Tebow Says Farewell With a Flourish
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Like fishing stories told on front porches at dusk or tall tales traded around barstools after last call, the legend of Tim Tebow seems likely to only grow larger in this part of the country.
As the years pass and the tales are retold, Tebow’s accomplishments will take on an almost-mystical quality. But on Saturday the Florida faithful — 90,907 of them — flocked here for a flesh-and-blood sendoff that felt part like a graduation, part like a funeral.
While Tebow will play in the Southeastern Conference title game and a Bowl Championship Series game for the top-ranked Gators, his performance at The Swamp in a 37-10 victory over Florida State provided one final grace note in the greatest career in Florida history.
Tebow finished the day with three touchdowns passing and two rushing, but his final play here will resonate as a fitting finish. Facing third-and-goal at the 1-yard line, the obvious play call echoed through the stadium: “Tebow, Tebow, Tebow.”
With cameras flashing all over The Swamp, Tebow carried an option keeper into the end zone, pointed to the sky and departed to deafening cheers.
He certainly bolstered his case to win a second Heisman Trophy in this year’s wide-open race, completing 17 of 21 passes for 221 yards and no interceptions.
But Saturday’s victory represented more than one day’s work, capping the final regular season of one of the most remarkable careers in college football. Tebow holds 24 Florida records, 13 Southeastern Conference records and four N.C.A.A. marks. His pinball-like totals helped him stiff-arm past Steve Spurrier, Emmitt Smith and Danny Wuerffel in Gator lore.
All those lines in the record books cannot replace the indelible snapshots that popped up around The Swamp on Saturday. Fans lined 15 deep before kickoff, arriving hours early for a place in line just to touch Tebow as he entered the stadium. Gator fans shinnied up trees for a glance at Tebow, hopped up on flipped-over trash cans or climbed atop fences for one final look as he strolled into the stadium wearing a gray suit.
Thousands of fans wore eye black as a tribute, as the Bible passages scrawled below Tebow’s eyes have become a trademark. He seemed to respond with a message back to the fans, as the verse inscribed on his eye black — Hebrews 12:1-2 — read, in part, “We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.”
The clamor that arose during Tebow’s walk into the game seemed almost mute compared with the tributes that followed. The stadium practically shook when he left the tunnel to bear-hug Coach Urban Meyer as the final of the 25 Gator seniors recognized on Saturday.
As the blowout ballooned in the fourth quarter, the anticipation grew until it reached a crescendo with Tebow’s final touchdown and one last goose-bump moment at The Swamp.
With 5 minutes 44 seconds remaining, Meyer pulled Tebow off the field, and the crowd responded with one more roar. Tebow took off his helmet to reveal the trademark rectangle of helmet burn on his forehead. He hugged his close friend Riley Cooper, then put on a headset to help his backup, John Brantley, get through mop-up time.
As the celebration of Tebow unfolded, Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden stood helplessly on the Seminoles’ sideline. The dichotomy was palpable, as Tebow’s electric career and the rise of Meyer’s program at Florida have coincided with Florida State’s freefall into irrelevance.
The Seminoles talked plenty of trash on Saturday, but they did little to back it up. They had two false starts on their first possession, did not convert a third down until the third quarter and generally looked hapless.
With Bowden in the twilight of his career, the Seminoles must answer a tricky question: Is their coaching holding back a group of athletes who can compete with Florida, or are they really four touchdowns worse than the Gators?
Florida has won 22 consecutive games, a streak that began with Tebow’s impassioned plea to Florida’s fans, known as “The Promise,” after a home loss to Ole Miss last year.
That speech is already emblazoned on the side of The Swamp. A statue of Tebow cannot be far behind.
But for now, Florida fans will have to settle for frozen moments. Tebow gave them a final one, taking a 10-minute lap around the stadium to shake hands, give hugs and say thank you. It will be one more tale for the Gator faithful to tell about a career that has provided lasting memories.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Like fishing stories told on front porches at dusk or tall tales traded around barstools after last call, the legend of Tim Tebow seems likely to only grow larger in this part of the country.
