Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard Tebow (/ˈtiːboʊ/; born August 14, 1987) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons, most notably with the Denver Broncos. Tebow played college football for the Florida Gators, where he became the first underclassman to win the Heisman Trophy and led the team to two BCS National Championship titles in 2007 and 2009.[3] At the conclusion of his collegiate career, he held the Southeastern Conference's records for career passing efficiency and rushing touchdowns.[4]
"Tebow" redirects here. For the mango, see Young (mango).
Selected by the Broncos in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Tebow became their starter during the 2011 season. His tenure revitalized a struggling team, leading them to their first division title and playoff victory since 2005.[5] Due to his success and outspoken Christian faith, he became a cultural phenomenon and his tendency to kneel in prayer on football fields was referred to as "Tebowing". Questions over Tebow's future potential, however, resulted in him being traded the following offseason to the New York Jets, where he spent one year as a backup.[6]
After failing to make the final roster of the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, Tebow pursued a minor league baseball career with the New York Mets organization from 2016 to 2021.[7] The same year he retired from baseball, he returned to the NFL as a tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but was released after one preseason game. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
Professional football career
Pre-draft
After passing on the 2009 NFL Draft for his senior season at Florida, Tebow went on to enter the 2010 NFL Draft. Despite his college success, Tebow's NFL potential was much debated. At the time, Jon Gruden said Tebow was "the strongest human being that's ever played the position" and "is the kind of guy who could revolutionize the game".[126] Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy said he would pick Tebow with a top 10 pick over any quarterback in the 2010 Draft.[127] However, NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believed Tebow did not have the intangibles to play quarterback in the NFL. "I don't think he can be a fulltime quarterback. I don't think he can be the quarterback of the future for you, but I do think in the third round, maybe the second round, he'll be the same as Pat White", said Kiper.[128]
Tebow was particularly mentioned as a potential third-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, his hometown team. Some, including Florida governor Charlie Crist, suggested that Tebow could be the remedy for dwindling Jaguars ticket sales at EverBank Field.[129]
Early in the 2009 season, Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver stated: "He (Tebow) clearly is an outstanding football player and would be an asset to any football organization. Clearly there's going to be a groundswell for Tebow, and we'll have to make that evaluation if we have a draft pick that's going to be anywhere near him."[130] Not everyone in the organization agreed, as Jaguar lineman Uche Nwaneri posted doubts about Tebow's potential NFL success on his team's website message board.[131]
Media and culture
Tebow's football background combined with his outspoken views on Christianity led some media pundits to label him as a 'cultural phenomenon',[200][201][202][203][204][205] while some Denver Broncos teammates and team management reportedly described him as 'self-centered' and a hypocrite.[206]
A nationwide controversy surrounded Tebow's decision to appear in an ad funded by the socially conservative organization Focus on the Family that was broadcast on February 7, 2010, during Super Bowl XLIV on CBS.[207][208] There were two 30-second commercials which included Tebow's personal story as part of a pro-life stance. The abortion issue was not specifically mentioned in the ad.[209] Pro-choice groups criticized the ad,[210] while pro-life groups supported Tebow.[211]
In 2011, Tebow was the first quarterback to be featured in ESPN's "Year of the Quarterback" series. The documentary, titled Tim Tebow: Everything in Between, followed him from the 2010 Sugar Bowl to the 2010 NFL Draft. It premiered on January 6, 2011.[212] On November 8, 2011, the documentary was released on DVD.
On May 31, 2011, HarperCollins released Through My Eyes, an autobiography that Tebow co-wrote with author Nathan Whitaker. Tebow details his early life growing up in Jacksonville and the Philippines, as well as his experiences as a college football quarterback.[213] By March 4, 2012, it had spent 24 weeks on the New York Times best seller list.[214] It was named the #1 sports book of 2011.[215] Tim followed his memoir with a young readers' edition titled Through My Eyes: A Quarterback's Journey, also co-written with Whitaker.[216]
Tebow was the subject of a 2012 documentary on NFL Network's A Football Life entitled The Faces of Tebow.[217] He is a spokesperson for Nike, Jockey International, FRS Health Energy, and TiVo.[218][219][220][221]
In 2013, Tebow collaborated with headphone maker Soul Electronics to create his own signature line of headphones. He launched a line which he called the 'Jet'.[222]
In an episode that aired on February 4, 2016, Tebow competed against The Vampire Diaries actress Nina Dobrev on Spike's Lip Sync Battle. Tebow won the lip-sync contest with performances of "Take Your Time" by Sam Hunt and "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.[223]
Broadcasting career
On December 30, 2013, Tebow was hired by ESPN as a college football analyst. He appears mainly on the SEC Network as co-host of SEC Nation, a travelling pre-game show, and contributed to ESPN's other platforms as well; Tebow made his debut on ESPN during the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. He did not give up on playing in the NFL, however, as his contract allowed him to continue to pursue opportunities as a player.[224]
Tebow signed a multi-year extension of his contract with ESPN in 2017. His new contract allowed him to continue to pursue his pro baseball career.[225]
Tebow was asked to co-host ABC News' Good Morning America on January 31, 2014, two days before Super Bowl XLVIII, and was joined on the morning show by Eli Manning.[226][227][228][229][230]
Tebow also hosted two television shows, the second season of Home Free, a reality show about home renovation on Fox in 2016,[231] and Million Dollar Mile, an obstacle course competition show in 2019 on CBS.[232]
On September 2, 2021, shortly after his release from the Jaguars, Tebow joined First Take, a talk show run by Stephen A. Smith.[233]
Filmmaking career
Tim Tebow was executive producer[234] along with his older brother Robby Tebow, and actor in his first movie Run the Race which was released on February 22, 2019, in the U.S. This film is an inspirational sports drama with a football theme.[235]
Professional baseball career
Early interest
In early August 2016, Tebow made announcements that he was interested in pursuing a career in professional baseball and invited all 30 Major League Baseball teams to his open tryout at the end of August.[236] Tebow had not played baseball full-time since 2005, his junior year in high school, when he was an all-state player and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim expressed interest in drafting him had he played his senior year.[237] Additionally, he had a tryout with and received interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the 2016 Major League Baseball season.[238] On August 9, Tebow received contract offers (without tryouts) from two minor independent professional teams: the Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.[239][240][241] On the day before his tryout, Tebow was also offered a contract by Águilas del Zulia, a team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League that plays winter baseball.[242] Tebow held his tryout on August 30 at Dedeaux Field in front of 40 MLB scouts (from 28 of the 30 MLB teams), Dodgers scouting director Billy Gasparino, and 50 members of the media.[243]
Sports team ownership
In July 2023, Tebow was announced as a co-owner of an ECHL expansion team to be based in the Lake Tahoe area, later named the Tahoe Knight Monsters. Tebow was also previously a minor partner in the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen and Savannah Ghost Pirates.[274]
Tebow is also an investor in USL Championship and USL Super League soccer club Sporting Club Jacksonville.[275]