A 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,
yet 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 stick with
it.
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 put 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
father.
His father shared his
excitement.
The young athlete never missed practice during
his
four years at college
but he never got to play in any of the
games.
It was the end of his senior football season, and as he
trotted onto
the practice fields 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, the young man came and walked into
the
empty locker room and put on his football
gear.
As he ran onto the sidelines,
the coach and team 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.
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 truimph. 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 all 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 out
there!
Tell me what got into you? How did you do
it?"
The young man 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!"
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