Monday, May 5, 2008
Heisman provides Tebow broader audience for message of faith

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By Mark Schlabach
ESPN.com


GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida quarterback Tim Tebow took the microphone, scanned the 14 rows of grim-faced men sitting in folding metal chairs and recognized the familiar hue of blue.



"How many Gator fans do we have in the house today?" Tebow asked.



After more than half the men raised their hands, Tebow added, "All right, those who didn't raise their hands, that's who I'm preaching to today."


On a balmy Saturday morning in mid-April -- the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback's first weekend away from the bright spotlight of Florida football -- Tebow had never seemed more comfortable.



His playing field was a concrete basketball court in the middle of Gainesville Correctional Institute, a minimum-medium security state prison where banished major league baseball stars Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry once served hard time. His sideline was a 15-foot metal fence topped by razor wire and guarded by a correctional officer carrying a shotgun and driving a small pickup truck. His audience no longer was tens of thousands of Gator fans cheering his every move, but rather more than 150 inmates, many of whom are serving at least three-year prison sentences for drug-related offenses and still trying to kick the habit that put them in there.


http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=s...otlight&lid=tab2pos1

This message has been edited. Last edited by: B Triple,

Shine 3000, this is an outstanding read! Thanks for posting.

Good too see not only a good Football Player, but a great person off the field as well. Good to see players share their faith in God!

Tee must be highly commended for giving back to the community. He took this one 2 another level.

quote:

"How many Gator fans do we have in the house today?" Tebow asked. After more than half the men raised their hands, Tebow added, "All right, those who didn't raise their hands, that's who I'm preaching to today."

148 views and no replies...shine you know theres a lot of disappointed folks that he didnt really go to prison dont ya?

quote:

Originally posted by unknown3:
148 views and no replies...shine you know theres a lot of disappointed folks that he didnt really go to prison dont ya?

I see it this way....One SEC QB taking the time to spread the gospel to prison inmates, the other SEC QB (ex-LSU)will one day probably be an inmate.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: T.C. CAT,

quote:

Originally posted by whines:
Good too see not only a good Football Player, but a great person off the field as well. Good to see players share their faith in God!

quote:

Originally posted by spartanhead:

quote:

Originally posted by whines:
Good too see not only a good Football Player, but a great person off the field as well. Good to see players share their faith in God!

Co-sign

quote:

Originally posted by spartanhead:

quote:

Originally posted by whines:
Good too see not only a good Football Player, but a great person off the field as well. Good to see players share their faith in God!

Co-Co-Sign.

Great Article. Didn't know this side about Tebo.

quote:

Everybody is telling me I've made it," Tebow told the inmates. "They tell me, 'Tim, you have success and you've made it.' I've won the Heisman Trophy, so I've got it made, right? One day, people are going to forget about me. One day, people are going to forget about the Heisman Trophy, the jump pass and the national championship. One day, this [championship] ring is going to rust. There are only four things that are going to last forever: God, his word, people and rewards.



"Because I'm so passionate about it, and because I learned that gift so early, I don't want to go to heaven and hear Jesus tell me, 'Tim, why didn't you tell someone else about it?' It's a choice each of you have to make. I can't make that choice for you. Your friend can't make that choice for you. It's up to you. No matter how bad your life has been, eternity can be great. It's not how you start, fellas, it's how you finish."

Good article on Tebow. Just hope and pray that he continues to "walk the walk".

Tebow is God isn't he?

quote:

Originally posted by unknown3:
148 views and no replies...shine you know theres a lot of disappointed folks that he didnt really go to prison dont ya?

Leave it to the guy who was thrown out of TWO HBCUs to divert this thread to something that its not.

quote:

Originally posted by docb21:

quote:

Originally posted by spartanhead:

quote:

Originally posted by whines:
Good too see not only a good Football Player, but a great person off the field as well. Good to see players share their faith in God!

Co-Co-Sign.


Great Article. Didn't know this side about Tebo.

quote:

Everybody is telling me I've made it," Tebow told the inmates. "They tell me, 'Tim, you have success and you've made it.' I've won the Heisman Trophy, so I've got it made, right? One day, people are going to forget about me. One day, people are going to forget about the Heisman Trophy, the jump pass and the national championship. One day, this [championship] ring is going to rust. There are only four things that are going to last forever: God, his word, people and rewards.

"Because I'm so passionate about it, and because I learned that gift so early, I don't want to go to heaven and hear Jesus tell me, 'Tim, why didn't you tell someone else about it?' It's a choice each of you have to make. I can't make that choice for you. Your friend can't make that choice for you. It's up to you. No matter how bad your life has been, eternity can be great. It's not how you start, fellas, it's how you finish."

Preach Tim!!!

Shine,

You couldn't wait 'til bball season was over before you resumed your man-crush on Tim Tebow?