Mr. Irrelevent?
Yeah, right.
Try telling that to the Washington Redskins or the 550 young men and women who attended last week’s Fields of Faith event at Oak Grove High School.
Ryan Succop, the Kansas City place-kicker who booted four field goals in the Chiefs’ first victory of the season, a 14-6 win over the Redskins this past Sunday, earned the moniker Mr. Irrelevant by being selected with the 256th and final overall selection in the 2009 NFL draft.
That selection usually goes to a fifth-string wide receiver who enjoys a cup of coffee during training camp and is then unceremoniously carted off to the trash heap of NFL wannabes who wind up taking your order at the local fast-food restaurant.
But not Succop.
He was supposed to battle Connor Barth for the starting kicking job, but he earned the top spot when Barth was released in July.
And as impressed as I have been by Mr. Succop during his first NFL season, I was even more impressed as he stood in the Oak Grove gym and gave his personal testimony before a group of wide-eyed youngsters who sat motionless on the basketball court and in the bleachers as he talked about his passion for the Lord.
“It wasn’t that long ago – maybe four or five years – I was right there with you, sitting in the stands, enjoying high school,” Succop said. “I never had an event like this to go to, to hear young people give their testimony, and I am just so happy to be here tonight to share my story with you.”
Succop said it wasn’t until he arrived at the University of South Carolina that he needed Christ in his life.
“I might not be here today had I not accepted Jesus Christ into my life,” said Succop, who was dressed down in jeans and a flannel shirt. “People ask me how I developed my love of Christ, and I tell them that to truly know Christ, you have to know the word.
“So I want to make a challenge. I want everyone here to live in the word. I want you to pray on a daily basis. And I want you to share Christ with someone – which is the most rewarding and fulfilling thing you can do.”
After his short presentation, Succop didn’t leave the gym and beat the traffic to head back home.
When he found out that the event organizer, Oak Grove senior Britney Grittman, needed a few more individuals to lead a small group session after the event, he volunteered.
After leading the session, he signed hundreds and hundreds of autographs, posed for photos and answered questions about his faith, life in the NFL and how he handles the pressure of being a kicker on an NFL team.
“He was pretty amazing,” said Grittman, who is pretty amazing herself. She has been the president of her Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter since she was a sophomore and she was totally blown away by the turnout at Wednesday’s event.
I knew it was going to be a special evening when I pulled into the Oak Grove parking lot and saw Grain Valley quarterback Austin Gouldsmith opening the gym doors to welcome everyone in attendance.
“It was an honor to be a part of something like this,” Gouldsmith said, forgetting for the night that Oak Grove is Grain Valley’s most fierce rival. “Tonight, we’re just a bunch of Christians.”
|
|
|
Mr. Irrelevent?
Yeah, right.
Try telling that to the Washington Redskins or the 550 young men and women who attended last week’s Fields of Faith event at Oak Grove High School.
Ryan Succop, the Kansas City place-kicker who booted four field goals in the Chiefs’ first victory of the season, a 14-6 win over the Redskins this past Sunday, earned the moniker Mr. Irrelevant by being selected with the 256th and final overall selection in the 2009 NFL draft.
That selection usually goes to a fifth-string wide receiver who enjoys a cup of coffee during training camp and is then unceremoniously carted off to the trash heap of NFL wannabes who wind up taking your order at the local fast-food restaurant.
But not Succop.
He was supposed to battle Connor Barth for the starting kicking job, but he earned the top spot when Barth was released in July.
And as impressed as I have been by Mr. Succop during his first NFL season, I was even more impressed as he stood in the Oak Grove gym and gave his personal testimony before a group of wide-eyed youngsters who sat motionless on the basketball court and in the bleachers as he talked about his passion for the Lord.
“It wasn’t that long ago – maybe four or five years – I was right there with you, sitting in the stands, enjoying high school,” Succop said. “I never had an event like this to go to, to hear young people give their testimony, and I am just so happy to be here tonight to share my story with you.”
Succop said it wasn’t until he arrived at the University of South Carolina that he needed Christ in his life.
“I might not be here today had I not accepted Jesus Christ into my life,” said Succop, who was dressed down in jeans and a flannel shirt. “People ask me how I developed my love of Christ, and I tell them that to truly know Christ, you have to know the word.
“So I want to make a challenge. I want everyone here to live in the word. I want you to pray on a daily basis. And I want you to share Christ with someone – which is the most rewarding and fulfilling thing you can do.”
After his short presentation, Succop didn’t leave the gym and beat the traffic to head back home.
When he found out that the event organizer, Oak Grove senior Britney Grittman, needed a few more individuals to lead a small group session after the event, he volunteered.
After leading the session, he signed hundreds and hundreds of autographs, posed for photos and answered questions about his faith, life in the NFL and how he handles the pressure of being a kicker on an NFL team.
“He was pretty amazing,” said Grittman, who is pretty amazing herself. She has been the president of her Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter since she was a sophomore and she was totally blown away by the turnout at Wednesday’s event.
I knew it was going to be a special evening when I pulled into the Oak Grove parking lot and saw Grain Valley quarterback Austin Gouldsmith opening the gym doors to welcome everyone in attendance.
“It was an honor to be a part of something like this,” Gouldsmith said, forgetting for the night that Oak Grove is Grain Valley’s most fierce rival. “Tonight, we’re just a bunch of Christians.”
