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all past Super Bowl players to sit around and talk about this phenomenal American tradition. What would they say about a game often called the ultimate sporti ng event? Duane Thomas (V, VI), former Cowboy runn ing back, why don't you kick off our discussion? " If it's the ultimate," Duane begins in his in-your-face way, " how come they're playing it again next year?"

Okay, Duane, the Super Bowl may not be the game of all time, but it is pretty important.

There's Walter Payton (XX) of the Bears. Sweetness, what about it? "Tomorrow is never promised to you," philosophizes the Bears' all-time leading rusher. "Unless you make the Super Bowl, you haven't accomplished everything."

Walter, that could leave the rest of us feeling a bit depressed.

We'll never get a shot at the ring.

Let's move over to wide receiver Dwight Clark (XVI, XIX) of the 49crs and see what he thinks of playing in the Big One. "Just being at the Super Bowl was a dream to me," Clark enthuses. " I really didn 't even think I could make it in the NFL. Then I made the Super Bowl, which was more important than any personal honors."

Nice perspective, Dwight. Can ET'S SAY YOU INVITED

we get some verification from your famous teammate. Joe! Hey, Joe! Talk Super Bowl with us.

Joe Montana (X VI, XIX, XXIII , XXIV) grabs the mike.

"My boyhood hero was Joe Namath, and I have been fascinated by the Super Bowl ever since he and the Jets upset the Colts. I guess right then I decided that my goal was to play in a Super Bowl."

What if Joe's hero had been John Kennedy or Richard Nixon?

Of course, Montana keeps winning the Big One. What about those of you who had to play bridesmaid to guys like Joe? Bengal quarterback Ken Anderson (XVI) agrees to talk. " When you walk out on the field for this game, it 's the greatest feeling in the world. And when you walk off, and you haven't won, it's the worst feeling in the world."

Speaking of not winning, let's see if John Elway (XXI, XXII, XXIV) will comment. " In my career, the ultimate is to win this game," Elway explains. "That's my ultimate goal. I will not have a good feeling about myself until I win one." This from a guy who has passed for more than 3,000 yards in a season seven times.

Yet for most, just getting there is a bonus. What's the secret?

I sec that hand, Jay Schroeder (XXII). The former Redskin and current Raider QB calmly lobs· one our way. 'The key to getting in the Super Bowl is staying healthy," he says.

Unless you' re the Seahawks, of course. Then the key would be a bunch of roster changes plus staying healthy.

Hey, Clarence Vaughn (X XII),

when you were a Redskin rookie in 1988, you described the pressure of playing in the Super Bowl by saying, " I'm in a state of shockness." Can anyone relate?

"Sure," says Steeler tackle Joe Greene (IX, X, XII, XIV). "The atmosphere in the stadium takes your breath away. If you go once, it makes you want it that much more. I still get mad when I think of the ones I missed. It 's like somebody came along those years and stole my Christmas."

Christmas, huh? Nice comparison- the Super Bowl and Christmas. Could it be that we have made this January event more important than that December event long ago that was the first Christmas? Let's hear from Darrell Green (XVIII, XXII) of the Redskins. How about it, Darrell, which is more important? " I' m willing to lose friends and to lose even football because I want to go all the way for Jesus Christ, who laid down His life for a little 5' 8" midget like me."

For some players, football is not the ultimate. For Green, Mike Singletary, Reggie White, and Bany Sanders-as you'll read in the following pages-life depends more on the Christ mas story than on a Super Bowl victory. And we think what they say about life can make a difference to you.

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4 America's Newest National Holiday The Super Bowl-a sports spectacle without equal

6 Treat Every Moment Precious

Dave Branon, managing editor Spor!S Spec/mill

Barry Sanders has never played in the Big One, but he knows what counts

by Tom Felten

Pholography Credils: COVER: (While) Alldy Hoyi/Focus on Sports, (Sanders) Chuck Solomon/Focus on Sports, (Singlelary) Tony Tomsic/Focus on Sport; (Siarr) Focus on Sports; p. 4 Vernon J. Biever; p. 5 (bolh) Vernon J. Biever; p. 6 Rick SlewarVAIIsporl: p. 7 Olio Greule JrJAIIsport; p. 8 Louis Capozzola!Focus on Sports; p. 9 Olio Gruele JrJAIIsport; p. 10 Focus on Sports; p. II Jonalhan Oaniei/AIIsport; p. 12 Focus on Sports; p. 13 Jonalhan DanieVAIIsport; p. 14 John Tremme~ Focus on Sports; p. 15 Tom Dipace'Focus on Sports; pp. 16·17 M1ke PoweiVAIIsport; p. 18 Focus on Sports; p. 19 Focus on Sports; p. 20 Focus on Sports; p. 22 (lefl) Washinglon Redskins, (righl) Olio Gruele JrJAIIsport; p. 23 Olio Gruele JrJAIIsport; p. 24 Lane SlewarVSports llluslraled; p. 25 (lefl) Manny M1llan/Sporls llluslraled, (righl) C. Covalla!AIIsporl; p. 26 Jerry WachleriFocus on Sports; p. 27 Olio Greule JrJAIIsport; p. 28·29 Mike PoweiVAIIsport; p. 29 Mike PoweiVAIIsport; p. 30 Vernon J. Biever; p. 31 Focus on Sports.

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28 Wide to the Right How can we respond when our life always seems to just miss its target?

by Rob Bentz

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Stats Central

Bear With Me When a crisis of confidence invaded Mike Singletary's marriage, he had to restore his wife's trust

by Mike Sandrolini

A viewer's guide to the Super Bowl

22 Leaderboard With Guy Mcintyre, Darrell Green, Pete Metzelaars

30 Legends Catching up with Bart Starr

by Tom Felten

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Wake-up Call From the Minister

Rendezvous with Death

So you want to argue about faith? Talk to Reggie White.

He'll wake you up

by Jim Gibbs

Airing It Out

The death of young athletes should make us begin to wonder about our own mortality

by Dave Branon

The greatest game plan ever devised

by Tom Landry

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~~~~~F~~~~o~~~~s~~~~:,~f~~~~~ ~=ZF':~~~~~:.rf~~~~~a~tf~:f:~~~:;~~~~~~~~f$~a~~~:~~ ~~~~~~~~ Jr., TV sports commentator: COVER PHOTOS (White) And~

SPORTS SPECTRUM is produced six times a yea r by Discovery House Publishers. which •s afl•lfated with Rad o B•ble Class. a nondenominational Christian organization whose purpose is to lead peop!e of all nations to faith and maturitv in Jesus Christ by teaching principles from the Bible. Printed in USA. Copyright ~· 1992 by Otscovery House Publishers. Grand Rapids, Michigan. B<b!e quotations, unlessother'W'ise noted, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright C 1973, 1978, 1984. International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible

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S POR T S S P E CTRU M· S U P E R B O WL 1 993

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OT EVEN MOTHER 'S D AY GETS THIS MUCH ATTENTION. Jn the space of 27 years, the Super Bowl has grown from a novelty into a phenomenon. What in 1967 pitted the older, supposedly superior National Football League aga inst the newer, supposed ly inferior American Football League has developed into the epitome of all sporting events. What was initially called the First World Championship Game in 1967 has become an all-world event.

Pro foo tball has c reated what only Congress ca n normall y arrange. "The Super Bowl has become a national holiday," says marketing consultant George Rosebaum, president of Len Shapiro and Associates, "with the nation sitting by the electronic hearth."

Indeed the growth of the electronic media into a force in America and around the world is one of the key reasons the Super Bowl has reached such lofty heights of popularity. Carried as it is on more than 200 telev ision stations and 300 radio stations nationwide-as well as on stations in dozens of other countries-the game ¡ is hard to miss. And apparently few people do.

Super Bowl XXV I between Bu ffa lo and Washington was viewed by J20 million people in the United States, which made it the third largest viewing audience for any TV program in tube hi story. On ly Super Bow l XX , feat uring the Bears and the Patriots, and the final episode of M.A.S.H. drew a larger viewership. Worldwide, the Super Bowl is viewed by an estimated 750 million people.

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Television has nurtured this event in its growth over the years and is more than pa11ially responsible for its popularity. Even if you don't like actual football action (which, by the way, takes up only a few minutes of any football game), TV provides plenty of spectacular video to keep your attention during the Super Bowl telecast.

Adve11isers, for instance, who pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to influence consumers during the game, trot out their newest, glitziest commercials for first-time showing during the Super Bowl.

And if you like extravaganzas, there's halftime. Long ago the Super Bowl folks dropped the traditional marching bands at the half and brought in dancing girls and flying objects and stages with elaborate sets and big-time crooners and pyrotechnics and whatever else mi ght keep people from switch ing over to see what's on Nickelodeon. Halftime of the Super Bowl may be the on ly time you can watch nonsports network TV and not have to suffer through the usual fare o f demeaning dirty jokes, random violence, gratuitous immorality, and foul language.

Of course , who knows what will happen this January 31 when the _. The Rose Bowl, site of Super Bowl XXI, featured a spectacular halftime NFL trots out Michae l show- creating a soldiers field.

Jackson between halves to sing his new " Heal the World" song.

But TV hype is not the only reason for the popularity of the Super Bowl. It 's also the singular end to a long-range goal that everyone in footballfrom the GM down to the FAN-points to when training camp starts. Unlike other sports, in which the place and time for the ending of the season are always To Be Announced, in football we knew from the first day of practice last July that everyone would be trying to get to Pasadena. Plus, as a best-of-one, winner-take-all affair, the Super Bowl

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& Super Bowl XXIV featured fireworks at intermission, symbolic of the explosive 49er offense that lit up Denver during the game, 55-10.

has a built-in dramatic flair that is unique in major league sports.

Th e aura of the Super Bowl is also enh anced by the time of year it is held. In much of the country, the winter doldrums have set in hard and so li d by the time the end of January finally slides around. Cabin fever is epidemic, and a good shot of excitement is overdue.

Besides, pro basketball and hockey are both into their own middle-of-the-season funk. It's far too early to get excited about the playoffs and far too late for the Ottawa Senators and their fellow cellar-dwellers. Sure, individual games are still important, but there 's no real urgency in either sport.

In fact, the NBA has taken the wise course and scheduled around th e Super Bow l. Only one NBA game, which airs as a sort of pregame warmu p for the & Halftime in Tampa during Super Bowl XXV looked more Super Bow l, is like Orlando, as Disney characters took center stage. pl aye d on th e clay of the NFL final.

By kickoff time, college hoops are over, the NBA has completed its game, and the Super

Bowl is the only game in town.

Ah, yes. The game. Sometimes even the game is exciting.

Like Supe r Bowl XXV between the Bills and the Giants, when the whole thing came down to one swing of the boot. Or Super Bowl V when Dall as' quarterback Craig Morton was picked off by Baltimore's Walt Garri son on the Colt 29-yard line as time ran out to seal the Colts 16- 13 win. Or XXIII when Cincinnati took a 13-6 lead into the fourth quarter, only to see Joe Montana take over and fire two TD passes to give the 49ers a 20-1 6 win.

Even if the game is a snore, though, the Super Bowl is a sporting event without equal in America. It is truly becoming a national holiday. You almost expect Hallmark to come out with "Happy Super Sunday" cards.

