Today is Super Bowl Sunday – at least, it was in 1969. Super Bowl III was taking place at the Orange Bowl in Miami where the AFL New York Jets were taking on the NFL favorite, the Baltimore Colts. The Colts were 13-1 going into this match up and had an 18-point predicted advantage over the Jets.
A couple of years earlier, the Jets had picked up a young quarterback, freshly off a successful collegiate career with Alabama’s Crimson Tide, coached by legendary gridiron master, Paul “Bear” Bryant. The quarterback entered the NFL/AFL draft and was a first round, first pick by the Jets. His name was Joe Namath.
As stated earlier, the Jets were the underdogs, coming into the game with an 11-3 record from the season. Namath, though, famously guaranteed a win for the Jets days earlier in an interview. His confidence must have fired up his team and rattled the other team. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Jets had the advantage with a score of 13-0 and after a minute and 34-seconds of the fourth, a field goal took the score to 16-0.
The game ended with the Colts scoring a touchdown but, inevitably, losing the game with a final score 16-7.1 Namath had come through on his promise and his place in professional football was firmly established. “We overcame our critics,” Namath told reporters in a jubilant Jets locker room. “Most people predicted a 42-13 loss.” “He not only made me believe—he made us all believe,” said Jets rookie safety John Dockery said of Namath. “I never saw another fella like him in my life.”
Colts coach Don “Shula said the key to the game was Namath’s ability to exploit Baltimore’s weaknesses.”2
Namath was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1985. He is the first quarterback to win both a college national championship and a major professional championship.3 After retirement from football, Namath went on to have a career in acting. Today, at the age of 81, you can see Namath in commercials as the spokesperson for the Medicare Coverage Helpline.
Namath wasn’t the only player to fire up his
team with confidence and to lead them to victory. A young shepherd boy named David faced an opponent much greater than the Baltimore Colts. He faced a Philistine giant named Goliath.
While all the Israelite army cowered, David guaranteed a win. His confidence, though, wasn’t in his ability to quarterback his team. The confidence was placed in the Lord.
“And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. (33) And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. (34) And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: (35) And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. (36) Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. (37) David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.” (1 Samuel 17:32-37)
We know the end of the story. David wins. Goliath loses. End of story? Not hardly. 1 Samuel 17:51-53 continues, “Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. (52) And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. (53) And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents.”
It could be said of David, “He not only made me believe—he made us all believe.” His courage and confidence in a Mighty God and acting upon that conviction was all it took to invigorate a spiritually apprehensive and anemic Israeli army.
Sometimes, that’s all it takes to give others a swift kick in the fanny. A little motivation is all that’s needed. To see someone confident in the Lord and willing to storm the gates of Hell fires up those who are a bit pensive and unwilling to take that leap of faith alone.
BE that person today. BE that spiritual quarterback. BE that person confident and trusting in God for the victory. Join with the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13 and say, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_III#Game_summary
2https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/super-bowl-upsets-joe-namath-1969
3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Namath
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