Q&A With Jimmy Sites

CAC spotlight on CAC alumnus and television host

Jimmy Sites is a 1979 graduate of CAC and the creator of the faith-based outdoors show Spiritual Outdoor Adventures. Jimmy shared with the e-Mustang staff about the early years at CAC, playing on the school’s first football team, and his journey to becoming a nationally recognized TV series host, author and public speaker.

How did you come to create a spiritually-themed outdoor TV series?

While living in Arlington, Texas, I hosted a faith-based national TV talk show and got the TV bug. Then I hosted the Amazing Grace Bible Class TV show, and I convinced the producer to do a couple of special episodes with an outdoor theme that drew parallels from God’s Word – one while trout fishing and one while turkey hunting. It was then that I decided the new method of delivery should be outdoor-themed and faith-based.

There were times you were told the concept wouldn’t work because of its Christian message. What inspired you to press on?

I felt that God had called me and given me the vision to do SOA, so I was not about to give up on the idea. I can be pretty persistent. But just like in the early days of CAC, when we didn’t have a building or a sports field or a gymnasium, I just dug my heels in and did whatever it took to get the job done. Much credit goes to my wife Amanda who went back to teaching so we could buy groceries and pay the mortgage.

“The ‘experiment’ of CAC was a great adventure for me as a teenage boy. Now, as a grown man, I am passionate about adventure, and I seek it all over the world.”

What other types of ministry opportunities has SOA given you?

God has opened other exciting doors and grown the SOA platform far bigger than I ever dreamed. Premiere Speakers Bureau came on board and helped create annual speaking tours. It’s exciting to see thousands of men gather in arenas to hear stories from a guy named Jimmy who they see on TV, but by the time they get home, they’re more excited about a guy named Jesus. That’s what it’s all about.

What was it like to be part of CAC’s first football team?

By the time I was a senior, we played a nine-game schedule and won several games. There was just something special about being part of a team that practiced in a churchyard, played home games on rented fields, wore hand-me-down equipment and was not expected to score, much less win a game. Those days at CAC will always hold a special place in my heart.

What role do you think CAC played in where you are today?

Being part of CAC in its fledgling years taught me the importance of persistence, how to launch new businesses, how to push through and how to finish strong even against the odds. The “experiment” of CAC was a great adventure for me as a teenage boy. Now, as a grown man, I am passionate about adventure, and I seek it all over the world. I see life on earth as one big adventure that is basically a warmup for what is to come in eternity. As a business leader, a husband and a dad of grown children, I try to live daily with that eternal focus in mind. I’m thankful that CAC has played a role in shaping this way of looking at life.