Yet, as good as all this can be, and as enjoyable as having some friends over for Super Sunday might seem- this entire production has no lasting effect on us. Sure, the Super Bowl provides good times, great memories, a rare chance to vent your emotions, and a distracti on to help yo u momentaril y fo rge t your troubles. But when the mother of all football games is over and the networks resume their regul arly scheduled programs, your problems live on.

That 's why we've talked with several foo tball players who have found a way to address li fe 's struggles in a time-honored, trusted way. Stick with us as Mike Singletary, Reggie White, Barry Sanders, Bart Starr, and others share from their heart some information that can do for you what a month of Super Bowls could never do.

- Dave Branon VERNON J, BIEVER

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••TREAT EVERY IVIOIVIENT

PREC.OUS'' Barry Sanders is a standout NFL player, b ut faith and family are what is behind this back.

By Tom Felten

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-<4 " Anything I ever do is because of my family ," declares the Detroit Lions·· all-time top rush er and one of the NFL' s most exciting players.

T'S JUST A SNAPS HOT . Kind of gray and grainy. But look a little closer. Read bet wee n the shadows. There's some symbolism in this photograph- a reflection of a young man's spirit.

The photo? Oh , you've likely seen it in a magazine or 1wo- it ' s part of a sportswear company's advertising campaign. Just a simple black and white of Barry Sanders, the Detroit Lions' brill iant running back, lifting more weight th an should be humanly possible onto his shoulders. The adperhaps without trying- shows a lot of what this 5' 8" giant of the gridiron is made of.

Consider: • His face is in the shadows. The only facial feature that stands out is his biting of his lower lip as he strains to lifi his heavy load . Thi s is quintessential Sanders.

He's not into self-promotion or ge lling hi s face on every billboard across the country. He's a hard worker whose job just happens to be football.

• Lack of color in th e photograph produces some interesting contrasts. There are obvious patterns of solid black and striking wh ite. Patterns that Sanders understands. He lives his life for Jesus Christ-accepting the complete and clear differences between what his faith tells him is right and wrong.

• Then there's the belt. He's got one of those big-buckled weight-lifting belts strapped on. This football wonder from Wi chita, Kansas, is famili ar with the Bible verse th at tells followers of Christ to "stand finn then, with the belt of truth buckled around your wa ist" (Ephesians 6: 14). This truth is somethi ng he was exposed to while growing up in a home filled wit h lots of kids and lots of love.

"I came from a pretty large familyeleven kids," Sanders says. "My mother was a real strong believer [i n Jesus Chri st]. She use d to tak e us to church every Sunday.

And my father also had strong, strong beliefsalong with believing in hard work."

R•CK S TEWAA TI ALLSPORT

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Sanders can tell you about the hours he spent doing what he calls "very seri ous labor." Stuff like pouring concrete, shingling roofs, building fences, and getting up early for work and getting home late. But he doesn't resent the emphasis his dad put on doing tough jobs. In fact, he feels that may be one of the reasons he's where he is today.

"It was formed in my mind that you cannot make a living for yourself if you don' t get out and work. I don' t know if that concept is understood as strongly today by a lot of people my age," the young running back states.

This is not common talk for a football superstar. But then, the whole Sanders family is rather un common. In an age when many parents are choosing the number of children they can have by consulting their CPA or financial planner, and at a time when marriages seem to be crumbling faster than an offensive line facing the Philadelphia Eagles, William and Shirley Sanders stayed together and raised almost a dozen kids.

Sanders looks back on his home daysbeing the baby boy and the seventh childwi th all the treasured memories, and says, "We didn't have a lot materialistically, but that didn 't matter. It was just a lot of happiness, a lot of laughs, a lot of fights-you know brothers and sisters."

But fights were kept to a minimum. The Sanders clan was one filled with love, respect, and discipline. If one of the kids got into a fight at school, he also got into some harm at home. And if a sibling skirm ish broke out- that's when discipline came swiftly and firmly.

Ma and Pa Sanders would not tolerate their children picking on or hurting each other. It was a rule not to do it. And it was a family goal to get along with the other people who lived at the Sanders' address.

That helped create fami ly cohesiveness. And it 's apparent that the family still tries to stay close togethereven in football. During training camp for the 1992 NFL season, Barry's older brother Byron, who gained over a thousand yards for Northwestern University one season, was trying out for the Lions. But B. and B. Sanders on the same team was not meant to be. Byron didn't make it.

Fo rtunately, tha t doesn' t erase the memories.

Memories of Barry and Byron nightly racing up and down the stadium stairs at Wichita State Universitylocated just a long pass from the Sanders' front porch steps. The brothers were working on becoming the best athletes they could be while some of their friends were sin king into the drinking and evil doings of cit y nightlife. Sure, they experienced their share of youthfu l indiscretions. But nothing so serious that it endangered themselves or the rest of the baker's-doze nsized-fami ly back home.

Shirley Sanders guided her llock of kids by example.

Her faith in Jesus Christ and her love for her Lord came through loud and clear to Barry and the rest of the bunch.

"Moral values are one thing that my mother always preached to us, taught us, and strongly enforced. She would say, 'If you don't have them, then what separates 8

L.OUIS CAPOZZOlAIFOCUS ON SPOfH S

.._ He may look like he's trapped in the backfield, but the advantage here goes to Barry Sanders. He can put moves on defenders that can, in the words of teammate Chris Spielman, "flat-out embarrass anyone."

you from animals?' And she didn 't just preach it, she walked it also," says Detroit's all-time rushing leader.

Barry has followed his mom's footsteps. Yes, he's a sharp-looking, red-blooded 24-year-old. Yes, he's been paid handsomely and has some material th ings that could make a young lady's head spi n. But, he believes in remaining a virgin until marriage.

Abstinence is the name of his game.

"You have the danger of life-threateni ng diseases and the risks that you run, but--even more than thatit 's just part of being a Christia n. Now, abstaining doesn't mean you're a Christian . It's just one of the th ings that encompasses trying to live a godly life."

To Sanders, life is about making the right choices. He implores young people to "treat every moment precious."

He clearly shares with them that you shouldn't be led by the crowd. You have to stand up for what you believe in.

You have to look to someone greater than yourself.

For Sanders, that Someone is Jesus Christ. During his jun ior year at Oklahoma State University he made a lifetime commitment to his Lord. "Just seeing the hypocrisy in my own life" drove him to making the change. "It was the realization of where I was and then doing somethi ng about it."

It's interesting to note that during that year he also: • Set 13 NCAA Division I college football season records • Scored a record 39 touchdowns • Won the Heisman Trophy Not bad for a guy who became a college starter for the first time at the beginni ng of the season. In his fi rst 2 years at State, he played behind a guy by the name of Thurman Thomas. (Nice backfield, OSU!) Now, of course, he doesn't play behi nd anybody.

Except the depleted offensive line of the Detroit Lions, which made his 1992 season a real challenge. In 1991, Number 20 and company won 12 times during the reg-

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ular season- which tied a club record. Then Detroit came within one win of play ing in the Super Bowl when they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champ Washington in the AFC Championship game.

Also in 1991 , eight Lions were named to the Pro Bowl- including You-Know-Who. Yes, Sanders had a great year. He set a bushel of Lion team records and was the NFL's touchdown leader.

But this year the team struggled. During the off-season, Len Fontes, the Lions' defensive backfield coach and head coach Wayne Fontes' brother, died of a heart attack at the age of 54. Just over a month later, 25-yearold Eric Andolsek, a budding star on the Lions' offensive line, was killed when a truck ran off the road and struck him while he was doing yard work in front of his home.

These tragic losses further decimated a team that had lost offensive lineman Mike Ut ley to a career-ending, paralyzing spinal cord injury during a game in 1991.

Team members say the trauma of losing these men has brought the team closer together. "On some other teams you have more distance between coach and player relationships, and player to player. But everybody seems prett y close and bro ught to ge th er by the tragedies," says Lion kicker Jason Hanson. But , even with this camaraderie, it has been a difficult year for the players as they faced a win-loss column that was decidedly unbalanced to the right.

And Sanders' sparkling 4.9-yard-per-carry career average that he brought into 1992 was deflating week after week, for he had little or no daylight to exploit. It seemed that his theme song was the old Motown tune "No place to run, baby, no place to hide."

So how did Sanders respond to this reversal of fortune. Did he pout? Did he knock Gatorade cups off the table? Did he cry to the media?

Naw. That' s not Sanders. He understands that football is a game. And for this season, his Motor City team was just in need of a few extra parts to get them back up to speed.

He has a good head on his shoulder pads. He realizes that the fleeting fame brought by football does not his life make. "It 's short-lived. It won' t be here forever.

Even in a couple of years I may need to go out and begin doing something else. And people won't ask for my autograph when I go into the store and stuff li ke that. I appreciate it, but it's not realistic. I think I have a perception of how things really are," Sanders says.

Sanders has found a special place on the team. He is surrounded by people who believe in him. And many of his teammates also believe in the same Lord that Barry trusts his li fe to.

The Lions have a thri vi ng chapel program, led by chaplain Dave Wilson, that encourages the players to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. All-Pro Offensive Lineman Lomas Brown says, "I th ink players see a lot more guys here who walk the walk instead of just talking it. When you see someone who's strong in the faith, who's walking the straight line, you automatically get interested in how he's able to do it. And I think it's due to Bible studies and other weekly thi ngs we have. That's what gets guys interested."

William White, the Lions' outstanding defensive back, says, "It's nice to know that brothers [in Christ] here

EVER Y

MOM E N T

PR E C I O U S ''

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Threats to the Family

As BARRY SANDERS' STORY DEMONSTRATES, the family is the most important institution we have for stabilizing our society. But homes are not always the safe haven William

and Shirley Sanders created for their brood. Here are some threats to our homes that we need to protect ourselves against.

1. Leaving out God (Deuteronomy 6). Love for God and His guidance has been replaced with love for the world and the relativism of secular thinking. We need to keep God and His instructions at the center of our lives.

2. Hurting each other with the tongue (Colossians 4:6). A family can never stop communicating. The skill comes in communicating with love and compassion- not anger, hate, and vindictiveness.

OTTO GRUELE JR/ALLSPORT

& William and Shirley Sanders' children benefited 3. Getting our priorities from the combined strengths of his emphasis on turned around (1 Timothy hard work and her emphasis on faith.

5:8). Did we do anything today that had lasting value

for our spouse or children, or was everything done for temporary pleasure or gain? The spiritual and emotional health of the family has to be the top priority.

4. Spending money recklessly. (1 Timothy 6: 10). We've been concentrating so much recently on the economy that we have missed a valuable point: Most of us have already accumulated more stuff than 90 percent of the world will ever have.

This can make us greedy, not content. So we spend to satisfy greed, and we get ourselves into a hole.

5. Living by worldly standards (Romans 12:2). We are being influenced by a mediadriven mindset that is basically anti-God. Humanism, materialism, hedonism, and relativism are the order of the day-and they are all threats to good families.

To receive a free booklet that talks about what it takes to make your family safe and secure, mark the word FAMILY on the card between pages 24 and 25 and send it to us.

have a deep faith and that their whole life is not revolving around football. There's something much bigger and greater out there than themselves or the game."

These are the kind of men that Barry Sanders interacts with. And he is also part of a special group, made up of famil y and friends, that consistentl y meets to challenge one another to learn more about God's Word, the Bible, and to live an effective life for Christ.

