Belmont and Belcourt Biographies - Tim Tebow

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, including the Internet, without permission from the publisher.

Copyright 2012 by Belmont & Belcourt Biographies

eISBN: 9781619840164

The screams and shouts of a crowd gone wild continue to echo through the evening air across the stadium. Lights still glowing on the inanimate scoreboard connect to form symbols representing both stellar victory and disheartening loss. But the crowd has trickled out, making its way across a packed parking lot, hearts still pounding with adrenaline. Empty bleachers still bear the remnants of the evenings festivities as stale popcorn and tortilla chips soak in puddles of spilled beverages, some having been thrown in the air like impotent fireworks while others merely fell forgotten through fingertips to slip through the cracks.

In the heart of this empty scene lies the silhouette of a single man, knee down in humbled silence as the greedy earth readily accepts his sacrifice of tears. A battleground of sweat and hope now stands still with only the promise, the anticipation, of future battles..

The stands will be cleaned, the grass cut and the tears wiped away, but what of the fallen soldier? Does he rise from his humbled state, further charged with the power of faith and the necessity to move forward? Or does he drop from the eyes of the populace, drifting off to foggy shadows of memories until the war grounds forget him completely?

Only God and His servant, Timothy Tebow, know for sure.

When I meet somebody I want to leave a better impression than when I got there.

Tim Tebow

The strongest of individuals prove themselves in the face of adversity. For Timothy Richard Tebow, his first battle against the odds started in the womb. During her pregnancy, Pamela Elaine Tebow became comatose while infected with a pathogenic amoeba. The medication caused further complications in the form of a placental abruption, the separation of the placenta lining from the uterus.

This new threat affected not only the unborn fetus, but is also known to be a significant contributor to maternal mortality. Despite the doctors recommendation, the Tebows opted against having an abortion and instead chose to place their faith in a higher power.

On August 14, 1987, their strength and devotion were rewarded with a newborn son, their fifth and final child.

Despite his birth overseas, Timothy Tebow grew up as an all-American boy on a farm in Jacksonville, Florida, once his family finished their missionary work in the Philippines. As for his childhood, he lived what many have expressed to be a privileged life. Like his brothers and sisters before him, Tim was home-schooled by his mother, Pamela, throughout his entire grade school career. Again, like his brothers and sisters, Tim was never cut any slack by his mother. She firmly believed in the curriculum and in the importance of success in her children, although she claimed she didnt consider herself a pioneer in the field. After each of his siblings went to college on scholarships and one entered the seminary, Tim had good reason to believe his mother was well-equipped for the job. He was raised with a faith and moral structure that has remained with him into adulthood, being afforded the opportunity to see what true need is and what true faith and determination can offer to a life.

Once hed reached high school age, the Tebows discovered a loophole in Florida State legislature that would make it possible for Tim to play on a high school football team. Living in Jacksonville at the time, Tim spent a season playing as a linebacker and tight end for Trinity Christian Academy. Having his sights set on the position of quarterback, Tebow was disappointed to discover that Trinitys football team relied heavily on a rushing offense, not leaving much opportunity for passing.

Doing a bit of homework has been known to pay off here and there. For Tim Tebow, this payoff happened when he learned of coach Craig Howard. Coach Howard worked at Nease High School, which, it must be noted, did not fall within Duval County lines where the Tebows were living at the time.

Once more, as a testament of the strong support that Tim received growing up with understanding and supportive parents, Tim moved with his mother to an apartment in Ponte Vedra Beach, just down the street from Nease High school, placing them within St. Johns County line and well within bounds to join up with Nease High Schools Panthers. While this transition caused some controversy amongst several parties about a home-schoolers ability to choose sports teams on a whim, their voices were soon quieted and none of the opposition came to fruition.

By Tims junior year, he had aptly proved himself to be an asset to his team. Not only known for his arm, Tim was gifted in rushing plays as well, using his size to break through opposition, only to instill even greater faith in his abilities later that season when a hard pocket hit cracked straight through his fibula. Tim was not one to complain, and those closest to him, including the coaching staff, assumed it to be nothing more than a minor injury. After playing through the second half of the game and having run a twenty-yard touchdown, the doctors revealed his true injury, keeping Tebow out for the rest of the season, but not before awarding him the Florida Dairy Farms 4A Player of the Year and, later, Floridas prestigious Mr. Football of the Year.

As time marches forward, people are only as good as the legacy they leave behind. In the case of Timmy Tebow, he was loved by his team and coaching staff and regarded as a great guy to know. While staying humble, he expected nothing less than the best of himself, constantly pushing his body through training and keeping his mind and spirit grounded in his Christian faith and upbringing. Not only a celebrity to the community, Tim set the bar for weight training among the teams linebackers and running backs. And through all of this, he was still known as the one who had his teams best interest in mind.

Finishing up his senior year just shy of 10,000 passing yards, 3,000 rushing yards, 95 passing touchdowns and 62 rushing touchdowns, it came as little surprise to those around him that he was offered 80 different college scholarships. He was approached by many great coaches, but established a good relationship with Mike Shula, head of the University of Alabamas Crimson Tide. On the other hand, his family had strong ties to the University of Florida, his parents having met there as students. Although the decision was a tough one, Timothy Tebow eventually decided on becoming a Florida Gator, stating that they played more to his style and he wanted to play for coach Urban Meyer.

Only hours after his decision to attend the University of Florida and play for the Orange Crush, ESPN aired a documentary on Tim Tebow, titled Tim Tebow: The Chosen One. This program detailed his high school career as a football player as well as some intimate details of his personal life. Many individuals were interviewed, including his high school coach, mother, father, and teammate, Ryan Ellis.

He worked harder than any coach to recruit me...I bought into him...Thats why I went to Florida. I believed in the man Urban Meyer.

Tim Tebow

Despite his famed status and exemplary performance at the 2006 Florida Gators scrimmage, in which he attained 197 passing yards and one touchdown, Tim Tebow still took a bench to then starting quarterback Chris Leak. As a strong Christian who views the successes of the team as a team effort, he accepted his humbled position and bided his time through the season. This is not to say that he went without his own personal level of success. His plays came at critical moments throughout the year and were famous for pulling the Gators out of tight spots. Tebow even managed to finish the season as the second-highest rushing leader for the Florida Gators.