Many know the film Men of Honor – The honor of men with Robert De Niro but perhaps many do not know the true story that inspired him …
One of the protagonists is Billy Sunday. Let’s find out the true story from which the film is based.
Who Really Was Billy Sunday
Robert De Niro in the film plays Billy Sunday. He was actually called William Ashley Sunday and was an evangelist preacher.
The man was born in 1862. He was the son of German immigrants and in fact the original surname from which he descended was Sonntag which also in German means Sunday.
He played baseball for several years, moving between very important clubs and then being signed up for the National League.
Billy Sunday he became famous mainly thanks to his speed which was a real hallmark of the player.
His sports career continued but during one afternoon, while he was listening to the preaching of the gospel with his friends and teammates, he became interested and attended meetings of the Pacific Garden Mission.
Sunday then converted to a Christian and then began preaching among churches and Christian men’s youth associations.
It was in the church that he met Helen Amelia Thompson.
Speaking of his baseball career, Billy decided to turn down a $ 3,000, $ 500 contract but agree to join the Chicago YMCA for $ 83 a month.
He was a deputy secretary but slowly began to make himself known in the role of evangelist.
Billy Sunday is still remembered today as the most famous of the evangelists.
After WWI however, he no longer had the same audience but despite everything he still continued to preach. Even his children, he had three, embittered him.
He continued preaching for up to a week before he died in 1935.
