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- NFL running back Christian McCaffrey has looked to the bible for guidance throughout his career.
- His favorite verse is Proverbs 1:7. It states "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."
- That mantra has shaped his approach to facing opponents and pushes him to play fearlessly.
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In the New International Version of the Bible, the verse Proverbs 1:7 reads, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."
For All-Pro NFL running back Christian McCaffrey, the verse is more than just scripture, but a mindset he uses on every play.
"If you fear God, it's not like you're scared of him, but it's a respect thing," McCaffrey told Insider. "As an athlete, it tells you not to fear anybody. I'm not scared of anybody, and it can kind of give you that confidence booster that you need in life, that there's only one person that you should fear and respect in that high of a regard, and that's God."
After a 2020 season in which he missed 13 games due to a high ankle sprain, a tweaked quad, and a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 8, McCaffrey has leaned on the fearlessness from his faith to overcome something more unfamiliar than an NFL opponent: his physical mortality.
"The first time I had ever missed a game was this year, so it was new for me, and it was challenging for me," McCaffrey said. "I just kind of went through the fire, and I think that's the best way to go through something. If you're sad, you're sad, if you're really p—– off, you're p—– off, but you feel that emotion and just be able to control it to push you in the right direction.
"All you can ask for is the opportunity to honor God, and that means triumphs, and that means struggles."
As a lifelong Catholic, McCaffrey's faith has been central to his mental conditioning as an athlete.
It's anchored him since his high school career at Valor Christian in his home state of Colorado, where he excelled to earn U.S. Army All-American honors in 2014. And before that, at St. Thomas More Catholic School from kindergarten to eighth grade.
"I wore the slacks and the collared shirt every day for about nine years," McCaffrey said. "When I'm spiritually right, and I'm mentally right, and everything in my life is aligning, all that stuff matters when it comes to performing well too."
That upbringing earned him a football scholarship to Stanford University as a second-generation legacy. He broke program records as a first-team All-American en route to being drafted 8th overall by the Carolina Panthers in 2017.
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As early as his rookie season, McCaffrey has put his faith at the front of his platform as a public figure to address intimidating circumstances. In September of 2017, when the NFL saw its first wave of players kneeling during the national anthem to protest inspired by Colin Kaepernick, McCaffrey advocated for spreading respect, positivity, and kindness to overcome the intimidation of racial injustice.
"There's a lot of hate going on in the world today, and I think it's really important that everybody takes a step back, looks themselves in the mirror, and when they wake up, just try to be the best person you can be. Treat people with respect, put a smile on somebody else's face," McCaffrey told reporters in a lockerroom scrum. "I'm a religious person, and I think The Bible is a great place to start; spreading positivity, and being selfless and being given and being kind, that is the main thing I want to dish out."
For McCaffrey, overcoming fear is supplemented by that commitment, as seen in his favorite chapters in the Bible.
"My Favorite chapters in The Bible are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, just because they're all a different perspective of Jesus' life," McCaffrey told Insider. "Whether you believe in it or not, the kind of person he was, it gives perspective on how we all should live."