Tony Williamson

The annual meeting of the Million Dollar Round Table of life-insurance professionals is a forum where great stories are told and where one receives tremendous motivation.

As a youngster in the business, I heard the following story which was indelibly etched upon my mind. It stirred me greatly then, as it does now. Let me share it with you. The 'football' referred to is American-style football.

There was a skinny little junior high-school boy who loved football. He gave everything he had at practice, but because he was half the size of the other boys, he hardly ever got to play.

Even though the boy sat on the bench match after match, his father never missed a game.

Determination

When he entered high school, he was still the smallest of the class but he was determined to go out for football, even though his father told him that he didn't have to play if he didn't want to. All through high school he never missed a practice session or a game, but remained a bench warmer. His faithful father was always in the stands cheering him and encouraging him on.

When he entered 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 seemed to put his heart and soul into every practice, and he pushed the other team members.

He was so excited about making the cut that he rushed to call his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games. During his four years at college, he never missed practice but never got to play in a game.

At the end of his senior football season, as he ran on to the practice field shortly before the big play-off, the coach met him with a telegram. He read it, swallowed hard, then mumbled to the coach: "My father died this morning. Is it all right if I missed practice today?" The coach put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday."

Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, with the team 10 points behind, the young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and pulled on his football gear. As he ran on to the sidelines, the coach and players were stunned to see him back so soon.

He approached the coach and begged him to let him play, but the coach pretended not to hear him, as he was not going to put his worst player in this close play-off game. But the young man continued to beg him, and finally, feeling sorry for him, the coach gave in.

Expectations

Before long, the coach, the players, and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This guy, who had never played before, was doing everything right. He ran, passed, blocked and tackled brilliantly. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, he intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. His teammates hoisted him on to their shoulders as the fans erupted.

After the stands had emptied and the team had left the lockerroom, the coach noticed that his young hero was sitting in the corner all alone. The coach approached him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me, what got into you? How did you do it?"

He looked at the coach, tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?"

He forced a smile. "Dad came to all of my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"

Tony Williamson is an international motivational speaker, sales trainer, author and lifestyle consultant. Email tony williamson_57@yahoo.com.