A li fe of love. A li fe fi lled with positive values. A life where you treat every moment precious. A life as a member of the family of God. A life worth living.

Let's take another look at that black and white Nike ad. Look at the powerful legs Sanders has strengthened and developed. Talk about a firm foundation! But then, it's obvious that his foundation in life has not come from athletic training or pursuits. No, Sanders' life is an example of a life rooted in a loving family and built on the Solid Rock: Jesus Christ. D

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FEATURE ..,. Mike Singletary's relentlessness may be gone from the Bears' line, but it is still alive in his heart as he pursues a successful marriage and a life of integrity.

EFORE HE TOOK THE FIELD

for his fin al NFL season last fall , Mike Singletary set some goals for himself.

They we re no differe nt from the ones he had established every season since he joined the Bears in 198 1: Be the best player he could possibly be and help his team be the best they could be.

"It's important to set our sights on something," says Singletary, a consensus shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. "I worked my tail off before the start of the season. I didn't want to go out sitting on the back of a convertible, wav ing my hand, and saying, 'Wasn't I good! ' I wanted to leave this game at my best."

True to fom1, Singletary retired at the top of hi s game- despite the Bears' dismal season. Neither his playing time nor the quality of his play diminished as the frustrating year wore on. In fact, Singletary stmted every game in 1992 and led the Bears in tacklesthe I Ith straight season he's finished either first or second on the team in that category. And in the team 's las t game at Soldier Field , Singletary led the Bears to an emotional upset of the tough Pittsburgh Steelers.

Mike Singletary has been livi ng up to his own great expectations for a long time. During

his illustrious 12-year career, Singletary has been named to the NFC Pro Bowl team nine times; selected NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice (1988 and 1985); named twice as UPI's NFC Defensive Player of the Year (1988 and 1985); and received NFL Man of the Year honors in 1990 for his on-field play and offthe-field humanitarian contributions.

Singletary' s days of accumu latin g football awards may be over, but his commitment to excellence is not. His desire to be the best is still as much a part of him as his trademark bulging eyes.

Th at burnin g desire carri es over to th e Sing letary hou se hold , where Mike takes great pride in being the best husband he can be for his wife, Kim. But that ambition- like hi s on- fi eld fire- is not new.

Just as Singletar y wo rked hard in training camp to ensure his success on the gridiron during the season, so Mike and Kim have put in the effort to make Team Sin gletary wo rk every day.

Communication, they say, is number one on a short list of keys to a successful marriage (see page 13). But both believe that factors besides lack of communication have contributed to rampant divorce rates in the United States.

"One of the biggest reasons that marriages JONATHAN OA.N!EliALl S~T

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Mike Singletary let his playing career end, but he and his wife, Kim, fought hard to make sure their marriage didn't

By Mike Sandrolini

FOCUS ON SPORTS

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are falling apart," Mike says, "is because of the family breakdown before marriage. In the last 20 years, husbands and wives have come from broken homes. So you don't really know how to be a husband or how to be a wife. Eventually, you end up falling into the same trap."

Singletary himself is the product of a broken home.

As a youngster, he observed a father whose pattern of behavior would one day affect his relationship with Kim. The youngest of 10 children, Singletary's parents divorced when he was 12. His father was a preacher at a small church in Houston, where he grew up.

"I'm a Christian man saying this, but I really feel that when my mom and clad got married at 15 and 16, they di d not have an y idea what it took," he says. "They weren't there for each other. It just did not work."

"Under non11al circumstances, what I have seen failed marriages do to children is to create a guilt feeling. I know in my brothers and sisters it definitely did create a sense of 'Who am I?' A loss of commitment. Denial.

"I think it gives a kid his first reason to say, ' Hey, if it does n' t work out, bail out.

Who cares? That's the way life is.'"

The Singletarys are li ving proof that life does not have to be that way. They showed that a marriage can survive tough times if a husband and wife are willing to face the problem and do what's necessary to resolve it.

Mike and Kim Singletary we re marri ed in May of 1984. Several months into their marriage , howe ver, Mike was fee ling anything but marital bliss.

"I had gotten to a point in my life where I was reall y frustrated," Singletary recalls. "l said, 'Lord, what's going on here ? I' m makin g good money, and I have a lot of notoriety. What 's up? I' m ge ttin g to a point where I don't thin k You're up there.

What 's go ing on?

"The Lord spoke to me just about as clear as I'd be talking to you," Singletary recall s.

"He said, ' If you really, really want to be used by Me, you've gotta clean up your act. ' " I said, ' Wait a minute.

Clean up what act?'

"He said, ' Well, you've got a problem with your father.

Have you forgiven him?' " ' We ll , wa it a minute.

Wh y do we hav e to tal k about that?' " 'Cause that's part of it.' " 12

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T In Chicago's v ictorious Super Bowl XX, Singletary proved his worth by recovering two New England fumbles ; In real life, he recovered from his own early fumbles to put his marriage In the win column.

Singletary felt hatred and bitterness toward his father fo r leaving him, his mother, his brothers, and his sisters to marry another woman. But he wanted to do the best thi ng, so he fi nally got on the horn with his father.

"One day I called my dad, and he and I talked fo r abou t 2 1/2 hours," Singletary says. "We cried; we yelled at each ot her and everyth ing else, but we got it straight. From that day on, I have loved him to deat h.

We hug each other when we see each other, and we had never done that. I tell him I love him, and l had hard ly ever done that. He tells me he loves me, and he kisses me. That had never happened."

Reconcili ng wi th his father tu rned out to be the easy part of getting life back on track.

"After that, God said, 'Now, step two. You need to come clean with Kim.' " God was prodding Mike to tell Ki m that he had not been fai th ful to her dur ing their engagement. " 'Wait a minute.' I protested. 'This was before we got married. That's between You and me.' "'No, not fo r you it isn't.'"

"I know the Lord knew that telling Him abou t it wasn't enough," Singletary says. "He needed to break me, and that's wha t it was go ing to take. I had to come clean with my wife and say, ' Honey, you know all the ti me we we re dati ng or engaged, I wasn' t fait hful to you.' " It took some time and many sleepless ni ghts fo r Singletary to finally tell Kim. He realized that con fessing his unfaithful ness would hu rt her and possibly run the risk of ruining thei r marriage. But not te lli ng her, he says, would have been worse.

"I realized I had a choice," Singletary stated in his book, Singletary on Singletary. "I could continue to live a lie, live with deceit, and live wit h gu il t. I could make a lot of money from my profession, acquire a lot of possessions, buy my wife clothes and jewel ry and anyt hing else she might like. I could have children, dress them nice, send them to good school, and wa tch them grow wit hout imparting any wisdom. I co uld have everything this life had to offer except peace and a clear conscience."

Wh ile Kim and Mike were vaca ti on ing alone on a Caribbean island, he finally told her his secret.

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"That was the hardest thing I' ve Kim adds, "but I trust him completely now." ever had to do." Singletary says.

Maki ng a conscious choice to "She was hurt."

As hard as it was on Mike, it must forgive Mike also played a big part Mike and Kim S ingletary have in helping Kim get over her hurt have been worse for Kim, yet she been married 8 years, and they enjoy a successful, happy marand anger, and putting their marremembers his pain as much as hers. riage. But how do they keep it "Initially, I felt sorry for him," riage back together. that way? Besides honesty, "I knew spiritually how unforshe recalls, "because I could see openness, and forgiveness, give ness wo ul d bind me, for I fo r a couple of months that he three other elements help keep knew people who had hate and bitwasn' t sleeping. l-Ie wasn't relaxed their relationship strong. terness in their li ves, and how it ever, and I could see he was really 0 Communication physically, mentally, and emotionstruggling with someth ing. By the "It's kind of a cliche, but comally ruins you,'' she says. "I grew time he got it out, it had been realmunication is extremely imporup in a Christian home, and that ly painful for him, and I kind of tant," says Kim. foundation was laid. God forgave felt bad fo r him. I knew he was "Communication is such a repent ant and remorseful , and I me and fo rgive ness was in my big, big factor," adds Mike. "You nature. I knew I had to come to the concentrated my focus on him. But have to communicate. You have point that I forgave him." later it seemed that he got better to compromise. You have to and 1 got angry.

Kim says the ir marri age has help one another. And you have to make yourself available. been strengthened because of what "Even before that time, there was "The bottom line is: You they went through. kind of a subconscious mistrust for have to be a servant."

"I can't believe how the Lord has him," she explains. " If he told me, used it. Even in our own families, 'I'll be home at 8 o'clock,' I never 0 Commitment "When you get up there and there have been times when we could put all the eggs in that basket. make the wedding vows," Mike could advise others because we've I'd say, ' Well, I' ll give it to 9:30, observes, "it's saying, 'I'm been there. Mike finally arrived at and then we'll see from there.' going to be with you for life.' where he was intended to be spiritu"I hadn' t had a lot of faith and .A. Mike and Kim face new chalPeople forget those things. ally, where God wanted him to be trust in him, and then when he told lenges together now that he One person may get sick; one has hung up his helmet. as a man, as a leader, and as a pubme, it wasn't so shocking. I rememmay get mad at the other. If lic figure in this country. And I realber fee ling very embarrassed, feelyou don't talk about those problems, they won't get solved." ized that my walk with God doesn't ing th at everybody we kn ew at ~ Companionship go through anybody else. It goes Baylor University [where they met] "There are so many couples out there who think marriage is just hard straight to the Lord." probably knew about this. I figured work. They forget to have fun and laugh and have a good time with everybody looked at me as, 'What a Kim fee ls Mike did the ri ght one another," Kim says. "I think those are critical in a marriage." thing by telling her about his confool! How could you not know this Mike and Kim reserve a "date night" during the week. They go was going on?' " duct during their engagement. She out without the children and try to find a restaurant with a quiet, says havi ng secrets in a marriage is For Singletary, the weeks and private corner where they won't be bothered. They enjoy talking about how things are going, and they check to see how the other "unhealthy" and cites revelations months following his confession person is doing. D were the most pa in ful in the ir that have come out in the past year involving Magic Johnson's past. marri age. Their bond of trust had ''I'm very grateful," she says, referring to how things been violated.

Kim says she considered a separat ion "because I was worked out with her and Mike. "I probably know 95 percent of the details with Mike. I'm not sure I want it to be so angry at the time," but she never followed through as public as Magic and Cookie Johnson are, but having on it. Divorce never entered her mind.

Working through the anger and developing a sense of secrets in a marriage is so binding. I'm very glad it's all behind us. If I see an old friend from Baylor, Mike trust again took time. "It took about a year to get past doesn't have to pass out thin king, 'Oh no.'" that," Singletary says. "A year-and-a-half for her to be healed from it and to trust me again."

Mike Singletary knows he did the right thing too. " It took some time and some fa ith, but the Lord took "He explained to me that I could do 10 times more us through it," he says. " Man, I' ll tell you- what a than what he has done, and I sti ll wouldn' t know the hurt he was feeling," Kim says. "The trust had to grow, change! The walk of faith changed my life, and the Lord used me and worked in my life as never before." and there was kind of a time of proving himself. As hard Now, with a clear conscience and an up-front relationas I could, I tried not to hang things over his head."

