The Big Game
There was a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. Practice
after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size
of the boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At all the games this hopeful
athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played. This teenager lived alone
with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even
though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands
cheering.
He never missed a game. This young man was still the smallest of the class
when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him but
also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn't
want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He
was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to
play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a
practice nor a game, but remained a bench-warmer all four years.
His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of
encouragement for him. When the young man went to college, he decided to try
out for the football team as a "walk-in." Everyone was sure he could never
make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster
because he always puts his heart and soul into every practice, and at the
same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly
needed.
The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to
the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement
and was sent reason tickets for all the college games. This persistent young
athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never
got to play in a game. It was the end of his senior football season, and as
he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big playoff game, the
coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became
deathly silent.
Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Is
it all right if I miss practice today?"
The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of
the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on
Saturday."
Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter,
when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into
the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the
sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful
teammate back so soon.
"Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today," said the young
man.
The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst
player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted, and finally
feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right," he said. "You can
go in."
Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not
believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before was
doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he
passed, blocked, and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The
score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid
intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans
broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering
you never heard.
Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the
locker room, the coach noticed that this young man was sitting quietly in
the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe
it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?"
He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my
Dad died, but did you know that he was blind?" The young man swallowed hard
and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time
he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"
Contributed by: Mark and Aimee
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