Tim Tebow: A Brief History

Before Tim Tebow was the subject of a media blitz during the 2011 National Football League season, or the hype surrounding his winning the Heisman Trophy while quarterbacking the University of Florida Gators, he was a younger brother in his family’s home located in rural Florida. Born to Christian missionaries in the Philippines, Tebow’s faith is obviously a large part of his life. But it is not everything. Tebow, like many other professional athletes, set his mind to becoming a quality NFL quarterback. Through hard work and perseverance, he is well on his way to achieving that goal.

Early Years

Tebow is the youngest of five children. The story surrounding his birth is notable: Tebow’s mother was repeatedly advised by doctors that, should she decide to go through with birthing her fifth child, she would be putting her own life in grave danger. She did it anyway and, with her faith in God, raised a child that became one the best collegiate football players of all time.

Tebow was homeschooled by his mother, who incorporated biblical education into his curriculum. Despite being homeschooled, Tebow played football at Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Tebow’s athletic ability was awesome, but it was his mental determination, competitiveness, and disregard for pain that made him the stuff of football legend. For example, did you know that, during his junior year, Tebow played a whole half on a broken fibula – including a 29-yard touchdown run? He sat out the rest of that season but was still named the state of Florida’s High school Player of the Year.

Even in high school, media pundits capitalized on Tebow’s conservative values and Christian faith. ESPN chose Tebow to be the subject of a documentary titled, “Faces in Sports,” and Sports Illustrated featured Tebow in its “Faces in the Crowd” page. Regardless of what others say, you can always expect the first thing to come out of Tebow’s mouth when making any official statement is a thank you to his “Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

College Career

Tebow received a scholarship to play football for the Florida Gators from 2006-2009. He played all four years for the Gators and his career numbers are nothing short of spectacular. By the end of his collegiate career, Tebow held five NCAA, 14 Southeaster Conference and 28 University of Florida statistical records. All time, Tebow is ranked second in career passing efficiency, third in career rushing yards by a quarterback, rushing touchdowns (among any position), and owns the record for the most consecutive games in which he both rushed and passed for a touchdown. He was a Heisman trophy winner as a sophomore and the quarterback for two national championship teams.

NFL Career

Tebow is one of the most decorated collegiate football players of all time. Nonetheless, his value as an NFL quarterback was always the subject of discussion among professional analysts, agents, and coaches. In short, not many people believed that Tebow could succeed as a pocket passer in the NFL. Tebow has yet to play a full NFL season as a starter, but his first two seasons have yielded mixed results. At times, he does look lost and unable to get the ball out of his hand amidst a crumbling pocket. However, his strength, size and determination have resulted in some shocking plays and wins that represent a statistical anomaly. Bottom line, Tebow is an exciting NFL prospect who is still a young quarterback. There are weaknesses to his game for sure, but what can be agreed upon is that Tebow has always worked until he has become the best. The recent trade to the New York Jets could be the jump-start Tebow needs to start down the path to NFL greatness.

Source

GatorZone (2012)

TimTebow.com (2012)