Wrong Way Riegels

During my sabbatical in the US, I learnt to appreciate the game and rules of American football. The fact that university teams could have stadiums bigger than some of the biggest soccer teams in England still amazes me. At the end of the season, the more successful college teams earn the right to play in bowl games. And one of the most colorful bowl games is the Rose Bowl Game, which is played on 1 January of each year, between the Big Ten and the Pacific-10 conference representatives.

The Rose Bowl Game is accompanied by the Rose Parade, which featured magnificent floral floats. We attended the parade at Pasadena, LA in 2005.

The Rose Bowl Game also contributed one of the most memorable moments in the college football history. Roy Riegels played for a team in the Rose Bowl years ago (1929) that had the ball in its possession right at the goal line about to score. Riegels got hit and got turned around. He didn't realize what had happened, but he started running in the wrong direction. He ran 99 yards in the wrong direction. He was tackled on his own one-yard line by his own teammates to keep him from scoring two points for the other team.

Riegels said that when he was tackled by his own teamates, he got up angry and began to chew his teamate out: "Why in the world did you tackle me?" Then he realized what had happened. He realized he almost scored for the other team. He may have cost his team a score because they were about to score at the other end of the field. He said that he was so embarassed, so humiliated, so disgraced... After a while halftime came. The players came in and gathered in small groups all over the dressing room just whispering. He said he just knew everyone was talking about him. He said that he was so discouraged and so much in despair that at that moment, he thought he would never leave the dressing room alive. He didn't want to live another day.

Then the coach came in and gathered the players around him. Roy said the coach looked right at him and pointed his finger at him and said, "Roy, when you go in this half ..." Roy was crying. "Coach, I can't go in. I may have cost us the ball game. I have embarassed the team. I have done a stupid thing. I can't go in."... He said the coach... came over to him. He put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Roy, remember the game is only half over".

Good thing is, Riegels came back to be team captain the next year, led a successful life after college and is now in the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. The play is also credited with bringing increased popularity to college football. Roy said that the hand over his shoulder at that most desperate moment in his life literally save his life. Roy went one to become an outstanding high school football coast in the western US, but it was because in the darkest moment of failure, there was one who cared enough to put his arm around him and say, "Roy, remember the game is only half over."

Son of Encouragement:

"You may have stumbled. You may have fallen. The game is not over yet. God's grace is big enough to lift you up".

source: J.T. Draper