This snippet is taken from the chapter: “The Wrong End Zone”…
As a kid youth pastor almost a couple of decades ago now, I ran across a story that’s turned out to be pretty reminiscent of my own life experience.
On January 1, 1929, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets faced the California Golden Bears in the famed Rose Bowl. During the second quarter, Golden Bears center Roy Riegels recovered a fumble by the Yellow Jackets Jack “Stumpy” Thomason 30 yards away from what could have been a touchdown for his team, but he somehow got turned around and ran the wrong way. A teammate caught up with Riegels at the 3-yard-line just before he scored a touchdown for the opposing team and tried to turn him back around, but Riegels was quickly tackled by a swarm of Yellow Jackets on the 1-yard-line. At halftime both teams gathered separately as is pigskin custom. In the Golden Bears dressing room it was quiet as a deer in headlights, all of the players wondering what in the name of the tournament of roses the coach would say about the big screw up?
It is said that Riegels sat alone during the intermission with a towel over his head. When the Golden Bears were ready to take the field for the second half, the coach stunned the team when he announced that the same players who had started the first half would start the second. But that didn’t change Reigels’ mind, he would not budge. Coach Nibs Price looked back and called to him.
Reigels spoke up, ”Coach, I can’t do it. I’ve ruined you, I’ve ruined myself, I’ve ruined the University of California. I couldn’t face that crowd to save my life.”
Coach Price responded, ”Roy get up and go back out there—the game is only half over.”
Reigels did return and he ended up blocking a punt only to see his team lose a tight game, 8-7. After the game, coach Price stuck up for Riegels, saying ”It was an accident that might have happened to anyone.” Later, Price called Riegels the smartest player he ever coached. Riegels served in the U.S. Army Air Forces, coached high school and collegiate football, and eventually ended up starting and running his own chemical company. In 1991, Roy “Wrong Way” Riegels was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, and 5 years after his death in 1993, he was elected to Cal’s Hall of Fame (1998).
Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Philippi, ”Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12-14, ESV).”
Forgetting what is behind is possible. But you won’t get there on your own. And Jesus isn’t interested in your pity parties—it’s not until you get your arms around this truth that you can grasp that Jesus has a spot on the field for you in the second half despite what you might have failed to do in the first.
3 Comments
June 8, 2009 at 2:45 am
Great story, well told. Best of all, necessary life application: we’re all Wrong Way Riegels at one time or another.
June 8, 2009 at 1:37 pm
I agree with the last comment. Exactly!
August 6, 2009 at 6:10 pm
First time to your blog ; – ) Great analogy. I’m so thankful that God never ceases to give me another try.
Rachel