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 J.C. Watts is not ashamed of the Gospel.
Julius Caesar Watts, Jr., is living proof that dreams still come true in America, especially when you follow the right calls. The fifth of six children born to Helen and Buddy Watts, he grew up “in a poor black neighborhood on the east side of the tracks where money was scarce, but dreams were plentiful and love was all around.” It was there that J. C. learned the importance of family, hard work, personal responsibility, and answering a higher call. “I got my values from a strong family, strong church, and strong neighborhood,” he told the nation in 1997.
Those values carried Watts as he broke new ground at every stage in his life. A gifted athlete, he became the first African American quarterback on his high school football team. Later, he went on to become a star quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners, leading them to two Big Eight Championships and two Orange Bowl victories. He then played professionally in Canada, earning MVP honors his rookie year in the Grey Cup (the Canadian equivalent to the Super Bowl).
In 1986, quarterback Watts heard a new call—it was time to leave football. He told his wife, Frankie, that “I just think the Lord is speaking to my heart to move on.” And so, he did, from star football player to youth pastor in a small town in Oklahoma where he served until the call came once again—this time to public service. In 1990, he was elected to a seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, becoming the first African American elected to statewide office in Oklahoma history.
In 1994, Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional district elected Watts to serve them, and he has continued to break new ground as a leading proponent of cultural renewal and family values initiatives. “I didn’t come to Congress to be a black leader or a white leader, but a leader,” Watts says. “I speak from a set of principles that I believe will totally reorder the political landscape in America.”
Such foundational principles helped Watts quickly rise in national prominence. In 1996, he addressed the Republican convention, and in 1997 gave the Republican response to President Clinton’s State of the Union address—the youngest Republican response speaker ever chosen. Then, in the 106th Congress, Watts' peers elected him to serve as Conference Chairman, the fourth-highest ranking position in the House.
An ordained Baptist minister, Watts has consistently taken a stand for Christ while serving in Congress, viewing his faith and his public service as inseparable. “I don’t apologize for my personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” he says, recognizing that this faith-filled perspective of politics makes some quite uncomfortable. “I guess they just expect people of faith to sit on the sidelines and twiddle their thumbs while the nation goes to pot.” That will not happen on J. C.’s watch, because “you don’t put on your ‘faith suit,’ then take it off when you walk in to vote on the House floor. You carry your faith with you everywhere you go.”
Where will that sense of calling carry J. C. Watts in the coming years? Some speculate that Watts could one day soon break ground as the first African American on the presidential ticket. J. C. doesn’t pretend to know. For now, he seems content serving out his calling as a husband, father of five, and public servant.
“If any of that other stuff happens, it’s just icing on the cake,” says J.C. “I take a whole lot more pride in working on being a good dad than working to say, ‘I’m going to be president of the United States.’ ” But rest assured, when the next call comes, not matter what it is, J. C. Watts will answer.
Rep. Watts, his wife, Frankie, and their 5 children reside in Norman, Oklahoma.
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