On August 9, 2002, Ron Gould, the running back coach of the University of California at Berkeley football team, was baptized in front of over 4,000 people at the NET World Sector Expo in San Jose, California.

Ron (at right, photo) had been searching for a church for five years. His demanding schedule, however, made it difficult to attend services. In addition to the long hours of training during the season, he traveled actively to recruit players.

All that started to change in the summer of 2001, when he met a young Christian named Shane Ballew (at left, photo), a videographer who films practices and games for the UC Berkeley team. During a practice session, Ron noticed that Shane was reading his Bible and spoke to him about his desire to know God better.

"I read my Bible," recalls Ron, "but for me it was not a daily thing."

The UC Berkeley football team, meanwhile, was having a nightmare season. Following a series of defeats, the head coach resigned and his replacement, sweeping clean, laid off the entire coaching staff except for Ron.

For the next year, Shane continued to reach out to Ron. What impressed Ron most, he says, was the direct link between Shane's study and his life. Ron's heart to seek God grew and became so strong that during his recruiting trips he would fly back during every weekend to continue his studies. By August, he was ready to become a disciple.

Things are looking up for the UC Berkeley football team as well. During their first game of the season, the team broke the university record of points scored in a quarter. UC Berkeley is ready to make this a banner year and continue its legacy of being a school to be reckoned with.