Hall of Fame
Judy Fox has given her life to serving Christ through the venue of athletics. She realized her passion for sharing the love of Christ through sports ministry after serving on a mission trip to Mexico while attending Houghton College. Judy likes to say, “It’s all about relationships!” and that mantra holds true for her, as many student-athletes who have traveled internationally with her count her as a key influencer in their lives.
During her years as a student-athlete at Houghton, Judy was named an NCCAA First Team All-American in women’s volleyball and also served as co-captain of the basketball team for a year. For the next 14 years, Judy coached at various collegiate levels, including NCCAA, NAIA, and NCAA Division I. Some of her coaching stops included Houghton, Indiana Wesleyan University, and University of North Texas. After her coaching career, Judy founded and directed two volleyball clubs in Dallas, Texas.
But in 2003, Judy followed through on her aforementioned passion and founded Ignite International Inc., a nonprofit organization whose goal is to “leverage the universal language of sport to enrich, encourage, and empower lives, both at home and abroad.” Through this ministry, Judy has been able to live out her deep desire to impact others for Christ. Judy has led teams of college student-athletes to countries around the world, including Nicaragua, Jamaica, Israel and the Holy Land, South Africa, Liberia, and more.
Judy’s impact for Christ is also felt domestically in the United States, as she has served as chaplain of the NCCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championships since 2009. Each year, teams from across the country converge to compete for a national championship, and Judy has the opportunity to share devotionals, speak words of encouragement, and invest in the lives of student-athletes and coaches. While Judy has certainly had her fair share of victories in the athletic arena, the victories she has claimed in the support and encouragement of others through athletics are far more valuable.
“I was truly blessed by Judy’s presence when she led my team on a trip to Jamaica in the early 2000’s,” stated Lori Wynn, Geneva College Women’s Basketball Coach. “Not only did she lead the group, but she took time to invest in every single player during that trip. She is a great example of faithfulness to the Lord, and I’m thankful to call her one of my closest friends.”
Alicia Mucher, Houghton College Women’s Basketball Coach said, “Not only does Judy pursue ministry opportunities for collegiate sports teams to share Christ, but she invests herself in the lives of young people. There have been countless times when Judy has invested in the players on my team, recruits who are visiting campus, new coaches at Houghton, and personally investing in my life.” Mucher continued, “What matters most to her is that people’s lives are changed, they are exposed to who Jesus Christ is, and they have the opportunity to develop a personal relationship with the Lord.”
NCCAA Executive Director Dan Wood said, “She could qualify as an outstanding student-athlete and/or coach, but really belongs in the NCCAA Hall of Fame as a result of the thousands of lives impacted for the Kingdom through sports ministry. What an example she is of all this association has stood for all these years!”
The NCCAA is honored to induct Judy Fox into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2019.