Tom Roy - Executive Director

Tom Roy was born in Wisconsin and continued to live there until he was 17 years old. At that time, after a fairly successfull high school athletic career, he signed a bonus contract with the San Francisco Giants. That experience did not last very long, and he found himself enrolled in the Career Academy of Broadcasting. After he received his degree from there, he attended Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. Tom worked part-time in radio broadcasting for twelve years and still has interest in that.

Upon graduation from Grace College, he took the position of head baseball coach at Tippecanoe Valley High School. He continued to coach until he was call to start the ministry of UPI in 1980. At that time, it was just he and his wife, Carin, and God graciously provided staff throughout the years.

Tom and Carin have been married for 36 years, and they have two daughters, Amy and Lindsay, and five grandchildren ranging in ages one to eight years old. He and Carin currently reside in Winona Lake.

The vision for UPI extended to the world in 1982. The first UPI international team consisted of Executive Director Tom Roy, and three volunteers, faith coaches, Jake Boss from Michigan, Dr. Andy Hill from Illinois, and Al Strong, Michigan. Tom Roy had taken his college baseball team to Puerto Rico the previous year and had seen the tremendous interest that country had for the game. In conjunction with Joe Cora and the local church, the first team travelled there and held baseball clinics. The Division has now expanded to reaching over 30 countries including Russia, Dominican Republic, China and Australia.

The main format is much like the United States in that baseball clinics are conducted with evangelistic messages at the conclusion. UPI tries to work through Bible-believing mission organizations in each country in which it participates. Some countries are closed to the Gospel message. In those, we try to work through government or local baseball authorities.