Ever Met Your Childhood Hero ?
1969.
An 8 year old boy turns on the TV to watch the College Football game of the week.
Hoping for a game between 2 real good, if not, familiar teams.
Ole Miss??? Who's Ole Miss????
I'm an Indiana boy!!! Give me someday good!!!!
Never heard of Ole Miss.
What the heck—I'll watch it. It's still football I guess.
Ole Miss took the field under the leadership of a Junior quarterback named Archie Manning from Drew, Mississippi.
He seems pretty cool. I'll check it out.
Was I in for a show!!!!
This guy was great! I never saw anyone like 'em—Running all over the field, beautiful passing, scoring—He was amazing !
On one play he took the snap from the center and started running quickly to his left, big defenders in heavy pursuit. I was sure he was running a naked bootleg left.
But as he was running, he turned his hips towards the line and running for the sideline cocked his arm back behind his head and threw a perfect spiral
a 40 yard bullet to a receiver downfield…
Caught!!!!
Unbelievable!!!!
I remember that play that took place some 31 yrs ago as if it happened yesterday.
Archie Manning played great that day and a hero to an 8 year old football wannabe was born.
I asked everyone, “Did you see Archie Manning? He's the greatest !!”
After awhile, my family and friends began to call me Arch. Teachers and coaches soon followed. I knew it would stick when my parents joined in.
Nine years later, I had difficulty writing the name 'Tim' on college applications.
When administrators asked for Tim…I never responded!
I had to apologize over and over for my apparent rudeness!
You see, I hadn't been called Tim in over 10 years!
Fast Forward to the Year 2000.
Peyton Manning, Archie and Olivia's second son, is now a Pro Bowl quarterback for the hometown Indianapolis Colts.
What an exceptional, dedicated, hard working and gifted athlete!
Because of Peyton's worldwide celebrity, his father, my sports hero, Archie Manning, was asked to speak on behalf of an Indianapolis Sports charity organization.
My true hero, my father, attended past events sponsored by this organization and was able to score tickets for himself, my brother Mack and I.
Archie did a great job telling old war stories from his football days. The crowd of 1,200 men were laughing hysterically at most of his stories !
What I saw up in front of that room was a humble, appreciative, wonderful Christian father with his priorities in order.
I was proud of my childhood hero.
I met him after his speech and got to say a few words.
I wanted to tell him a shortened version of this story, and how most people never get an opportunity to meet their childhood heroes and what an honor it was for me to do so...
Instead, I said he sent me a picture and wrote a wonderful short letter 10 years ago and I have the combination picture/letter hanging on my wall. I said a few other things that were confusing at best and I handed him a card with my website address on it.
He quickly put the card in his pocket, thanked me and moved on to the next well-wisher.
I felt pretty stupid about the meeting...
but maybe, just maybe...
he'll find that card someday, check out this website and see how he affected the life of an 8 year old Indiana boy.
The neat thing is, I've been affected more by how he's lived his life in humility and grace after his football career, as a father, with his priorities of God first, family second and work last—more than I've been affected by his wonderful football career.
We need more men like Archie Manning.
Indy's got a great one in his son, Peyton.
and it has nothing at all to do with his ability to throw a football.
Thanks Archie. You were a great hero.