How did Mike win back Kim's trust? ship, Mike Singletary knows that nothing can keep him from being the best husband he can possibly be. D "She knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that I had really given my life to Jesus Christ," he says, "and I was going to be a man of faith. I tell her to this day, I say, Mike Sandrolini, a freelance writer who li1â&#x20AC;˘es in the Chicago area, has written for severa/maga:ines and 'Sweethean, I want you to understand something: I'm not going to fail you if I don't fail God. My eyes are on Him, newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune. and I've got to do the things that are right in His eyes. If I For a free booklet 0 11 lto1r ro make your marriage work, can please Him, then I know I won't have a prob lem mark tlte 1rord Marriage ou rite card bel\\'een pages 24 and pleasing you.' " "I don't know at what point I trusted him again ," 25 and send it to us.

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................................................................................................................... ~ Regarded by many as the game' s premier defensive player, Reggie White a l so is noted for his ability to defend his faith .

As a licensed preacher, the Minister of Defense gets many opportunities to do just that.

in Veterans Stadium on this co ld, wind y da y in Phil ade lph ia seemed to say it all .

Across the upper deck at about the 50-yard li ne, a huge banner read, " 1-800-WAKEUP." Another placard, prominently displayed in one of the end zones, proclaimed encouragingly, " Don't Fret! You' re at the Yet!" But if the Eagles themselves weren't frelling, it was evident that a wake-up call wouldn't be a bad idea.

After embarrassi ng the Dall as Cowboys 3 1-7 at Veterans Stadi um ea rlier in the month, the Eagles had dropped two straight games and had seen their previou sly unblem ished record fall to 4-2.

Even worse, the Eagle o ffense, a potent force that had generated more than 30 po in ts aga in st Phoenix, Denver, and Dallas earlier in the season, had scored a total of 29 points in its last two games against the Chiefs and Skins.

The 24- 17 loss at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium and the 16- 12 loss at Washington 's RFK Stadium had sent Eagle fans home shaking thei r heads. Now, with the 1-6 Cardinals in town and the season al most half gone, it was time to get back into the win column.

Philadelphia struck first, scoring with 8:24 left in the first half on a 40-yard pass play to HE SIGNS DI SPL AYED

wide receiver Calvin Williams and the Eagles appeared to be on thei r way to an easy victory over the Cards.

But after that TO, the Eagle offense began to spuller, then stall, then stop completely.

Final score: Philadelphia 7. Phoeni x 3.

One pundit joked that the Flyers co uld out score the Eagles. Another scribe dryly added that he hadn't been th is excited since he saw the movie lshtar.

They had a po in t. It was not a spectacular win.

In fact, had it not been for Reggie White and the rest o f th e Eag le de fens ive unit, the Cardina ls probably wou ld have fl own back west with a W. "We' re going to have to stop counting on Reggie to keep savi ng games for us," said Eagles cornerback Eric Allen. "He kept us in th e ball game an d came through with the big pl ays when we needed them most."

One of those times came late in the first half as the Eagles held on to a sli m 7-0 lead.

The Cardinals were driving and had the ball at th e Eag le 3-yard lin e. Because of two Phil ade lphia penalties, Phoenix got seven shots at paydirt from 3 yards out or less. The Eagle defense, however, just said, "No." "We've had goal-line stands before, but nothing like that," Whi te marveled after the game. "The two penalties down there made the situat ion even tougher for us, but fortu-

If you thought clergymen were weak and meek~ meet Reggie White~ a 6-foot-5~ 285-pound minister worth listening to

By Jim G ibbs

l

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nately we were able to keep them from scoring."

The game came down to one play, a screen pass over the middle to Cardinal running back Larry Centers.

Only moments before, White had batted down a Tim Rosenbach pass to force a fourth-and- I I situation.

Now, with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game and the ball at the Eagle 22, the Cardinals were just one touchdown away from their second win of the season.

White, however, charged through the line and nearly sacked Rosenbach, who got the ball off hurriedly but it fell incomplete. The Eagles took over and held on for the victory. Reggie had delivered his wake-up call.

"You try to keep two guys on him because you just can't handle him man-to-man," said Phoen ix head coach Joe Bugel. "Another second or two and we might have gotten that play off. And we would have too, had it not been for Reggie. Had we gotten that first down, we might have been able to pull the game out."

Life as well as football is often a game of inches and big plays in which leaders lead by example. White will be the lirst to tell you that to be a leader in the game of football you also have to be a leader in the game of life.

White has earned huge levels of respect in the NFL, but it's nothing new. The people who knew him when he was in college at Tennessee feel the same way. " Basicall y, Reggie is the same today as he was when he was play ing football fo r Tennessee," says 33-year-old Avery Huff who played on two UT footba ll teams with White. Whatever White does, Huff feels, he always goes after it with gusto.

"He always gives 100 percent," Huff says, "whether it's his relationship with God or his talent in football or his relationship with his family.

People see that he is serious about what he does and about his relationship with the Lord, and I th ink th at 's why both Christians and non-Christians respect him so much."

Perhaps anot her reason is that White does not criticize those who don' t know Christ as their Savior. Instead, White says he tries to set an example and be the person that God has called him to be.

"The thing I'm learnin g about livi ng for Jesus is that it's not what yo u say but how you li ve," White says.

"You can talk about Jesus all yo u want to , but if yo u aren' t li ving the life God has called you to live, nobody's goin g to res pec t yo u and 16

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T When a quarterback looks up and see Number 92 rumbling his way, his time is short and his options are limited.

they aren't going to respect the God you're serving."

White has observed that many players in the NFL are turning to Islam and other religions simply because they see more commitment in those who serve other gods.

"The difference between Christians and Muslims is that Muslims are often more faithful to their god than we are," he admits. "A lot of people don' t want to be Christians because they don't see any commitment. I heard of a situation where one of the greatest basketball players who ever played the game became a Muslim because he saw more commitment in the Muslim faith than he saw in the Christian faith. He also saw more hypocrites in the Christian faith. And that's what has happened to not only a large number of prominent athletes but a lot of people in general because they don't see a commitment in the Christian faith. So, as a result, they go and look for other things that they feel are real."

Which brings up a good point. How do we know that God is real or that Christ is who He said He is?

"The thing is that I know," White explains. "Some people just don't want to know. You look at atheists.

They know there's a God. They know if there wasn't, they wouldn't be fighting so hard to disprove that there is no God. You look at Madalyn MurTay O' Hair, a woman who says she cloesn 't believe in God and yet she is a woman who has spent her whole life tryi ng to get God out of the schools. I know God is real. I know personally He's real and a lot of other peo ple know God is real and, as I say, people either don't know or they don ' t want to believe. The Bible says that a natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit. That's the only way you can really explain it."

White says that it is also diffic ult to explain to some people why just being a "good" person and believing in God is not good enough.

"A lot of people just can't understand why they need a re lat ionship wit h Christ ," Wh ite comments. " I' ll try to tell th em about Jes us and they'll say, 'Well, I believe in God.' But I tell people that there's a difference between 'belief' and having fa ith in God. There are a lot of people who bel ieve in God but are goi ng to hell. And the Bible says that even the clemons believe in the truth. They believe in God and yet they don't have a personal relationship with Jesus. What it boils down to is havi ng a personal relationship with Christ."

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Still, Reggie said he can understand why people are turned off by Christianity. "In a lot of ways, you really can't blame people for rejecting the gospel, because the church as a whole is not showing the example they need to in order to win people to Jesus and keep them there," White says. "Sometimes I think the church has hurt more people concern ing the kingdom of God than it has helped. A lot of people have this Pharisee-type of attitude that says, ' Hey, if you aren't living this way or that way, you 're going to hell. ' The thing that is so interesting in the Scriptures is that Jesus told Peter that if he truly loved Him, Peter would feed His sheep (see John 21: 15-20).

Many people think the kind of life Christ wants a

person to live will make a person seem too soft. That, Reggie feels, is not true.

"Actually, it makes you more of a man," White says. " It takes a man to serve Christ, because of all the trouble we have to go through because we are Christians. The devil is going to bring as much difliculty on you as he can. In I Peter 4: 12 it says, ' Don't fear when darkness and tribulation come about.' We have to go through stuff. We have to hm1. But Jesus said rejoice in that hurt.

"Think about the apostles. They were beaten and died violent deaths. There were times when, after they were beaten, they went out rejoicing because they felt privileged to be beaten li ke Jesus was beaten. When Paul and Silas were in prison, they were singing hymns.

I'm sure they were hurting, because the Scripture says that their backs were beaten. But they found it a privilege to go through the same things Jesus went through.

"If you look at our country, we don' t reall y have much to complain about. You look at other countries, and people are having it hard, but the only thing they have to trust in is Jesus.

"The greatest gift in life," White says, "may be the one that people never accept. People are missing out on the greatest gift God has ever given when they don 't accept Christ," he says. "Everybody is going to have to give an account for it. The great men and the great women are going to have to stand before God right alongside the poor men and the poor women."

By that time, even the Minister of Defense would admit that it 's far too late for a wake-up call.

Jim Gibbs is a free lance 11•riter 1vho fi l'es in Arlington, Te.ras. He has written articles on D(ll•id Robinson and other atliletes for Sports Spectmm.

A man lived on earth without sinning. He was crucified. He rose from the dead. He can forgive our sins so we can go to heaven when we die. That, in a nutshell, is Christianity. To someone hearing it for the first time, it might sound strange- perhaps incredible. But it makes sense to Reggie White. A look at the total picture of the Christian faith shows how reasonable it is.

It Comes From a Reliable Book ...History proves it. Noted archeologists fi nd over and over that the dates and places mentioned in the Bible are accurate. ... Tells a single story. Forty authors writi ng over a 1,600-year span wove a singular story-the plan of God . ... Profits society. The moral laws of the US and many other countries are based on the Bible. It contains the real answers to 20th-century problems like AIDS, crime, and failed relationships.

• It Has a Credible Leader ...Impressive to His contemporaries. People thronged from everywhere to see Jesus. They were "amazed at His teaching" (Matthew 7:28), and they appreciated His miracles . ...A sacrificial death. As God in the flesh, Jesus did not have to let Roman soldiers kill Him, but He did. For us (Matthew 20:28) . ...A proven resurrection. Jesus was seen after His death by dozens- even hundreds- of people in Jerusalem .

• It Is an Undeniable Movement ... Rooted in ancient history. God's plan was not something that just popped up out of nowhere in the first century. It is rooted in hundreds of years of Old Testament history . ... Begun from eyewitness reports. Jesus' followers were devastated at His death. They could never have begun any movement-until they saw Him alive. That's when Christianity took off. ...Benefactor of mankind. Christians have advanced civilization, reduced disease and poverty, protected the helpless, and encouraged education for centuries-because the essential mark of a Christian is love for others.

• It Is Supported by Personal Experience ... The transformation of people. In the New Testament, many people were changed when they accepted Christ. It is still happening today as transformed people make a new start.

Would you like to make the new start in life that faith in Jesus can give you? Turn to Tom Landry's article on page 31, and let Coach tell you how to accept the free gift of salvation that Jesus paid for with His life. For a free booklet about the Christian faith, check the box marked FAITH on the card located between pages 24 and 25 and mail it to us.

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STATS

CENTRAL

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

• Keeping Score ofPascinating Acts and 'Ierrific Compiled by Rob B entz

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

• RecoZ'd RefeZ'ence Here's a look at some super perfomwnces in the Super Bowl.

