Call us Disciples

Sports figures rank high on the list of our modern-day heroes. One popular TV journalist1 wrote a magazine article in which he made some biting, negative comments. “We are creating a lot of false idols,” he said. “There have been cultures in which philosophers and poets and great teachers are the stars of their civilizations. But look at who the stars of our civilization are.”

Many of us know, of course, that one of the most popular sports figures of the twentieth century was football coach Vince Lombardi. The late Lombardi was known as a sound football strategist, a hard taskmaster, a tough disciplinarian and a dedicated perfectionist. But he was idolized by millions most of all because he was a winner. Many humorous stories have been told about Lombardi’s “super human” qualities …

In one such story the great man had worked all day and half-way through the night, preparing for an important game. He arrived home late and climbed into bed for a…