Super Bowl Star Goes Deep for God
To some, watching David Tyree's Super Bowl winning catch earlier this year was like witnessing a miracle of biblical proportions.
The New York Giants wide-receiver, whose catch in Super Bowl XVLII has been dubbed by some as the greatest play the Super Bowl has ever produced, had only caught four passes that season for a total of 35 yards.
The team that his was up against was the undefeated New England Patriots, who were only one minute away from a perfect season and their fourth Super Bowl win in less than a decade.
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"Pick a number of names," Tyree told USA Today. "I'm the last name you're going to pick from the box. That's what makes it more special. It was … God's way of introducing me to the rest of the world."
Against incredible odds, Tyree found himself making one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history – a 32-yard catch on 3rd down from a quarterback who had just barely eluded two defenders before making his pass.
"You can have that situation 10,000 more times and he'll never do it again," said all-pro headhunter Rodney Harrison, who frantically tried to jar the ball loose after Tyree snagged it between his helmet and right hand.
"Sometimes you can't explain what happens," he added.
The grab set up quarterback Eli Manning's 13-yard, game-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress and made Tyree into one more Goliath-slaying David.
But as Tyree testifies in his recently released book, More Than Just The Catch, God did more than just allow him to be a part of what some people have called the greatest play in Super Bowl history.
"There was a point in David Tyree's life, before the catch, before the fame, when his life was spiraling out of control and his football career was in jeopardy," states the book's description. "In More Than Just The Catch, David Tyree takes you behind the scenes and past the hype to the story of his life.
"It is a story of mistakes and second chances. Of hard work, perseverance, and faith. A story of love. And ultimately a story of grace."
Before Tyree became a born-again Christian and a Super Bowl hero, Tyree had difficulty handling the demons of his fast-lane lifestyle, including alcohol abuse and a 2004 arrest on drug charges.
"My mind-set was so wrapped into the life that I was living," Tyree told USA Today. "Looking back on it, it's like, 'What the heck was I thinking?'"
The low point came March 2, 2004, when Tyree was arrested with half a pound of marijuana in his car and charged with possession. Tyree says he was scared straight as he sat in Bergen County Jail, fearing his career was doomed. He prayed for another chance, even though at that point he was nobody's spiritual believer.
Not long afterwards, Tyree attended Bethel Church of Love and Praise in Bloomfield, N.J., where he remembers crying for 20 minutes alone in the back pew.
"At that point, I knew I wanted change and I wasn't fearful about what anybody else thought," he recalled. "It was my time."
Since then, Tyree was able to break destructive habits that he had picked up since the age of 14 and did so without a drug rehabilitation program or Alcoholics Anonymous.
Tyree believes his recovery and recent Super Bowl feat was divinely provided to allow him a platform "so that He (God) would get the glory."
"More Than Just The Catch tells my story," Tyree wrote in a letter to prospective readers. "It includes the good, the bad, and the ugly. When you finish it, you will know that its message is about more than a game. It is about a life changed and the One who changed it."
Tyree says the motive for sharing his life story is to encourage others to put their trust in God.
"I want people to know that Jesus is real," Tyree stated. "I pray that my testimony will release miracles to every person who reads it. I especially want to shout out this promise to the young people who think it is boring to serve God: miracles are never boring!"
Tyree is also praying that his story will touch the lives of professional athletes "who have been distracted and separated from the reality of what success is."
"True happiness extends past the winning touchdown or the greatest catch. Great moments like these mean nothing if there is no peace in your heart," he stated.
"I pray that everyone who reads my story will get the message behind the miracle. Don't try to figure it out. God don't make sense — He makes miracles," he exclaimed.
Last month, the New York Giants placed Tyree on the physically-unable-to-perform reserve list, meaning he won't be playing for at least the first six weeks of the season.
According to The Associated Press, Tyree has not practiced since training camp opened in July because he is rehabilitating a surgically repaired right knee. He had surgery in May.
On the Web:
David Tyree's Autographed Book at onegiantcatch.com.