'Y MOST YARDS PASSING

Joe Montana 49ers ............. 357 ........... 1989 'Y MOST YARDS RUSHING

Timmy Smith

'

Redskins .......204 ........... 1988 'Y MOST YARDS RECBVING

Jerry Rice 49ers .............215 ........... 1989 T MOST ............. 1985

rocus ON SPORTS

.A Doug Williams plied up an

H eC1SK/I]S ....... 38

............. 1983 RECEPTIONS

Jerry Rice 49ers ............. 11 ............. 1989 Don Ross Benga/s ......... 11 ............. 1982 'Y MOST PASS COMPLETIONS Dan Marino Dolphins ........29 ............. 1985 'Y MOST POINTS SCORED Roger Craig ............. 18 ............. 1985 Rice ............. 18 ............. 1990 'Y LONGEST GAIN (RUSHING) Marcus Allen Raiders ........ .74 ............. 1984 'Y LONGEST GAIN (RECBVING) Kenny King Raiders ......... 80 ............. 1981 Rickey Sanders Redskins ....... 80 ............. 1988 'Y LONGEST FIELD GOAL Jan Stenerud Chiefs ........... .48 ............. 1970 Rich Karlis Broncos ........ .48 ............. 1987 'Y LONGEST PUNT Lee Johnson Bengals ......... 63 ............. 1989 • A Losing WinneZ' Chuck Howley, linebacker of the Dallas Cowboys, is the only member of a Super Bowl losing team to garner MVP honors.

20

astounding 228 yards passing in the second quarter of SB XXII.

• Second Qu.all'te..

Explosion The Washington Redskins scored an amazing 35 points in the second quarter of Super Bowl XX II.' It was the most points ever scored in one quarter of Super Bowl action.

The scoring plays included: 1. An 80-yard pass from QB Doug Williams to WR Rickey Sanders.

2. A 27-yard pass from QB Doug Williams to WR Gmy Clark.

3. A 58-yard touchdown run by RB Timmy Smith.

4. A 50-yard pass • TheMVPs from QB Doug I 811'1 Starr ...........PICkBPI....QB Williams to WR n 811'1Starr ...........Packera....QB Rickey Sanders. m JH Nllllh .........JBII .........QB 5. An 8-yard pass IV Len Dawson .........Chiefs .......QB from QB Doug v Chuck Howley ......Cowboys .RLB Williams toTE VI Roger Staubach ....Cowboys ...QB Clint Didier. vn Jake Scon ...........Dolphlna ....FS 6. Ali Haji-Sheikh VIll Larry Csonka .......Dolphins ...RB converted all five IX Franco Harris ......Steelera ...RB PATs. X Lynn SWann .........Sieelers...WR Fred BilelnikoH.....Raiders ....WR • c ..o'Wded XI XII HarveyMarlln......Cowboys ...DE House RandyWhlle .........Cowboys ...DT Super Bowl XIV in xm Terry Bradshaw...Sieelers ...QB Pasadena, XIV Terry Bradshaw...Sieelers ...QB California, has the XV Jim Plunken.........Raiders ....QB largest attendance XVI Joe Montana ........49ers.......QB of any Super Bowl XVII John Riggins ........Redsklns...RB to date. Nearly XVIll Marcus Allen .......Raiders ....RB I04,000 people XIX JoeMontana ........49ers .......QB (I03,985 to be XX Richard Deni ........Bears .......DE exact) watched the XXI Phil Simms ..........Giants.......QB Pittsburgh Steelers XXII Doug Williams ......Redskins ...QB defeat the Los XXDI Jerry Rice ...........49ers ......WR Angeles Rams 31- XXIV Joe Montana ........49ers .......QB 19. Will they get XXV Ollis Anderson .....Giants .......RB those extra 15 peo- XXVI Mark Rypien ........Redskins ...QB ple in there on January 31?

• The Su.pe..

Su.peZ'do:ane The city of New Orleans is not only the home of caj un food and jazz music, it has been the home

of more Super Bowls than any other city. Seven times the Big Game has been played at the Louisiana Superdome including Super Bowls IV, VI, IX, XII, XV, XX, and XXIV.

• Su.peZ' Bo-.NI Blu.ndeZ's X Dallas Cowboys kicker Efren Herrera missed three field goals in Super Bowl XII. X The Denver Bronco defense surrendered 55 points to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XX IV. X The New England Patriots gained only 7 yards rushing in Super Bowl XX. X Mi ke Cofer of the San Francisco 49ers missed a 19yard field goal in Super Bowl XX III.

• What's in a N a:ane?

Super Bowl XXVII. Sunday, January 31, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Californ ia.

Unitas. Johnny Unitas was the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Colts, who won Super Bowl V by a 16- 13 score over the Dallas Cowboys.

Pittsburgh. The Stcclers are the only franchise to repeat as Super Bowl Champions twice. They won back-to-back titles in 1975 and 1976, and then again in 1979 and 1980.

Eischied. Mike Eischied has more punts than anyone in Super Bowl history with 17.

He played for the Raiders and Vikings in Super Bowl action.

R ypien. Mark Rypien of the Washington Redskins is the last winner of the Super Bowl MVP trophy.

B art. Bart Starr was the first and second winner of the Super Bowl MVP award. The Green Bay Hall of Fame quarterback led them to 35- 10 and 33- 14 victories in Super Bowls I and II .

Orange Bowl. The Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, was the site of five Super Bowls: II, Ill, V, X, XIII. W eeb. Weeb Ewbank was the head coach of the New York Jets, who gave the AFL (A merican Football League) its first ever Super Bowl victory. The Jets beat the Baltimore Colts of the NFL 16 to 7 in 1968.

L ombardi. The Vince Lombardi Trophy is given to the Super Bowl winner each year. The sterling silver trophy is named after the winning coach of Super Bowls I and II, Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers.

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7rivia from, the Super Bowl •

The Year After

What happens to a team that wins the Super Bowl the following season? Let' s take a look.

1973 Miami Dolphins. Defeated the Washington Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII. NEXT: Repeated as Super Bowl champs.

1987 Green Bay Packers. Defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-1 0 in Super Bowl I. NEXT: Repeated as Super Bowl champs.

1974 Miami Dolphins.

Defeated the Minnesota ~llll'l"'i~ Vikings 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII. NEXT: The ~~~~:1~~ Dolphins won the • AFC Eastern .....__., Division with an 11-3 record, but were 1968 Green Bay Packers. knocked out of the playoffs in the Defeated the Oakland Raiders first round by Oakland.

33- 14 in Super Bowl II. NEXT: The Packers fell to third 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers. place in their division with a 6-7Defeated the Minnesota Vikings 1 record.

16-6 in Super Bowl IX. NEXT: Repeated as Super Bowl 1969 New York Jets. Defeated champs. the Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl Ill. 1976 Pittsburgh NEXT: The Jets compiled a 10-4 Steelers. Defeated record during the regular season, the Dallas but lost in the first round of the Cowboys 21-17 in playoffs to Kansas City 13-6.

Super Bowl X. NEXT: The Steelers 1970 Kansas City Chiefs. won the AFC Defeated the Minnesota Vikings Central Division title 23-7 in Super Bowl IV. with an I0-4 record, NEXT: The AFL joined forces but lost to Oakland in the AFC with the NFL, and the Chiefs championship game 20-17. didn't adjust well to the transition, going 7-5-2.They finished 1977 Oakland Raiders. Defeated second in their division and the Minnesota Vikings 32- 14 in missed the playoffs.

Super Bowl XI. NEXT: The Raiders finished sec1971 Baltimore Colts. ond in their division behind the Defeated the Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos, who also topped 16- 13 in Super Bowl V. them in the AFC title game.

NEXT: The Colts went I0-4 and made the playoffs as a 1978 Dallas Cowboys. Defeated wild card team, but lost in the Denver Broncos 27- 10 in the conference championship Super Bowl XII. game to Miami 21-0.

NEXT: Returned to the Super Bowl, but lost 1972 Dallas Cowboys. to the Pittsburgh Defeated the Miami Dolphins 24Steelers.

3 in Super Bowl VI.

NEXT:The Cowboys compiled a I0-4 regular season record and made the playoffs as a wild card team, but lost in the conference championshi p game 24-3 to the Washington Redskins.

1979 Pittsburgh Steeters.

Defeated the Dallas Cowboys 35-3 1 in Super Bowl XIII.

NEXT: Repeated as Super Bowl champs.

1980 Pittsburgh Steelers. Defeated the LA Rams 31-19 in Super Bowl XIV. NEXT: Finished third in the AFC Central division with a 9-7 record and didn't qualify for the playoffs.

1981 Oakland Raiders. Defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27- 10 in Super Bowl XV. NEXT: Finished fourth in the AFC Western Division with a 7-9 record. No playoffs here.

1982 San Francisco 49ers.

Defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl XV I. NEXT: Finished third in the NFC Western Division with a 3-6 record in the strike-shortened 1983 washington ~~:Ji~ Redskins.

1Defeated the ~-fl!!ll"" Miami Dolphins 27-I 7 in Super Bowl XV II. NEXT: Won the NFC Eastern Division title with a 14-2 mark and returned to the Super Bowl where they lost to the LA Raiders.

1984 LA Raiders. Defeated the Washington Redskins 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII. NEXT: The Raiders finished third in the AFC Western Division with an 11 -5 record and qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team. They lost in the opening round of the playoffs.

1985 San Francisco 49ers.

Defeated the Miami Dolphins 38- 16 in Super Bowl XIX. NEXT: The 49ers fin~•..:=Pt\ ished second in the NFC Western ~_,~;..- Division and earned a wild card spot with a

S PORTS SPECTRUM - S U PER BOWL 1 993

I0-6 record, but they were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.

Patriots ::_~~~~il England 46-10 in Super -....::::.-~ Bow l

XX.

NEXT: The Bears went 14-2 in the regular season and won the NFC Central Division, but lost in the first round of the playoffs.

1987 New York Giants. Defeated the Denver Broncos 39-20 in Super Bowl XXI. NEXT: The Giants fell all the way to the cellar of the NFC Eastern Division, finishing with a 6-9 record in another strike-shortened season.

1988 Washington Redskins.

Defeated the Denver Broncos 4210 in Super Bowl XXII. NEXT: The Redskins finished third in the NFC Eastern Division with a 7-9 record and missed the playoffs.

1989 San Francisco 49ers.

Defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16 in Super Bowl XXIII. NEXT: Went 14-2 under new head coach George Seifert, and repeated as Super Bowl champs.

1990 San Francisco 49ers.

Defeated the Denver Broncos 5510 in Super Bowl XXIV. NEXT: Won the NFC Western Division with a 14-2 record, but lost in the conference championship game to the New York Giants.

1991 New York Giants.

Defeated the Buffalo Bilis 20-19 in Super Bowl XXV. NEXT: Finished 8-8, fourth in the NFC Eastern Division and out of the playoff picture.

1992 Washington Redskins.

Defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24 in Super Bowl XXV I.

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• AtAletes Who are Leading by Example

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• what he should depend on, for as a college student at Texas A& I, Green had accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. Recall ing that time, Green explains, "I had li ved life in my own righteousness, and the Bible says we are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ."

With a passion for sharing his fa ith in Jesus Christ wit h the children and with a new compassion that can only be displayed in acts of giving and caring, Darrell Green does more for our nation's capital than defending against Jerry Rice and James Lofton. He is defending the children against poverty and spiritual darkness.

