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Footballer
This teenager lived alone
with his mother, and the two of them had a very special relationship.
Even though the son was always on the bench, his mother was always in the stands
cheering. She never missed a game.
This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school.
But his mother continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he
did not have to play football if he didn't want to.
But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there.
He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to
play when he became a senior.
All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game, but remained a
bench warmer all four years.
His faithful mother was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement
for him.
When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team
as a "walk-on." Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he
did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always puts
his heart and soul into every practice, and at the same time, provided the other
members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed.
The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the
nearest phone and called his mother. His mother shared his excitement and was
sent season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete
never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play
in the game. It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted
onto the practice field shortly before the big playoff game, the coach met him
with a telegram.
The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard,
he mumbled to the coach, "My mother died this morning. Is it all right if I
miss practice today?" The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and
said, "Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back
to the game on Saturday. Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In
the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man
quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear.
As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see
their faithful teammate back so soon. "Coach, please let me play. I've just
got to play today," said the young man.
The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player
in this close playoff game.
But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach
gave in. "All right," he said.
"You can go in." Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in
the stands could not believe their eyes.
This little unknown, who had never played before was doing everything right. The
opposing team could not stop him. He ran, blocked and tackled like a star. His
team began to triumph.
The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid
intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown.
The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such
cheering you've never heard!
Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the
locker room, the coach noticed that the young man was sitting quietly in the
corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it.
You were fantastic!
Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?"
He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew
my mom died, but did you know that my mom was blind?"
The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Mom came to all my games,
but today was the first time she could see me play, and I wanted to show her I
could do it!"
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