Football Stars Tell Juveniles to Run to Daylight : Outreach: Religious NFL players visit teen-agers at various county facilities for troubled youths. ‘We want to give you hope,’ one athlete says.

At Orange County Juvenile Hall, children face an unchanging routine of waking up at 6 a.m., showering, attending classes and eating three meals a day before going to bed at 9 p.m. So Saturday’s visit by a hearty group of professional football players was an unusual treat.

“It’s kind of weird that these people would come down to talk with us,” said Chris, 16, who is awaiting trial on an assault charge. “I watched these guys on TV--why would they come to talk with us?”

“We came to visit you because we want to show we care about you,” said John Kidd, punter for the National Football League’s San Diego Chargers. “We want to be an encouragement to you. We want to give you hope.”

Past and present pros and their wives, all of them members of the Pro Athletes Outreach, visited teen-agers at various county juvenile facilities for the first time Saturday. The leadership training ministry, which is holding its annual, five-day conference in Costa Mesa, always takes one day to visit troubled youths.

Forty athletes--including Mike Singletary, the All-Pro Chicago Bears linebacker, and former Baltimore Colts Hall of Famer Raymond Barry--divided into five groups and visited four institutions, including Juvenile Hall and Orangewood, the county’s home for abused and neglected children.

“I’ve been down, I’ve been beaten up, I’ve been shot at, I came from the streets too,” said Robert Lyles, a linebacker with the Atlanta Falcons. “I’m living my dream, playing football, but the cars and the big salaries won’t make you happy. Without Christ, you lead a dead-end life.”

“In the world’s eye, a lot of these (professional athletes) have it all--living in a nice house, driving a good car,” Kidd added, “But you also read about a lot of their problems.”

The juvenile boys were dressed in dark blue T-shirts, pants and sneakers; the girls wore pale blue T-shirts, blue jeans and white sneakers. Most listened impassively to the speakers. But they laughed and smiled when Lyles challenged them.

“You think you can’t be cool if you believe in Jesus?” he asked, thrusting his massive body in their faces. “You think you can’t be cool?”

When the speakers opened the floor to questions, the youths asked about football and questioned Lyles on how much his shoes cost and whether his watch is a Rolex.

Bridget, an 11-year-old girl charged with attempted murder, raised her hand and asked, “What’s the point of this?”

“We’ve all been through things in our lives,” answered Kidd’s wife, Heidi, who then invited the girl to speak privately with her.

Later, Bridget seemed to have a better idea. “They want to make the kids feel comfortable with God,” she said.

The children were impressed that famous athletes had come to visit them. “I was kind of excited when they got here,” said Dana, 16. “I mean, pro athletes coming to visit us. I’m glad they came here, even though I don’t believe in God.”

“It was great that they came on their free time to talk about Jesus,” said Alex, 13. “They didn’t have to do this.”

After the opening speech, the meeting broke into smaller groups. The athletes read aloud from a Christian pamphlet titled, “Knowing God Personally.”

“I really liked it and got some helpful information,” Mandy, 17, said afterward. “I always wondered why it is that when I ask God to come into my life, I always slip up. I understand now that it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time.”