•

• Guy Mcintyre XIX, XXIII, XXV

• Darrell Green XVIII, XXII, XXVI In Defense of Children "HEY, I 'M DARRELL GR EEN, do you need some clothes?"

That is a question that Darrell asks with as much passion as he musters when he takes on the best wide receivers in the game.

Green, who missed most of the 1992 season with a broken arm, decided in 1988 that he was not doing enough to help the underprivileged children in Washington, D.C. So the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation was created. " I asked God to lead me to the right places," Green says of the foundation's first efforts to help those in need.

Through this foundation, Green and his fellow Redskins have delivered vanload after vanload of clothing and food to the projects. They have set up activities in which the players show up at 22

city parks with hot dogs, kickballs, volleyballs, and clothes.

In addition, Darrell 's foundation has launched the Darrell Green Learning Center. Using Bible-based computer reading programs, volunteers teach children both character development and technical skills.

What motivates a successful man like Darrell Green to give of himself so generously to help the young people of Washington, D.C.?

It was a change that occurred after he became a Redskin in 1983. The new money from his rich fi rst-round-draft-pick contract enabled hi m to fund a new car, a new condo, and a comfortable bank account. "I was untouchable," Green recalls about those days in the fast lane.

But a pastor who would later become his best friend convinced him of the vanity of depending on fleeting football fame for his identity. And Green already knew

This Nice Guy Finishes First INTHE HIGH-PRESSURE, high-stakes world of the National Football Lt:agut:, Guy Mcintyre discovered that he could no longer endure the punishment and intensity alone.

That was when, with the help of teammate Bubba Paris, Mci ntyre dedicated his life to Jesus Christ.

S P O RTS S PE C T R UM • S UP E R BOW L 1 993

At the outset of his NFL career, Mcintyre coped with this incessant pressure by partying hard, earn ing the nickname "Angus" after the name of a popular team nightspot.

"Before I came to the 49ers, I had gone to Bible study, but never made a total commitment," he said as he relaxed between team workouts in the lockerroom in Santa Clara. "I needed a lot of guidance, but l knew God was always there. A lot of personal thi ngs were happening to me, and I had to let Him take control."

After that happened, Mcintyre discovered that his status as a pro football player could be an incredible spiritual gift in bringing others to the faith.

One of the activities that excited him was organizing a crusade from his church in Menlo Park, California, to his hometown of Thomasville, Georgia.

Besides that effort , Mcintyre also helps with the team's annual clothes drive and its work with the homeless.

For the 6-foot-3, 276-pound Mcintyre, the most important

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work is simply being there- for teammates, friends, or strangers.

"People have a tendency to gravitate toward you in this business," he said. "Others will listen to you because you 're a football player. You have to believe that God 's Word won't fall on deaf ears and that you're planti ng a seed."

Mcintyre has lived by that belief since joining his church in Menlo Park. Because of its location in a depressed part of town and its proximity to the city of East Palo Alto, the church serves a special purpose as a beacon for moral living in the grim, hopeless environment around it.

Fewer than 30 percent of East Palo Alto teenagers fi nish high school. Many fall into the gri ps of a drug-infested gang cultu re that produced more homicides per capita than any city in the US last year.

Teens in East Palo Alto face many difficult choices, but because he is a hometown hero, Mcintyre is able to present them

with more positive options. Once again, he believes in being there.

"I saw this young guy named Walter, whom I sort of adopted," Mcintyre said. "He came to church, but he needed someone.

So l used to spend time with him and did whatever I could for him."

Today Walter, at age 19, has a high school diploma and a ful ltime job.

The violence of football doesn't necessarily require a violent man to play it.

Sometimes it takes gentle giants-men who know the importance of creating meaning-· ful relationships and encouraging spiritual growth in others off the field.

Need proof? Ask Walter.

- David Kiefer

• Pete Metzelaars XXV, .XXVI P utting Faanily F i .. s t As T HE HOLIDAY SEASON ENDS and the new year begins, many of us look back on the last few

months with fond memories.

Christmas, more than any other season of the year, is a time when the value of family is emphas ized.

Buffalo Bi lls tight end Pete Metzelaars wants to change that.

Pete, along with his wife, Barb, recently opened The Fami ly Depot in Hamburg, New York, a place where the family is honored year round- not just during the last 2 weeks of December. "We want it to be a place where the fami ly is celebrated. We see it as an outreach that appeals to people who have traditional family values."

Stationed in an old train depot, The Family Depot has something to interest every member of the family. Whether it's books or Tshirts, educational toys or music, general books or videos, The Family Depot has it covered.

Since the store opened last April, the most popular attraction has been The Depot's music section. Both Pete and Barb have a special interest in music because they feel very strongly about the

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impact music can have on kids.

"We reall y have a heart for reaching out to the youth," Metzelaars ex plains. "We can see kids just get swallowed up in all the stuff that goes on in secular music, and a lot of it is prelly frighteni ng.

"The Christian radio station here doesn't play a lot of contemporary Christian music, and we really felt we had to try to educate the kids in the area about what was available."

Pete's efforts to be more committed in his faith go far beyond his decision to listen to gospel music. He points to Romans 12: 1-2, a Bible passage that tells believers in Chri t to "offer [their] bodies as living sacrifices" to God. That , he says, is a favorite verse and one that he strives to fu lfi ll daily.

For the 6-foot-7, 250-pound tight end, being a "living sacrifice" begins at home. Pete and Barb have two children, Anthony 9, and Jonathan 5, and Pete knows the challenges that go along with being a parent in today's society. He understands and accepts the responsibili ties that come with being the head of his family, and he realizes that only with God's help can he be the leader his family needs.

Whether catching a touchdown pass in Super Bowl XXV I or headi ng the Metzelaars household, Pete wants to be a man of consistency. "In the lockerroom and anywhere in life, when you profess to be a Christian, people are going to watch you. They'll notice how you react more than how you act. I just want to remain consistent, and to honor and glorify God." For Pete Metzelaars, that means pulling family first. And helping others do the same- all year long.

23

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REIIDEZVOUS WITH

I

When an athlete dies young, statistics and highlight filrns seern to lose their significance as we wrestle with the question "why?"

By Dave Branon

An ill-conceived celebration by Len Bias turned his family and friends Into pallbearers at a church instead of spectators at Boston Garden.

24

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••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• l h ave a re n dezvous w ith D eath

Bowls, one as a losing member of the Denver Broncos in 1978 and

A t som e d is puted barricad e . ...

one as a winning member of the Los Angeles Raiders in 1984.

And I to my ple d ged word am true,

I

His death in the spring of 1992 touched the world of sport s and

I s h a ll not f a il th a t re ndezvou s .

beyond because it seemed to have cheated him out on so much of

- Alan Seeger

life. Men of such strength and vigor, we suppose, should be able to live out their post-athletic career with grace and vitality- not bat-

• You knew about Len Bias.

tling a losing war against brain cancer.

• And you knew about Pete Maravich.

HE WAS A CONSENSUS ALLAMERICAN and the second pick

For 14 years in the 70s and 80s, the Pistol redesigned

in the 1986 N BA draft behind

and redefined the guard pos ition in basketball. When

Brad Daugherty. At the time

Maravich had the ball , showtime was on as he dazzled

Bias inked his pact to play for

fans and opponents alike with sleight-of-hand ball-han-

Boston ,

dling moves and impossible jump shots that somehow

Red

A uerbach

described him as "as happy as

found the bottom of the net.

any player I 've ever signed."

When he died suddenly of a previously undetected

Boston coach K. C. Jones

congenital heart defect during a pickup basketball game

remarked that his newest pro-

in 1988, a generat ion of hoops wannabes who had

tege " had fallen in love with

learned to play the game at his floppy-socks-covered feet

the idea of being a Celtic."

were stunned. Death seemed to intrude so unfairly on a

That's why when he died 2

remarkable basketball player who had battled a li fetime

days later of a cardiorespirato-

of personal problems to become finally a remarkable

ry arrest brought on by the use

man. He had a young family, and he had a mission to

of cocaine, a whole nation felt

change lives with a message of hope.

the pain and shared the agony

Next to Brad Daugherty, Len Bias (1 963-1 986) was the NBA's

Th ree at h-

.A.

of losing him. Larry Bird, who would have teamed wi th Bias in what perh aps would have

favorite pick, but he never reached the high level of expctalions everyone had for him.

letes representing both th e beginning and th e end of great careers in

been a successfu) attempt to

sport s. Al l youn g by

repeat as NBA champs, said, " It 's the cruelest thing I've ever

mos t standards. One

heard." Len Bias epitomized the sorrow of a dream gone unreal -

savoring a new contract.

ized- a future unfinished and unfulfilled.

IJI.. Lyle Alzado (1 9491992) as we remember

• You knew about Lyle Alzado.

From 1971 to 1984, Alzado wreaked more havoc on ballcarriers and quarterbacks than almost any other person in the game. He played like a man possessed- and we found out later that what poss·essed him were anabolic steroids. Alzado started in two Super

him- strong and tough- before brain cancer robbed him of his strength and took his tile.

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25

One getting to know his new wife.

One with a new zest for living. Yet death took them all. Death cared not about the unfinished future of Len Bias. Death was oblivious to the honeymoon of Lyle Alzada. Death overlooked and ignored the growing mission of Pete Maravich.

Dea th, as the poem say s, is one rendezvous we "shall not fail." And the death of you ng athl etes verifies the awful inescapability of this intrusive visitor. " Man is destined to die once," we are reminded in the biblical book of Hebrews. It 's not the best news you'll find in the Good Book, but it is true nonetheless.

And it is true not just for famous athletes-ones you know about like Bias and Alzado and Maravich. It's true of ones you don't know about.

Ones whose deaths are just as tragic, as heart-rending, and as devastating to their families as those of people we recognize.

â&#x20AC;˘ You don't know about Raymond Clifton Andrade Jr. When Ray was in high school at Cent ral High in Bri dgeport, Connecticut, he was compared favorabl y wi t h Cal v in Murp hy, the Niagara All-American who went on .&. Pistol Pete Maravlch to score nearly 18,000 points in an (1947-1 988) spent a lifetime 11-year NBA career. Andrade was an jazzing up the game of basA ll- State guard fo r Ce ntral High ketball- but the most School, and he led his team to state important legacy he left title contention. behind was the testimony of But there were no college scholar- his faith In Jesus Christ. ships to enjoy or NBA drafts to sweat thro ugh for Ray A nd rad e. Drugs entered his life during his teenage years and turned him into a crimi nal. And then, after he spent his twenties and most of his thirt ies in prison instead of on a basketball court, he was shot and killed under mysterious circumstan ces in a loca l convenience store. He was 2 months shy of his 40th birthday when he crossed the "disputed barricade" Seeger wrqte about.

Just when it seemed that he might have an opportunity to reverse the direction of his life and fulfi ll the dreams of a family who had anguished over his lost years, Ray was struck down. To those who suffered with him through the years, his rendezvous with death seemed so untimely.

"Don't remember him as a great basketball player, we all knew that," pleaded his younger brother Walter after Ray's death. " But remember him as a man who cared enough about his community to try to help kids not make the same mistakes he made as a young man." As with us all, it is the memories- indeed the legacies-we leave behind that mark the importance of our lives.

