Why Does Tebow Make My Wife Cry?

I’m pretty sure that he’s the only college football player to make my wife cry – and he’s done it twice.

We were a part of our 90,907 friends at Florida Field on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, watching the introduction of UF’s seniors before the Gators dismantled Florida State.  Each of the seniors were recognized in turn, before Tim Tebow was finally introduced, the last senior to come out of the tunnel.

When we saw Tim come out with his eyes red and wet, I misted up,  and Amy began downright weeping.  She later said, “I was bound and determined not to cry, but when he came out crying…”  We were far from alone.  Gator fans recognize his role in making Florida’s senior class the winningest group in the history of the Southeastern Conference, winners of two national championships and gunning for another.  Truly a special, special player.

A caveat:  I was skeptical of this during his freshman year.  Chris Leak was playing fairly well at quarterback for Florida, and yet they kept sending in Tim, a freshman at the time, to run the ball on critical short-yardage situations.  Tim never failed to pick up the first down – and even threw for an unexpected touchdown against a surprised LSU defense – but I was concerned.  I’d been told by people in the Florida athletic department that Tim, a homeschooled kid from Jacksonsvillle, was the toughest guy on the practice field -- of any age, any position.  Would his presence disrupt Chris’s play?  I was concerned.  Of course, Florida won the national championship that year with them splitting time and responsibilities, so what do I know?

The other time my wife cried came in September of this year, when I had walked out of the room momentarily while Florida led Kentucky.  The score at the time was something like 237 to 3, so I wasn’t paying particularly close attention; it didn’t look like we were in any danger of losing.  Amy shouted to me while I was out of the room, and I zipped back, seeing the trainers running out forward Tim.  That’s when she burst into tears.  Big tears.

 “He’s not moving,” she breathed between sobs.  We watched as they began showing the replays of the hit that resulted in what turned out to be his concussion.  We all saw the replays hundreds of times over the next two weeks of Tim taking a hit to the chest, followed by another blow to the back of his helmet – from a teammate’s knee – as he fell.

My wife, like so many others, feared he was paralyzed – or worse.  And Tim’s impact on so many – beyond the wins and losses –led to Amy’s heartache.

That’s what led to so many tears among Gator fans.  The wins have been nice – without question.  It’s fun.  But our heroes often turn out to have feet -- and golf clubs -- made of clay.  It’s been refreshing to have someone live up to so many expectations we’ve thrust upon him, rightly or wrongly.  More than simply a special, special player, he’s a special person.

We all know the stories about Tim by now.  Outspoken in his faith and all it entails, willing to come back for his senior season only if the NCAA allowed him a waiver to raise funds for his father’s missionary ministry, he has been a role model in a world that too often has yearned for them and settled for less.

Despite all of the ink that has been written about him, I recently heard a story making the rounds I hadn’t heard before.  It seems that an Ocala minister who had befriended many of the Florida players and coaches over the last year and a half, was in Miami for last year’s National Championship Game between Florida and Oklahoma. Several hours before kickoff, he was wandering around his hotel when he received several messages from players.  All of them directed him to go to a particular room number --Tim’s room.

When he arrived, Tim and other players – leaders and backups alike – were having an old-fashioned sing-a-long.  He asked if they were nervous, if they were just looking to take their minds off the game.  

“Not particularly,” said one of the players.  “It’s been a long week and we realized that we’d gotten caught up in so many things this week that he hadn’t stopped to worship.”  And so they did, without fanfare, while one player played the guitar and the rest belted out old familiar church hymns.

And now, a final note.  If you’ve ever seen a Florida game over the last four years, you’ve seen the Bible verses that Tim writes under each eye.  He gives great thought each week to what verse to use, reasonable given that the sports page will reprint the verse the following day.  (Bob Tebow, Tim’s father, has said that one of the most remarkable moments of Tim’s career is the 93 million Google searches of John 3:16 after Tim used it in the January, 2009 National Championship Game.)  While he’d rather not have people read a verse out of context, the eye black gives him a avenue to at least communicate a truth, even if in brief.

For his final game, a loss in the Southeastern Conference Championship game last week, he selected John 16:33. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (NIV)

If you Google  John 16:33, you’ll find plenty of mocking references that Tim wasn’t able to “overcome” Alabama and questioning where God was for Tebow on the field.  Tim, however, gets it.  He’s described football as just a game, and notes that his primary goal is to do whatever he can with his platform to improve others’ lives.  The verse – even when read out of context – doesn’t talk of overcoming the world on the field… but it does speak of trouble!

He knows that… and keeps striving in both good times and bad.  We’re all better for his role model, which is why I forgive him for making Amy cry.

Nathan Whitaker is the co-author (with Tony Dungy) of the #1 New York Times bestseller Quiet Strength, Uncommon, and others.  Most recently,he co-authored (with James Brown) the new book Role of a Lifetime: Reflections on Faith, Family, and Significant Living.  A two-sport athlete in baseball and football at Duke University, he worked in the front offices of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nathan lives in Florida with his family.

PHOTO of Tebow in this article by OPENSports.com.