Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow plays professional football for the Denver Broncos.http://www.nfl.com/draft/2010/tracker#dt-by-round-input:1 He played college football as a quarterback for the Florida Gators Football team. He won the 2007 Heisman Trophy, awarded to the nation's best collegiate football player, becoming the first sophomore to earn the honor.University of Florida: Spotlight: Tim Tebow

In March of 2009, Tebow's motivational speech, promising that no one would work harder than him or his team following a 31-30 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels on September 27, 2008, was honored on a plaque at the front entrance of the team's new football facility.ESPN.com: Tebow Speech Engraved on Plaque

Tebow caused a mild controversy during the 2010 Super Bowl when he and his mother appeared in a Super Bowl Commercial for the Focus on the Family organization, which is a pro-life group. Amid pressure from other organizations, the anti-abortion message was removed.http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2010/02/07/tim-tebow-super-bowl-ad-surprisingly-not-controversial/

A deeply religious person, Tebow drew fire for his habit of writing Bible verses on his eye black. He routinely wrote a different scripture under his eyes before each game. After his final season, the NCAA banned the practice of putting messages on eye black.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/16/ncaa-bans-eye-black-with_n_541201.html

Tebow was selected as the 25th overall pick by the Denver Broncos in the draft on Thursday, April 22, 2010.http://www.nfl.com/draft/2010/tracker#dt-by-round-input:1 During his appearance at the NFL Combine, Tebow quieted detractors who claimed that he could not play in the National Football League. When asked about the positions he would open to play, Tebow replied, "My dream is to be a quarterback and I'm going to pursue that as much as I can. I want to be a quarterback in the NFL. It's been my dream since I was 6." He put up impressive numbers with his vertical leap and 40-yard dash.http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2010-03-02-tebow-impresses-at-combine_N.htm

Under criticism of his throwing motion, Tebow made a change in his passing strategy and showed it off at NFL Pro Day. Reaction among NFL scouts was mostly positive, with a few saying that Tebow's throwing had improved.http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/live-blog-tebow-pro-day-at-florida-031710 Analysts could not agree on where they thought Tebow would land in the 2010 NFL Draft. Some thought he would be picked near the bottom of the first round, while others expected him to be selected in the second round.http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/04/could-brett-favres-status-affect-whether-tim-tebow-becomes-a-first-round-draft-pick/1 Prior to draft night, Tebow told the media that he already knew what team would select him.http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/04/tim-tebow-claims-he-knows-who-will-select-him-in-nfl-draft/1?loc=interstitialskip

On December 7, 2009, Tim Tebow was announced as a finalist for the 75th Annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Award live on ESPN's Sportscenter. Others who have been selected as a finalist include Stanford's Tony Gerhart, Alabama's Mark Ingram, Texas's Colt McCoy, and Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh. The winner was announced at the Nokia Theater in Times Square on December 12, 2009. The nomination was Tebow's third, but the award went to Mark Ingram.http://www.heisman.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120709aaa.php

After receiving a draft projection from the NFL in December of 2008, Tebow announced on January 11, 2009, that he would remain at Florida for his senior season and would not not declare eligible for the 2009 NFL draft.ESPN.com: QB Tim Tebow to Bypass Draft, Remain at Florida Tebow was also a finalist for the 2008 Heisman Trophy.ESPN.com: Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow Among Heisman Finalists

Tebow hyper-extended his knee in an October 4, 2008, game against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Despite the injury, Tebow continued to play with the Gators helping them begin the season with a 6-1 record. Prior to the annual rivalry game with the Georgia Bulldogs, the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, Florida coach Urban Meyer said that Tebow's knee was fully recovered.ESPN.com: Gators QB Tebow Fully Recovered from Hyperextended Knee

• 2006: Freshman All-SECFlorida Gators Football: Tim Tebow
• 2007: SEC Football community service teamFlorida Gators Football: Tim Tebow
• 2007: ESPN.com academic All-AmericanFlorida Gators Football: Tim Tebow
• 2007: AP SEC offensive player of the year, All-AmericanFlorida Gators Football: Tim Tebow
• 2007: Walter Camp All-AmericanFlorida Gators Football: Tim Tebow
• 2007: Maxwell AwardFlorida Gators Football: Tim Tebow
• 2007: Davey O'Brien AwardFlorida Gators Football: Tim Tebow
• 2007: Heisman TrophyFlorida Gators Football: Tim Tebow
• 2008: Best Male College Athlete ESPYhttp://www.secsports.com/news/default.aspx?ArticleId=11402
• 2009: William V. Campbell Trophyhttp://blogs.tampabay.com/gators/2009/12/tim-tebow-wins-prestigious-campbell-award-as-nations-top-scholarathlete.html
• 2009: SEC Offensive Player of the Yearhttp://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=17120