C. T. (Charles Thomas) Studd

Born in England in 1860, C. T. Studd was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, and first became widely known as a gifted cricketer. He played at a high level for England before turning more fully toward evangelical Christian work.

Studd was one of the "Cambridge Seven," a group of young men whose decision to become missionaries drew wide public attention in the 1880s. He served in China with the China Inland Mission, later worked in India, and eventually continued his missionary efforts in central Africa.

He was also a writer and speaker, remembered for energetic, challenging appeals about faith and service. Studd died in 1931, but his life story has continued to interest readers because of the dramatic contrast between his early sporting fame and the path he chose afterward.