Sunday, Billy, 1862-1935

William Ashley Sunday, Sr., American evangelist, was born November 19, 1862 in Ames, Iowa. After holding various jobs while completing high school, he was recruited to join the Chicago White Stockings, a professional baseball team. He committed his life to Christ in 1886 or 1887, upon following a street gospel band back to their mission. He married Helen Amelia Thompson in 1888. He gave talks to young men in the cities his team visited and worked part-time for the Chicago YMCA. He coached the baseball team in exchange for tuition at Evanston Academy of Northwestern University in Illinois. In 1891, he quit baseball to devote himself to full-time Christian service. He worked briefly with evangelists J. Wilbur Chapman and Milan B. Williams in 1893 and, in 1896, began to hold his own revival campaigns. He died in November of 1935. Helen Sunday continued her husband's ministry after his death, and became an important Christian leader in her own right. She died in 1957.

From the description of Billy Sunday papers [microform] : part 2 and 3. (Yale University). WorldCat record id: 702690512

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