Tim Tebow speaks at Gridiron Men's Conference at the BJCC June 14, 2013
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(Gallery by Tamika Moore | tmoore@al.com)
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - More than 7,000 men gathered at the Gridiron Men's Conference on Friday night to hear Tim Tebow talk about faith and football.
Tebow talked about being recruited to play at Alabama and narrowly choosing the University of Florida over the Crimson Tide.
He also talked about growing up the son of a missionary, devoting himself to Jesus Christ at an early age and how he takes seriously being a role model.
Although Tebow signed a free agent contract on Tuesday with the New England Patriots and took part in the team's minicamp Tuesday through Thursday, he didn't mention his new NFL job of competing to be Tom Brady's backup.
"I've already gotten a lot of 'Roll Tides,'" Tebow said after he sat down onstage at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center arena for a conversation with Evangelist Phil Waldrep, founder of the Gridiron Men's Conference.
Tebow opened by recalling his close relationship with former Crimson Tide Head Coach Mike Shula. "I was very close to him," Tebow said.
Tebow said that during his freshman, sophomore and junior years of high school, he leaned heavily toward wanting to play for Alabama. But when Urban Meyer took over as head coach at Florida, he had difficulty making up his mind.
"I loved both those schools," he said. "It was back and forth."
Minutes before he was scheduled to announce his choice for where to play college football in a press conference covered by ESPN, Tebow said he still hadn't made up his mind.
The night before, his father told him to pray about it.
"I prayed about it," Tebow said. "I went to sleep. I woke up. I still had no idea where I was supposed to go."
At the last minute, he called Shula and told him he would play at Florida. Shula told him he still loved him just as much and hoped he could still coach him someday.
Tebow said he then called Meyer, who was in his car and kept losing a cell phone signal. "His phone goes dead," Tebow said. "It kept going to voice mail."
For a second, he thought it was fate. "I didn't tell Coach Meyer I was going to Florida," he said. "I could still go to Alabama."
But Tebow said God was leading him, although it wasn't clear at the time.
"Even though he doesn't show you, that doesn' mean he's not leading you," Tebow said. "God is leading you. He just might not be showing you."
Tebow rose to stardom as a quarterback with the University of Florida, where he won the Heisman Tropy in 2007 and guided the Gators to a national championship.
He often wore eye black with references to biblical verses, such as “John 3:16″ during the 2009 BCS Championship game. In 2010, the NCAA banned messages on eye paint.
Tebow talked about his passion for his Christian faith and for football.
"Passion comes from somehwere down deep," he said. "What are you passionate about? What are you willing to sacrifice? If you really love something you will be willing to sacrifice for it. More than just football, it's my love of Jesus Christ. That's a question we should ask ourselves. What do we love? What are we passionate about?"
He said his missionary father inspired him. "He didn't have to tell me to read the Bible," Tebow said. "Every morning when I got up for breakfast he was at the head of the table reading his."
Tebow said that every man in the arena has someone looking up to him and emulating him.
"That makes you a leader, that makes you a role model," he said. "What type of leader, what kind of role model are you?"
Tebow said his peace in life comes from having Jesus as his rock.
"I don't have to live the roller coaster that the world and the media make of my life," he said.
Tebow said his identity comes from his faith, not football.
"All your talents and opportunities come from God and they can be taken away at any time," he said. "If my identity is found in what I do, that can be taken away. My identity comes from my relationship with Jesus Christ. That's something that will never change."
The Denver Broncos drafted Tebow in the first round of the NFL draft in 2010, the 25th overall pick. In 2011, the Broncos started the season a dismal 1-4, but then Tebow took over as starter and led them to the playoffs with a series of dramatic wins. The Broncos beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the playoffs, Denver’s first playoff victory since 2005.
After the season, the Broncos traded Tebow to the New York Jets, where he seldom played.
Even with limited playing time, Tebow was often a focus of attention, with his on-field praying style mimicked and dubbed “Tebowing.”
The Jets released Tebow this year, and many experts suggested his NFL career was over until the Patriots signed him this week.
Although Waldrep mentioned that Tebow had been in minicamp with the Patriots this week, Tebow did not discuss the Broncos, Jets or Patriots while he was onstage.
He talked about going on his first mission trip when he was 15 and playing with orphans. "You can care about them," he said. "You can see their lives transformed."
Tebow recalled asking Jesus into his heart as a small child. "I knew I was changed," he said.
He said his faith helps him live a life of significance, purpose and meaning.
"We're all blessed and we're all equal because we get to serve the same savior," Tebow said. "When you love someone, you're going to serve them. The more we serve, the more we're like Christ."