Through His Father's Eyes
This teenager lived alone with his father, and the
two of them had a very special relationship.
Even though the son was always on the bench, his
father was always in the stands cheering.He never
missed a game. This young man was still the smallest
of the class when he entered high school. But his
father 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 father 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 made the cut meant so much to him
that he ran and to the phone and called his father.
His father 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 play off game, the coach met him with a telegram.
The young man read the telegram and became deathly silent.
Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father 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 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, he passed, blocked
and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score
was soon tied.
In the closing seconds of the game, the 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 b elieve 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 dad died, but did you know that my dad was
blind?' The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile,
"Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could
see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"
Love - Words