Tim Polzer - Tim Tebow: Always a Hero

T im Tebow was born outside the United States in the Philippines, a country in southeast Asia. Doctors were not sure if he would be a healthy baby. But he beat the odds and on August 14, 1987, little Timmy was born.

His parents, Bob and Pam, were American Baptist missionaries. They were working overseas to help needy people in the foreign country. The Tebows have always made their Christian beliefs and helping people a big part of their lives. Throughout Tims childhood his family volunteered at missions, orphanages overseas, and charity programs in the United States.

As the youngest of five children, Tim and his family moved to a farm outside Jacksonville, Florida. He and his brothers and sisters were homeschooled by their mother, Pam, while Tims father worked as a pastor. Unfortunately, being homeschooled meant not being able to play sports for a school team, but that was about to change.

L uckily for Tim (and football fans everywhere) a law was passed that allowed homeschooled students to play sports at the closest high school. Tim played linebacker and tight end at Trinity Christian Academy, but he really wanted to be a quarterback. In 2004, Tim and his mother moved to an apartment in Ponte Vedra, Florida, where he could play for Nease High School. The move was covered by media across the state and the nation. Tim Tebow was already in the national spotlight.

Tim was bigger than most high-school quarterbacks. His size allowed him to run and pass with great success. He also had a habit of playing through injuries. In one game, Tim felt a pain in his leg. He and his coaches thought he was just suffering from cramps. He told his coaches that he wanted to keep playing, and even ran for a touchdown in the second half. After the game, doctors discovered that he had played much of the game with a broken leg!

Tim quickly became one of the states best high-school football players. He was named Floridas Player of the Year as a junior and led Nease to a state title as a senior. In three seasons at Nease, he passed for almost 10,000 yards and almost 100 touchdowns, and rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 63 touchdowns.

Tims incredible high-school career continued as he was named Floridas Mr. Football and a PARADE magazine high-school All-American. He was selected to play on national television in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and also was listed among the top 33 Florida high-school football players in the last 100 years.

Tim was rated as one of the nations top quarterback recruits and his story was the subject of an ESPN television documentary. Many universities and colleges offered him football scholarships, including the University of Florida where his parents had gone to school. His mother and father wanted him to be happy wherever he decided to go, but his entire family was fans of the Gators. Tim chose Florida because coach Urban Meyers offense was similar to how he played in high school. The next four years would prove that he made a great choice.