There are millions of stories about what motivation can do. We love motivational stories because we are always trying to motivate someone to do something, including ourselves. This one is special and guaranteed to bring moisture to your eye otherwise called a “tear in the female world”.
This story is paraphrased from a Campbell Soup Retirement Newsletter capably edited by Don Collins of Charlotte, N.C.
The story concerns a high school football player who was, at best, on the third team and played seven or eight plays a game only because of the coach’s graciousness. And the kid really wasn’t very motivated, sometimes skipping practice or otherwise goofing off. Late in the season his team was playing for a high honor (not the state championship, that would be too dramatic) and the team had been racked by injuries and flu, which meant that marginal players had to be relied upon.
This particular player got in early in the game, mainly thru default, and began playing a super game. The coach couldn’t believe his eyes and left him in. First, he made some good tackles and then some blocks. He ran like a demon and, as you would suspect, scored the winning touchdown in the last minute to the roar of the crowd.
When the stadium had cleared and the coach had emerged from the locker room, he saw the hero sitting alone in the stands and the coach asked him why he was crying. He explained to the coach that his father had attended all the games even when the son was in for only four or five plays. He also explained that his father was legally blind and had died during the past week. “ This time, for the first time, I knew my Dad actually could see me play and I wanted him to be proud ”.
