The Next Tim Tebow?

While Tim Tebow Mania currently grips both the sports world and pop culture, it is duely noted that Tebow is the son of Baptist missionaries who wears his faith on his sleeve. Less talked about in the past week is that this year's suprise winner of the Heisman Trophy, Robert Griffin III, hailed from a historically Baptist university (Baylor). Jim Denison informs us on the background of this up and coming, superstar Christian athlete...

"This year Griffin led Baylor to upset TCU, Oklahoma, and Texas on the way to a 9-3 record, their best in a quarter-century. He has set 46 records during his college career. He recently won the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top quarterback, and now he is the first Baylor player to win the Heisman.

Griffin earned his bachelor's degree in three years, finishing with a 3.67 GPA in political science. He will finish a master's degree in communications next spring, and plans to attend law school. He is also expected to be a top-10 pick in next year's NFL draft.

Robert Griffin is known on the Baylor campus for his faith as well as his football skills. He attends University Baptist Church, where my oldest son attended worship while a student at Baylor and Truett Seminary. God has entrusted him with a unique combination of outstanding intellect, NFL-quality ability, and world-class speed. And he has been an excellent steward of his gifts."

Hopefully this is a trend in sports where faith and character are upheld as virtues to be admired by fans young and old alike rather than the tired, old bad-boy image so often times offered up in it's place. Getting back to Tebow, one media personality had this to say recently about Tebow's affect on the opposing teams he faces...

"..a little while after the Denver Broncos beat the Miami Dolphins in Miami. One of the linebackers for the Dolphins is a guy named Karlos Dansby, who used to play for the Arizona Cardinals, and according to Karlos Dansby, what happened when the Broncos played the Dolphins in week seven was this. Dansby said that the Dolphins saw God working through Tebow and, in the process, Dansby became closer to God himself.

Karlos Dansby, linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, said, "Us losing to Tim Tebow the way we did, we seen it first hand. Young man is blessed. Young man has a special anointing on him. And for God to show himself in that game the way He did, through the guy He did it through, it opened a lot of guys' eyes on our team. And it brought a lot of guys closer to God, so like I said, everything happens for a reason. ... My hat goes off to Tim. And God working through him like that, it opened up a lot of eyes. He’s a blessed young man and I wish him much success the rest of his career." Karlos Dansby. He said that on the Jim Rome Show." Rush Limbaugh, 12/12/11