Praise lauded on Tebow prior to home finale

By Adam Silverstein
November 24, 2009

As if you did not know by now, Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow will be playing his last home game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday against the Florida State Seminoles. While a common theme among non-Gators fans is that the media is obsessed with Tebow, it appears that the only time they really come out of the woodwork to praise him is when a momentous event occurs – be that his final home game, winning the Heisman Trophy or even the concussion he suffered earlier this season against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Tony Barnhart, the self-proclaimed “Mr. College Football” who writes for both the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and CBS Sports, took his sweet time in realizing that the sporting world has been watching a remarkable athlete, teammate, leader and individual every Saturday during football season for four years. “All I know is that Tim Tebow has three games left as a college football player,” Barnhart wrote. “And there may come a day when we call him the greatest player of all. So just enjoy it.”

Things are broken down on a more simple level by Chris Low of ESPN. “Bill Parcells used to always say that you are what your record says you are,” Low wrote in his blog on Tuesday. “Tebow’s record says that he’s a winner. As legacies go, I can’t imagine a better one.” Low’s post is a must-read for any Tebow fan or college football fan questioning why he gets so much acclaim.

As to how Tebow will be honored in his home finale, it will not be anything special. “Obviously Tim Tebow is an icon, but our hope is that fans will salute this class as a whole,” University of Florida associate athletic director Mike Hill said. “Tim would not want that. This is about Senior Day. Not Tim Tebow day. Gators fans are pretty savvy when it comes to football, they know what this group has accomplished. They will make all seniors know how much they love what they’ve done as Gators.”

While that is true, UF has still decided to extend the Senior Day festivities by two minutes “with the belief that some ovations will be longer than usual,” Hill said. If you think The Swamp is loud on fourth down during a tied game, just wait until you hear the crowd when Tebow emerges from the tunnel.

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