â&#x20AC;˘ Another young athlete you don 't know about was a teenager named Keith.

Keith was not an except ional ballplayer like Len Bias or Lyle Alzada or even Ray Andrade. He was j ust one of the hundreds of thousands of high school basketball players who hit the hardwoods 26

each wi nter because they love hoops, enjoy being with their friends, and look forward to a touch of glory as they perform in front of the student body.

Keith may not have been the next Julius Erv ing, bu t there was still something exceptional about him- his personality.

Life was good to Keith, and he let it show. In the classroom or on the court, he enjoyed laughter and teenage vibrancy. And he enjoyed his faith in Jesus Chr i st. As he grew toward adulthood, it appeared that his in fectious friendl iness would be his biggest asset. A career in some people-oriented profess ion seemed to be on the horizon for Keith.

Yet he never made it that far. When he went in for his physical exam to play JV basketball, his doctor discovered cancer. Within days, he was undergoing rad ical surgery to arrest the disease. He valiantl y battled the cancer for the next year- even ret urning to the basketball court for a few triumphant games toward the end ''""vw"""''"'' ocusoosPOArs of hi s sophomore year. But before Keith was halfway throug h his j unior year, his teammates became his pallbearers. AI age 17, his li fe of joy and promise was over.

One of Keith's teammates, and therefore one of his pallbearers, was close friend Tom Felten, now production manager of Sports Spectmm.

Tom and all who knew Keith were aware that Keith's rendezvous with death was coming, but no one at that age can understand how extensive the grieving can be. To help cope with the cruel fact of Keith 's death, Tom sat down and wrote this poem.

He Is Free I felt a tear well up; Inside, my soul was shaken.

I'd just heard the news That his life had been taken. !looked inside myself to really, really see What lasting memories were left me.

I felt the memories rush into my troubled mind. " Why?" was the question to which I could no answer find .

He'd been so strong, but now no strength in him was seen; I asked, " How could God be so mean?"

But then I saw that Christ had truly loved Keith so, That He had taken him in love, and not in woe; And ! felt a peace like none I'd ever known before.

Christ closed my sorrow's door, Then, as I looked to God, I began to see: Keith's not lost in death, for lie is free.

Can the irony of this be any more clear? Here was a teenager whose life of good health, marriage, career, children, and service to others

SPORTS S P ECTR UM - SUPER BOWL 1993

1 still lay ahead for him-describing his very good friend's death as a journey to freedom.

For all those years since that gloomy fall clay, Keith 's body has been trapped in that casket on a tree-covered plot of ground- yet his friend says he is free.

That view of a young athlete's rendezvous wi th death is not natural.

It is supernatural. And it comes from a clear understanding of a rhetorical question asked by one of the Bible's most famous writers.

"Where, 0 death, is your victory?" asked Paul in a leuer he wrote to a group of people who auenclecl a church in Corinth, Greece. " Where, 0 death , is your sting?" He knew that the victory death once held over people had been broken. He knew that death had been defeateel by Jesus Christ, who died as a sacrifice for sins and then rose again from the dead to declare that victory. "Thanks be to God," Paul went on. " He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Seeing an athlete being struck clown by dea th is one of li fe 's most difficult realities to accept.

We are horrifi ed when a onceagile body i s debilitated and once- strong muscles are weakened. We are saddened when we must helplessly watch God-given ta lent go unu sed and dreams become shauered. .A. Eric Andolsek (1 966-1992) That's why it seemed so unfair was looking forward to a brig ht that Detroit Lion offensive linefuture with the young Lionsman Eric Andol sek had his life until a truck he never saw took snuffed out by a blind-side hi t from a careening truck. his life.

Where i s the equity when Philadelphia Eagl es lin eman Jerome Brown loses control of his car and dies, along with his 12year-old nephew?

Where is the com fort for Loyola Marymount 's Hank Gathers' family when they watch him die on the basketball court for all to see?

There can be only one answer.

It is found in the theme of that teenage poem and that surprising biblical verse that equates death with victory. The ultimate freedom any of us will ever know is the life that has been promised in the Bible for all who have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior. Death loses its sting when it transports someone from this life of trouble and woe to a life in the presence of God. The rendezvous with death that Seeger's poem speaks of is a God-directed appointment- one over which we have no ultimate control.

That is why when we speak of the death s of people like Pete Maravich or L yle Alzado or Len Bias or Ray Andrade or Keith, we have to look beyond our own sorrows and questions. We have to realize that each of these athletes who died young had called on Jesus Christ as Savior, and when they died they were ushered imo an existence that cannot be compared to th is life.

A rendezvous with death is never pleasant for those of us left behind holding the memories- whether the person is a nashy point guard or a matronly grandmother. Yet God has told us how to conquer death and take away its sting.

WHAT

'

Ill

You'RE BORN. You uvE. You DIE. But is that all there is? Not at all. The grave is not our final resting place. It is just the beginning.

Have you ever gone to the auto mechanic and heard good news and bad news at the same time? The good news was that when you took your car in for a routine brake inspection, the mechanic discovered that the brakes were fine. But then there's the problem with the engine: it needs an overhaul.

Good news and bad news is not only a part of life, it is also a part of death and the hereafter. The good news is that many people will enjoy heaven; the bad news is that many will agonize in hell. The decision must be made in life.

• The Good News

It sounds too good to be true, but it isn't. Heaven is far better than any earthly joy we can imagine. Our minds cannot begin to comprehend a perfect environment where we will be united with God and no longer have to endure the struggles of life.

The Bible says heaven will feature • no more sorrow, tears, pain, or death (Revelation 21 :4) • no more night (Revelation 21 :23-25 • no more curse on the people (Revelation 22:3) • reigning with God forever (Revelation 22:5) • perfect knowledge (1 Corinthians 13:8-12) • glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:35-49) • beautiful surroundings (Revelation 21-22) • The Bad News

The first reaction to bad news is often a refusal to accept it. A person who is told he has a terminal illness, for example, may go through a stage of denial before he comes to terms with reality. Many react to the bad news about hell in a similar way.

They feel it is just too awful to be true.

Jesus described hell as • a place of torment (Matthew 5:29) • a place of darkness (Matthew 8:12) • a place of fire (Matthew 5:22) • a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:42) • a place of varying degrees of punishment (Mark 12:40) • The Choice

Imagine yourself standing at the door of an open elevator.

How do you decide whether or not to get on? Your choice is influenced by two factors: the elevator's direction, and where you want to go. You wouldn't want to end up in the basement if you intended to go to the top floor.

Now imagine yourself standing at the doorway to eternity. Where will you go? Will it be heaven-or hell? The decision you make now, before you die, will determine which direction you are headed. Will you spend eternity with God in His heaven or will you be forever separated from Him? The choice is yours.

For a booklet about our eternal destiny, mark the box that says DEATH on the card between pages 24 and 25 and mail it to us. £ 1

• Do you know about J esus?

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F

ATVRE

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Widetotbe Right What do you do when your hopes and dreams sailjust outs ide the goal? • B y Rob B entz

I

The sight: Super Bowl XXV The score: Giants 20 - Bills 19 The time: 0:08 seconds remaining Buffalo Bills kicher Scott Norwood eyes the uprights.

He's looking at a 47-yard field goal. To win. The snap, the hold, the kick is up! It's . .. no good/ IDE TO THE RIGHT! The words will always characterize that frozen moment in time when the Bill s wavered between agony and ecstasy.

Have you ever had something in your life sail wide to the ri ght? Probably not with intense media scrutiny or with millions watching as there were with that particular kick. But all of us have had to deal with some type of disappointment. Whether disappointment came in the form of a failing grade on an algebra exam, not landing the "big" job, not winni ng the championship game, or not reaching your goal, disappointment has hit each of us.

Pete Metzelaars has been there. As a tight end of the Buffalo Bills, Metzelaars has been on the short end of Super Bowls XX V and XX VI. He's felt the disappointment. But he also understands where a game like the Super Bowl fit s in the much bigger game of life.

"I want to win just as bad as the next person. I wa nt to win to honor and glorify God. But I do know that it' s not the end of the world. Because you know there is someth ing more important out there.

"I think you ' ve got to be careful , though. People will brand you, sayi ng, 'Christians rea ll y don' t care about winning.' lt's.not like that at all," Metzelaars contends. "But if we don't win, it's not the end of the world."

Can this be true? Can a man who's been to the Super Bowl twice and has walked away without a victory not be disappointed?

No, it's not that's he is not bothered by losing, but it's just that he knows there are more important things in life than what happens on Super Sunday.

Pete's not alone.

Jeff Siemon, linebacker of the Minnesota Vi kings for l l years, was a member of the "Purple People Eaters," who chewed up the NFC on their way to Super Bowls VII, IX, and XI. But when the big day arrived, the Vikings lost all three times.

Talk about disappointment! Jeff Siemon knows the feeling. But 28

he also knows that hav ing the proper perspecti ve is crucial when deal ing with disappointment.

"Some realities of life tend to get obscured in a game as big as that ," he says now as he reflects on those Super Sundays in the middl e 197 0s. " My solace was always to try to very quickl y put it in perspecti ve without denyi ng the disappointment. I' m disappointed that we lost. But when you think of all those things in life that really matter when we get to the end, I would suspect that very few of those concerns will include the Super Bowl."

The disappoint ment that each of these men struggled with is not to be taken lightly.

But as they both suggested, there is more to life than the Super Bowl. And if you don't believe them, remember what two-time Super Bowl participant Duane Thomas had to say about football's ultimate event. "If it's the ultimate, how come they play it again next year?" The former Dallas Cowboy running back may have something there.

But how does all of this affect the person in the stands or watching at home? How can any of us deal wit h disappointments and struggles? How can we put thi ngs in proper perspective?

Whether you' re playi ng for the Vince Lombard i trophy wi th millions watching, or for the pee-wee league championship with only a handful of parents to cheer you on, keeping the proper perspecti ve is cru cial. And proper perspective begins with Jesus Christ. When you understand what Christ did for you, you can begin to put things into place.

God's Word says that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). A man who lived a sinless life gave up that life to a cruel, painful death to save us from our sins. Did He have to? No, He did it because of His amazing love.

Regard less of our struggles or our disappointments, we can

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MD<E POWELLIALLSPORT

"- The scoreboard told the story when Scott Norwood attempted his ill-fated field goal.

always turn to Him. Jesus said, "Come to Me who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew I I:28).

He took the weight and sins of the world on Himself when He sacrificed His life for us. Jesus is there for us, and He won 't abandon us if we follow his game plan for life (See page 31.).

Super Bowl performers like Mike Singletary, Pete Metzelaars, Guy Mcintyre, Bart Starr, and many others have turned their lives over to Jesus Christ, and they trust his playbook-the Bible- for guidance and direction.

Despite having five Super Bowl losses between them, Metzelaars and Siemon aren't worried about what others thin k.

"I'm playi ng to a much more important audience," Metzelaars says. "I'm going to use my talents and abilities to try and please

God, to try and honor Him." Siemon adds, "I was hoping that if we had won any of those games to give glory back to the Lord for the opportunity that He had given me."

Why do these professional athletes talk a different game from what we are used to heari ng? They know that God provided them with everything, includi ng the opportunity to spend eternity wi th Him in heaven. They know that they are forg iven. They know that although they still have disappointments and struggles, they have Someone to carry their burdens.

