When one thinks of the greatest athletes to come out of the University of North Carolina (my alma mater), names like Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm, Lawrence Taylor, Marion Jones and Davis Love III usually spring to mind. But perhaps one of the best all-round Tar Heel athletes of all-time was someone you’ve likely never heard of: Albert Long, the only four-sport letterman in Atlantic Coast Conference history.

Back in the mid-1950s, Long, or “Prince Albert,” as my friend Bob Lee likes to call him, starred in baseball, football, track, and basketball, and earned the school’s prestigious Patterson Medal in 1955 as the university’s top student-athlete. This month he’s being recognized again, not for his athletic prowess but for his many years of faithful service to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

“Around the state of North Carolina, you really can’t think of FCA without thinking of Albert Long,” said former North Carolina State football star Johnny Evans, and the father of current Wolfpack quarterback Daniel Evans. “Albert has probably spoken in more high schools than anyone in our history. I know I was impacted by Albert’s testimony when I was in high school some 35 years ago. What a faithful servant of the Lord Albert has been through the years.”

In reaching out to young athletes through the years, Long has encouraged them to set an example and make a difference. “Athletes, by spreading the work of God, can help this country as much as anyone,” said Long. “All they have to do is play on the team coached by Him.”

Later this month, Long will be enshrined in the FCA’s Hall of Champions in Kansas City, Mo., alongside the likes of previous inductees Tom Landry, Tony Dungy, Roger Staubach and Bobby Bowden.