquist

  • 42

  Willie Bloomquist is a Roman Catholic. He says, "Before I play, I take a few minutes to give thanks to Jesus. He knows my heart, and selfishly I want to play well in the end, I ask Him to use my abilities to the best of my abilities."
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  (#21) Clint Dempsey

  • 36

  Clint Dempsey is a Roman Catholic. He says, "I play to the best of my abilities and am thankful for the many opportunities and amazing success [God] has given me. Through it all, I want to do right, not make mistakes, and live a life that is pleasing to Him."
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  (#22) Justin De Fratus

  • 32

  Justin De Fratus relied on his faith to get over an injury early in his career.
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  (#23) Joe Wieland

  • 29

  Joe Wieland's Twitter profile states, "San Diego Padres. Catholic athlete striving to be like Christ."
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  (#24) Sean Casey

  • 45

  Sean Casey comes from an Irish Catholic background.
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  (#25) Matt Moore

  • 30

  Matt Moore displays his religion proudly with a tattoo of Saint Michael on his left shoulder.
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  (#26) Maury Buford

  • 59

  Maury Buford said that his Catholic religion helped him succeed in the NFL. "I would also pray that I go out there and give my best efforts and thank God for giving me talents and the drive to play and win. I thank God for giving me the passion to play as well," he explains.
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  (#27) Justin Tucker

  • 30

  Justin Tucker makes the sign of the cross each time he prepares to kick the football.
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  (#28) Mark Van Guilder

  • 34

  Mark Van Guilder grew up Catholic and still practices today. He says, "If I’m gonna say I’m a Catholic, then I’m a Catholic all the time. It’s on the ice and off the ice and it’s something you have to live everyday. It’s contagious. It rubs off on your teammates."

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