The next time someth ing begins to go wide to the right for you, look at th ings from a di fferent perspecti ve-a perspecti ve that begins with Jesus Chrisl. D

For a free booklet that can help yo11 sllrl'il'e life's difjic11lt sit11ations, mark the box labeled COMFORT on the card belll'een pages 24 and 25 and mail the card 10 /IS.

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Catching Up Wit-h

• • •

By Tom Felten 'i!!!/l.YA ' BARlLEff "BART"

other boards, using his knowledge and experience to help lead STARR was perhaps the premier their corporate teams to econompasser of all-time in the NFL. His ic victory. He feels his football name continues to dot the record career, which incl uded coaching books-holding down positions the Packers for eight seasons, like: Number one in most consecutive passes without an intercepwas a good foundation for what he's doing now. " I've learned tion, 294 (the closest QB is 61 great lessons, both as a player tosses off the mark); second alltime for career highest average and a coach. You are able to take those and use them in other passing gain in Super Bowl action, fields as well 9.62 yards (trailing Sta.ts Glance because there are only a man named so many common Terry who can now -Played 16 years in the denominators assobe seen diagraming NFL plays on network ciated with success.

- Threw 3,149 passes, completing 57.4 percent I enjoy the work in TV). of them the field I'm in But numbers -From 1960-67 his NFL And I'm simalone don't renect now. team record was 82-24ply using what is in the man. A man of 4 as Green Bay won six my past as a sol icl great intelligence, division titles, five NFL titles, and two Super discipline, and deterstep up to do someBowls thing else." mination. A man Awards/Honors: Bart 's son, Bart who became so - NFL MVP in 1966 Jr. , has followed in adept at call ing audi- - Named to the Pro Bowl five times (1961, 1962, bles at the line of his clad's sol id, 1963, 1966, 1967) success ful steps. scrimmage that he -MVP of Super Bowls I & II younger Bart The called them nearly -Inducted into Pro Football 50 percent of the is president of Hall of Fame, 1977 Performance time.

Most Memorable Career Moments: Futures, Inc., and Today Vince -"My most memorable Lombardi 's most works literally moments were playing on right next door to famous quarterback the Packer championship his father- much is still trying to teams. I don't think you can separate any of to Dad's delight ! make the right calls, those from any of the oth- He also provides but now he's overers. Two of those years financial expertise seeing a companywere followed by the not a collection of as a director on the Super Bowls, which were football players. · unique because they rep- elder Starr's board. resented the beginning of Bart and Cherry, Instead of viewing a new type of champiplays on the chalkhis wife of 38 onship game. I would years, had another board, he's chairhave to lump all of those son, Bret, who died man of the board for together. When you win five championships in a Starr Sanders from a drug overspan of 7 years- that's a dose. Before his Properties, Inc. thriii." D " We're in health death, the Starrs had spoken about care real estate," their son's drug addicti on on Starr explains. " We develop numerous occasions across the medical office buildings around country. the country."

They were open about the Along wi th directing S.S.P. problem and were ecstatic when Inc., Bart also sits on several Brei stayed clean for 2 years. But

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devotions, Bart feels that he's been able to reinforce his bel ief in God' s leading of his life.

Now when the Stan·s speak about drug addiction, they have a rare blend of firsthand experience and strong faith in Christ. " You can counsel people

like no one else l~~~~~~~:::;:.:.:"T:~:=-= can," Bart says. " It's one thing then he relapsed into his addiction- which eventually led to his death in 1988.

Bart feels that his faith in Jesus Christ got him and the rest of the family through this difficult period. " When you have that kind of inner strength," he says, "there 's a calming and reassuring feeling that somehow, despite this calamity and all the apparent fraying at the time, it will stay together. It will hold."

Some of Bart's favorite verses in the Bible come from one of its most famous passages- Psalm 23. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie clown in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul" (Psalm 23: 1-3). He has taken this message to heart. And in his daily

to talk about abstinence and being careful and what the hazards are of any part icular abuse.

It's another to experience it in your family and to have the opportunity to further extend ourselves in the communities around the country-talking about the dangers."

Bart Starr. He's been on the highest mountaintop of football success and he's been in the darkest valley of personal loss.

And through it all , he has felt the hand of God guiding his life.

That's why this great passer still passes the faith along whenever hecan. D

True Supe .. Sta.....s EACH YEAR AT A SPECIAL SUPER BOWL BREAKFAST sponsored by Athletes in Action, the Bart Starr Award is given to a player in the NFL who is an outstanding leader on the field, in his community, and in his family.

The first four recipients, in chronological order, have been: Steve Largent (Seattle Seahawks), Anthony Mufioz (Cincinnati Bengals), Mike Singletary (Chicago Bears), and Reggie White (Philadelphia Eagles). Who will be honored in Pasadena this year? If the first four inductees are any indication-it will definitely be a football star who is also one super person. D

SPORTS SPECTRUM • SUPER BOWL 1 993

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ina.ing St.-a.tegy

Mike Singletary, Barry Sanders and Reggie White have found a winning strategy. Their eternal destiny is secure. Do you wish you had that confidence? If so, read what Torn Landry, one ofthe biggest winners in football history, says about winning the game of life. • By TotTI Landry named Paul said, Jesus arose to show at b\rth, sinful from the time my "Godly sorrow m 1er conceived me" (Psalm us that He had ~ 15). power over death. brings repentance -A plan for you from tl~ that leads to sal"Master Coach" --..•/ If we all have sinned, what are "Christ died for our vation and leaves the consequences? Separation sins ... , He was buried, ... He was no regret" (2 JUST AS A COACH puts together a from God and eternal death. " For Corinthians strategy for each athlet ic contest, raised on the third the wages of sin is death," we are 7: 10). "Saving God has designed a perfect plan warned in Romans 6:23. Our sin day" ( I Corinth ians for our lives. And He has 15:3-6). faith" means makes us spiritually dead, which trusting Jesus revealed that plan in His " playJesus is the only means we are separated from Christ alone for book," the Bible.

God. Once physical death overway to God. He One of the basics we learn 'in said, " I am the way salvation. takes us, we face a judgment.

Jesus said, " I and the trut h and this book is that each of us Each of us "is destined to die tell you the truth, should love God, glorify Him, once, and after that to face judgthe life. No one and enjoy Him forever. Jesus put comes to the Father whoever hears ment" (Hebrews 9:27). The Bible My word and it like this: " Love the Lord your except through Me" tells us that if we die with that sin FOCUS ON SPOR TS believes Him God with all your heart and with sti ll on our record, we will be (John 14:6).

God bridged the Tom Landry was the head all your soul and with all your who sent Me has sentenced to etern al separation gap between coach of the Dallas eternal life and mind" (Matthew 22:37). from God in hell.

Himself and man Cowboys for 29 years (1960- will not be conWhy would we want to do That makes reaching God and 1988). While with Dallas, that? Because, as Jesus said, " I demned; he has having Him take care of our sit by set ding Jesus Landry's teams won 270 crossed over from have come that [all people] may the most important issue of our Chris to die in our have life, and have it to the full" death to life" lives. But how do we do it? pi }fg. He suffered games and 2 Super Bowls.

He still lives in Dallas.

(John 5:24).

(John 10: 10). And that li fe is ~ff)i we should Wouldn 't you more than just our time spent on You Need 9 11t1ve gone through like to cross from death to life? earth. John, one writer of God's Substitutebecause of our sin.

Arc you willing to repent and playbook, said, "This is eternal He must be perfect Yet, it's not enough just to life: that they may know You, the know these facts. trust Jesus Christ? If so, pray something like this: ALTHOUGH THIS SITUATION-havonly true God, and Jesus Christ" You Make the (John 17:3). ing sin that keeps us from reach- -.

But how do we get to know ing God- might sound like Call-No one Lord Jesus, I need You. I reali:e that /' 111 a sinner and cannot fourth down and 40 yards to go, eise can make it for you.

God? sm•e myself I belie1·e that You it isn't hopeless.

TALKING A GOOD GAMEand died on the cross for my sins and ~ Recognize qod's plan was to provide a rose ji-om the dead. I repent of knowing a lot about a sport That You bridfe to span the gap between my sins and receire You by faith doesn't make you an athlete. And Need Help-You em t~itlsel f and man. He sent His reach God on your ·own 1Jesus Christ. The Bible says, it takes more than just knowing as my Sal'ior rmd Lord. Take control of my life and make me the facts about Jesus Christ- it the Word [Jesus! was God," the kind of person You ll'ant me THERE'S SOMETHING that ke lS (John I : I), and "The Word requires that you put your faith in all from God, and that something became nesh and made His what He did on the cross. to be. Thank You for con1i11g into is sin, which means fa lling short dwelling among us" ( I : 14). Jesus It 's important to understand my lif1. /n Jesus' Name. Amen. what " saving faith" means. It · of God' s standard. God tells us in ' was the perfect substitute for us.

His Word that "all have sinned Through His death on a cross not just knowing about Jesus. .ffiyt u prayed this prayer, or if and fall short of the glory of at the hands of Roman soldiers, The Bible says, " You believe ~ JPJiare questions about knowing God" (Romans 3:23).

Jesus became the sacrifice for our there is one God. Good! Even ~~'{sus Christ personally, fetus We do this either by active sins. " God demonstrates His own demons believe that- and shu kiiOII' abow it on the response der" (James 2: 19). Nor is it merecard located hetll'een pages 24 rebellion or by passive indifferlove for us in this: While we ly having some kind of emotional and 25. We will send you some ence. Either way, our sin is a were still sinners, Christ died for result of our human nature. us" (Romans 5:8). experience. 'free literature that will help you "Saving faith" involves turning- grow in your spiritual life. D Here's how one Bible writer But He did not stay dead. explained it: "Surely I was sinful Three days after He was killed, to God from sin. A Bible wri ter Look to the Master C~ch

SPORTS SPECTRUM - S UP ER BOWL i 993

31

BEYOND THE BOWL

The Super Bowl may be the ultimate sporting event in America, but it certainly isn't the last.Jhe seasons will continue to unfold before us as basketball fast b7 ab toward its big NBA and NCAA showdowns, as b aseball opens training camps and introduaes its expanded version of itself, and as golf, tennis, and the other sports all tee it up for another year of sports excitemlht./A you keep one ey~ on ESPN for all the lastest scores, highlights, ,~ p1~tP of the wee~ufw y not also keep Sports Spectrum around to get t~). 'dlsi~:J:~scoe>6 ~- e of today's top athletes. We'll let you know about atll!.f~es you can lo0 up to for more than their ability We'll tell you about pe~~~e'inelping their fellowman, who are respected for their concern for others, and who know that the fleeting trio of money; fame, and trophies are not the most important things in life. Keep Sports Spectrum coming your way; and you'll learn the good news stories about baseball stars like Paul Molitor, Joe Carter, Doug Jones, and Howr,d Johnson. You'll meet respected baskj tball players like Mark Price, David RobiBSlGR, and Keyin Johnson.

And you'll read about some women athletes whose world-class ability is strengthened by their faith in God. We go b eyond the Super Bowl to bring you the other sp e of sportsthe inside. We bring you athletes who are winning the most important game-the game of life.

Sports Spectrum: Bringing you athletes who are not just good-they're good examples.

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