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-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 to 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 play off 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'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!" |