As the years pass and the tales are retold, Tebow’s accomplishments will take on an almost-mystical quality. But on Saturday the Florida faithful — 90,907 of them — flocked here for a flesh-and-blood sendoff that felt part like a graduation, part like a funeral.
While Tebow will play in the Southeastern Conference title game and a Bowl Championship Series game for the top-ranked Gators, his performance at The Swamp in a 37-10 victory over Florida State provided one final grace note in the greatest career in Florida history.
Tebow finished the day with three touchdowns passing and two rushing, but his final play here will resonate as a fitting finish. Facing third-and-goal at the 1-yard line, the obvious play call echoed through the stadium: “Tebow, Tebow, Tebow.”
With cameras flashing all over The Swamp, Tebow carried an option keeper into the end zone, pointed to the sky and departed to deafening cheers.
He certainly bolstered his case to win a second Heisman Trophy in this year’s wide-open race, completing 17 of 21 passes for 221 yards and no interceptions.
But Saturday’s victory represented more than one day’s work, capping the final regular season of one of the most remarkable careers in college football. Tebow holds 24 Florida records, 13 Southeastern Conference records and four N.C.A.A. marks. His pinball-like totals helped him stiff-arm past Steve Spurrier, Emmitt Smith and Danny Wuerffel in Gator lore.
All those lines in the record books cannot replace the indelible snapshots that popped up around The Swamp on Saturday. Fans lined 15 deep before kickoff, arriving hours early for a place in line just to touch Tebow as he entered the stadium. Gator fans shinnied up trees for a glance at Tebow, hopped up on flipped-over trash cans or climbed atop fences for one final look as he strolled into the stadium wearing a gray suit.
Thousands of fans wore eye black as a tribute, as the Bible passages scrawled below Tebow’s eyes have become a trademark. He seemed to respond with a message back to the fans, as the verse inscribed on his eye black — Hebrews 12:1-2 — read, in part, “We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.”
The clamor that arose during Tebow’s walk into the game seemed almost mute compared with the tributes that followed. The stadium practically shook when he left the tunnel to bear-hug Coach Urban Meyer as the final of the 25 Gator seniors recognized on Saturday.
As the blowout ballooned in the fourth quarter, the anticipation grew until it reached a crescendo with Tebow’s final touchdown and one last goose-bump moment at The Swamp.
With 5 minutes 44 seconds remaining, Meyer pulled Tebow off the field, and the crowd responded with one more roar. Tebow took off his helmet to reveal the trademark rectangle of helmet burn on his forehead. He hugged his close friend Riley Cooper, then put on a headset to help his backup, John Brantley, get through mop-up time.
As the celebration of Tebow unfolded, Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden stood helplessly on the Seminoles’ sideline. The dichotomy was palpable, as Tebow’s electric career and the rise of Meyer’s program at Florida have coincided with Florida State’s freefall into irrelevance.
The Seminoles talked plenty of trash on Saturday, but they did little to back it up. They had two false starts on their first possession, did not convert a third down until the third quarter and generally looked hapless.
With Bowden in the twilight of his career, the Seminoles must answer a tricky question: Is their coaching holding back a group of athletes who can compete with Florida, or are they really four touchdowns worse than the Gators?
Florida has won 22 consecutive games, a streak that began with Tebow’s impassioned plea to Florida’s fans, known as “The Promise,” after a home loss to Ole Miss last year.
That speech is already emblazoned on the side of The Swamp. A statue of Tebow cannot be far behind.
But for now, Florida fans will have to settle for frozen moments. Tebow gave them a final one, taking a 10-minute lap around the stadium to shake hands, give hugs and say thank you. It will be one more tale for the Gator faithful to tell about a career that has provided lasting memories.
Source: New York Times
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