POINT CLEAR — In 1956, Mike Gottfried’s father died. Forty-four years later he founded an organization called Team Focus to help fatherless boys between the ages of 9 and 17.

Gottfried, a Mobile resident and former college football coach and current ESPN college football analyst, described that journey as the keynote speaker at Thursday’s 24th Annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast at the The Grand Hotel in Point Clear.

“I know what a boy goes through when he doesn’t have a father,” Gottfried said to an audience of about 450 people, many of whom who were affiliated with nearby city governments. “You have no one to ask how to do a lot of things. I didn’t know how to tie a tie.”

Gottfried spoke at a dais with the mayors and city clerks from Fairhope, Daphne and Spanish Fort.

“We are celebrating this National Day of Prayer,” said Benjie Hughes, co-chair of the committee that organized the event.

The day of prayer was also established this year by state proclamation.

“The nation was founded by men who sought wisdom and guidance through prayer,” the proclamation signed May 1 by Gov. Bob Riley states.

The proclamation also stated that the National Day of Prayer was first proclaimed by the Continental Congress in 1775; that the U.S. Congress enacted legislation in 1952 setting aside a day of prayer for the nation; and that in 1988, the first Thursday in May was set aside as the National Day of Prayer.

“Prayer has played a strong role in in our nation’s history and heritage, as many Americans have depended on it for healing, hope and guidance, and the observance of the day has proved to be a powerful tool that has brought together and united citizens from diverse religious backgrounds in an effort to face life’s challenges with renewed hope,” the proclamation stated.

In 1972, the National Prayer Committee was formed, which in turn formed the National Day of Prayer Task Force, a nonprofit group, to help coordinate events for the day, according to Wikipedia and the group’s Web site. Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., the group works out of the offices of Focus on the Family, a Christian organization founded by James Dobson. His wife, Shirley Dobson, is currently head of the task force.

The theme for the meeting was “Legacy, Be a Blessing to Others,” and each of the mayors spoke briefly about that topic.

But most of the breakfast meeting was a motivational speech by Gottfried about the power of prayer in his life told with humor and passion. His presentation ended in a long prayer with the entire group standing, while he led them in a number of specific prayers, which included to return prayer to schools, abolish abortion and prevent natural disasters and pandemics such as the Asian flu from coming to the United States.

The morning event also featured Mark Harris, an award-winning solo guitarist and singer formerly with the contemporary Christian group 4 Him. While he sang one song, a number of people in the audience sang along with him as the lyrics were shown on the overhead projectors, but many did not look up at the screens, apparently knowing the inspirational words by heart. Harris is also affiliated with a church in the area.

“I never thought that I’d be speaking at a prayer meeting like this,” Gottfried said.

He told the story of how after he left college football coaching, he prayed to return to it, but that door never opened for him again.

He said had he gone back to coaching he might never have founded Team Focus, which has now been expanded to include girls as well as boys.

Gottfried also published a book last year entitled, Coach’s Challenge: Faith Football, and Filling the Father Gap.

“The Lord did give me the desire of my heart,” Gottfried said. “I just didn’t know it at the time.”