Football

Florida legend Tim Tebow selected to College Football Hall of Fame: 'All glory to God'

By Kevin Mercer Jan 11, 2023
Tim Tebow, May 17, 2022. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Amid all of the excitement in the hours leading up to the national championship game on Monday — a Georgia victory against TCU — the newest class of the College Football Hall of Fame was announced live on ESPN’s championship pregame show.

The star-studded class included the likes of USC running back Reggie Bush, Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly and Georgia head coach Mark Richt. But then, host Joe Tessitore surprised everyone by saying one name had been omitted from the list: Tim Tebow, a two-time national champion (2006, 2008) and Heisman Trophy-winning (2007) quarterback at Florida who was one of the panelists on the set.

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“Honestly, it’s just so humbling. Thank you,” Tebow said moments after being informed of his selection. “There’s so many people that are a part of this. … All the coaches, my teammates. This is a humbling award but this goes to all of my teammates that I got the chance to play with.”

“Hard to put into words right now,” Tebow wrote in a Twitter post later that night. “Just incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity and all who helped make it possible!! All glory to God.”

After the college football legend had a chance to reflect on his accomplishment, Tebow posted again on Twitter about how many significant moments have happened in his life on Jan. 8 or 9, saying, “So grateful for all that God has done and continues to do!”

Some of those moments included his second national title at Florida in 2008, his incredible NFL playoff win with the Denver Broncos against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011, and his engagement to his wife, Demi-Leigh, in 2019. Now, Tebow can add his inclusion in the College Football Hall of Fame to the list.

After his storied college career, Tebow was drafted No. 25 overall by the Broncos in 2010. He played 24 games in Denver, including the aforementioned postseason victory, before playing 12 games with the New York Jets the following season. He recorded a total of 19 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing touchdowns during those three seasons.

Following his football career, he played minor league baseball for four years (2016-19) with teams affiliated with the New York Mets. Despite not playing the sport since his junior year at Allen D. Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Florida, Tebow recorded 18 home runs, 107 RBIs and a .223 batting average.

Since January 2014, Tebow has also been a college football analyst on ESPN.

One of the most outspoken followers of Christ in the public eye, Tebow has been sharing his faith boldly at every career stop since his time at Florida. In addition to the faith-based books and movies he’s helped create, he’s also been active in his community to help stop human trafficking and promote disability awareness.

Tebow has also accepted many speaking engagements through the years, through which he’s been able to share about Jesus, the only One who offers true hope and freedom.

On Easter 2020, Tebow was invited to deliver a special sermon at Passion City Church in Atlanta, pastored by Louie Giglio. Tebow’s sermon was about “the greatest trade in the history of the world.”

“You want to understand the best part of the trade? [It’s] that it’s free. It’s that it’s a gift. It’s that it’s not about how good we are. It is not about how much money we have. It is not about what we bring to the table,” Tebow said. “It is about what Jesus did on the cross. It is the free gift of eternal life, meaning you cannot work for it. You cannot pay for it. It is the free gift.

“But I got to tell you something. It’s free to us, but it wasn’t free to Jesus. You see, it cost Jesus everything. … It wasn’t just that Jesus experienced physical pain. It wasn’t just the sin of the world, which I can’t even imagine. But it was a perfect relationship that He was willing to sever because He wants the relationship with you that will never be severed. That’s why Easter is so amazing.”

Ahead of his final championship-winning season at Florida, Tebow was featured in the Fall 2008 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine.

“I don’t want to go to Heaven and have God ask me why didn’t I do more and why didn’t I use my platform to tell more people about Him,” he said in the magazine.

Tebow has worked tirelessly since then to leverage whatever platform he’s had — football, baseball, television or anything else — for God’s glory. And he’s done the same with the announcement that he’s now a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

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