Billy Sunday (1862-1935)

Billy Sunday was a professional baseball player from 1883 to 1891 for Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia teams. He was converted through the street preaching of Harry Monroe of the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago and left a $5,000 a year salary as a baseball player for $75 a month to work as a staff evangelist for the previously evangelistic YMCA. He continued as an evangelist from 1893 to 1935. It is estimated that as many as 100 million people heard him preach and over 1 million walked down the “old sawdust trail” to receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

The Word of God had a profound place in Billy Sunday’s life; in the fly leaf of his Bible, he wrote the following text:

I entered through the portico of Genesis and walked down through the Old Testament’s art gallery, where I saw the portraits of Joseph, Jacob, Daniel, Moses, Isaiah, Solomon and David hanging on the wall; I entered the music room of the Psalms and the Spirit of God struck the keyboard of my nature until it seemed to me that every reed and pipe in God’s great organ of nature responded to the harp of David, and the charm of King Solomon in his moods.

I walked into the business house of Proverbs.

I walked into the observatory of the prophets and there saw photographs of various sizes, some pointing to far-off stars or events–all concentrated upon one great Star which was to rise as an atonement for sin.

Then I went into the audience room of the King of Kings, and got a vision from four points–from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I went into the correspondence room, and saw Peter, James, Paul and Jude, penning their epistles to the world. I went into the Acts of the Apostles and saw the Holy Spirit forming the Holy Church, and then I walked into the throne room and saw a door at the foot of a tower and, going up, I saw One standing there, fair as the morning, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and I found this truest friend that man ever knew; when all were false I found him true

(BillySunday Speaks [New York: Chelsea House, 1970], p. 23).