It’s no secret that I’m a big football fan. And when I see someone who plays outstanding ball and lives a life that honors Christ, I cannot resist cheering for his success.
Last night, as I was watching the highlights of yet another improbable Tim Tebow victory, I was struck by a feeling of having seen this story play out before. All of a sudden it hit me. Tim Tebow’s amazing football story is surprisingly akin to that of Secretariat, arguably the greatest racehorse of all time.
Now, I am going to stop short of calling Tebow the greatest quarterback of all time….he has a long way to go before he even gets named among the all-time greats. However, I have to chuckle at how similar he is to Secretariat.
Tim Tebow, like Secretariat, is theoretically too big to be so fast.
If you have seen the movie Secretariat, or done any research on his history, you will know that Secretariat’s nickname was Big Red and he was just raced under the name of Secretariat. It is not easy to see why the colt was given this name. He weighed 1,175 pounds and stood 16.2 hands. You can compare that to Seabiscuit or War Admiral, two other notable horses, who were barely over 15 hands.
Now, if you have ever seen Tebow, you know he is a big guy. So big in fact, that it is hard to imagine he is a quarterback, let alone as fast as he really is on the field. Tebow routinely scrambles for touchdowns and has a more successful running game than many of his NFL counterparts. Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears, another big fellow, summed it up perfectly yesterday when he said that Tebow was “a good running back. He runs the ball well.”
Often in sports, the bigger you are, the slower you are, but that hardly applies to Tim.
Secretariat, like Tim Tebow, was a notoriously slow starter.
Secretariat normally started a race looking like he was half asleep. Getting off to a good start was a foreign concept to the horse. Usually, he would wallow in the back field and let the other horses get ahead of him, only to sprint to a magnificent first place finish.
I have to chuckle when I think about how this compares to Tim Tebow. After so many last minute finishes for the Broncos over the last two months, it is easy to see that Tim comes up with his best football right as the clock winds down. He is a down-to-the-wire guy and although this has to be killing the nerves of Broncos fans around the country, he keeps delivering right when it matters the most.
Tim Tebow isn’t winning football games all by himself, just like Secretariat never ran a race alone.
Yes, Secretariat was a magnificent superhorse, but he would have been just like every other colt in the world if he did not have a wise and skilled jockey leading him. A horse will never win a race without a jockey guiding him, and I venture Tim Tebow would say the same for his football wins.
Tim Tebow’s victories have been a team effort, but it has not just been Tim + the Broncos. It has been Tim + Broncos + God. Tim can hardly take the credit for his speed, his agility, and his natural, God-given talent. It is a gift, which he is using for the honor of His Lord.
And because of this, God is fulfilling His promise and continuing to bless him: “For those who honor Me I will honor.” 1 Samuel 2:30.
Will Tim Tebow win the Triple Crown of football and take his team to the Super Bowl trophy? Your guess is as good as mine, but as long as he keeps honoring God after wins and losses, I plan to keep on cheering.
