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A 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 boy was still the smallest of his 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. Yet, 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-on."
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 season 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 the 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 became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he
mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Will
it be 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 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 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.
"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. However,
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, the 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've never heard!
Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered
and left the locker room, the coach noticed that the 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 my dad 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!" |
