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Complete text of "Quarterback Favre: The last gunslinger". Kept here because I'm sure that the story will disappear from the web and I will eventually want to reread it.
Quarterback Favre: The last gunslinger
Packers' storied leader is one of few solid role models in NFL
When an NFL fan mentions Brett Favre's name, you can almost sense the reverence that pervades the conversation afterward. Brett Favre has become one of the NFL's most enduring figures, a Hall of Fame player without question and one of the truly great role models in sports. He's done it all, it seems.
In the midst of his 17th NFL season he stands undefeated thus far and on the precipice of several of the most hallowed records in the game. The records he is not chasing are the ones he is currently raising the bar on. In the annals of history, among legendary names like Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Joe Montana and among contemporaries like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, Brett Favre has risen to unparalleled levels of achievement on and off the field.
His name alone evokes such a variety of emotion from people. In his storied career he's been part of some of the most memorable moments in recent history; from his 1996 Super Bowl victory in the midst of three consecutive MVP campaigns, to being the other half of the most controversial sack in NFL history, Brett Favre has seen the highest highs and the lowest lows. He's navigated each of them in ways that seem unfathomably altruistic in this era of athletic dishonesty and disloyal pursuit of the almighty dollar.
At a time in sports where headlines are intentionally sensationalized and decidedly negative, Brett Favre is the last of a dying breed. He's a throwback to a different time; a time before steroids and "off-field incidents" began overshadowing the game itself. When people see Brett Favre, they remember that there is still at least one player who really loves the game for the game's sake, not for the money like most players seem to be about today. He'll take the hit when others would slide if it means an extra yard or two. He'll play through injuries and fatigue to the tune of 241 consecutive starts and counting if it puts his team in position to win. He'll take a chance on a pass that no one else dares to take and, sure, it's as likely to end up in the hands of a Packers receiver as a defender, but Favre has the guts to make the throw and the fortitude to accept all of the blame if it doesn't work out.
His most inspirational moment, and the moment that may define his career and his life, came in the 2003 season after the death of his father, Irvin. After electing to play that night in a game against the Oakland Raiders, Favre threw for four touchdowns and nearly 400 yards in just the first half of that game, netting him cheers from "Raider Nation," an ESPY award for Moment of the Year and even more respect from football fans around the country. No one would have blamed Favre for taking the night off and mourning his loss, but that's never been the way Brett Favre is wired.
For all of his classic gridiron moments, Favre's greatness as a human being is defined more by his philanthropy than his passing proficiency. He has created foundations along with his wife Deanna that help raise money for a variety of causes, ranging from disabled children to breast cancer research. He has also contributed a great deal to reconstruction around his home state of Mississippi in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Favre is now the winningest quarterback in history. By Monday he'll likely have thrown the most touchdowns - and perhaps the most interceptions - in history. By the end of this season, annually rumored to be his last, he will have attempted and completed more passes than any of the other legends and Hall of Famers that he has refused to include his name among. As icing, he will attempt to throw for the most yards in NFL history.
But his contributions go far beyond statistics and broken records. Favre is the last vestige of a time when football was still pure. He's the last gunslinger. But when, or if, his career ends at the conclusion of the season, regardless of the Packers' successes or failures, Favre can retire from the game he has given so much of himself to knowing that he has made a difference in many more lives than most people can say. He can retire knowing that somewhere out there in small, country towns, the next Iron Man is waiting in the wings to take football to what we will one day refer to as "Favre-like" heights.
Original Article at Maine Campus. By Derek McKinley from Maine Campus. 10/1/07
Quarterback Favre: The last gunslinger
Packers' storied leader is one of few solid role models in NFL
When an NFL fan mentions Brett Favre's name, you can almost sense the reverence that pervades the conversation afterward. Brett Favre has become one of the NFL's most enduring figures, a Hall of Fame player without question and one of the truly great role models in sports. He's done it all, it seems.
In the midst of his 17th NFL season he stands undefeated thus far and on the precipice of several of the most hallowed records in the game. The records he is not chasing are the ones he is currently raising the bar on. In the annals of history, among legendary names like Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Joe Montana and among contemporaries like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, Brett Favre has risen to unparalleled levels of achievement on and off the field.
His name alone evokes such a variety of emotion from people. In his storied career he's been part of some of the most memorable moments in recent history; from his 1996 Super Bowl victory in the midst of three consecutive MVP campaigns, to being the other half of the most controversial sack in NFL history, Brett Favre has seen the highest highs and the lowest lows. He's navigated each of them in ways that seem unfathomably altruistic in this era of athletic dishonesty and disloyal pursuit of the almighty dollar.
At a time in sports where headlines are intentionally sensationalized and decidedly negative, Brett Favre is the last of a dying breed. He's a throwback to a different time; a time before steroids and "off-field incidents" began overshadowing the game itself. When people see Brett Favre, they remember that there is still at least one player who really loves the game for the game's sake, not for the money like most players seem to be about today. He'll take the hit when others would slide if it means an extra yard or two. He'll play through injuries and fatigue to the tune of 241 consecutive starts and counting if it puts his team in position to win. He'll take a chance on a pass that no one else dares to take and, sure, it's as likely to end up in the hands of a Packers receiver as a defender, but Favre has the guts to make the throw and the fortitude to accept all of the blame if it doesn't work out.
His most inspirational moment, and the moment that may define his career and his life, came in the 2003 season after the death of his father, Irvin. After electing to play that night in a game against the Oakland Raiders, Favre threw for four touchdowns and nearly 400 yards in just the first half of that game, netting him cheers from "Raider Nation," an ESPY award for Moment of the Year and even more respect from football fans around the country. No one would have blamed Favre for taking the night off and mourning his loss, but that's never been the way Brett Favre is wired.
For all of his classic gridiron moments, Favre's greatness as a human being is defined more by his philanthropy than his passing proficiency. He has created foundations along with his wife Deanna that help raise money for a variety of causes, ranging from disabled children to breast cancer research. He has also contributed a great deal to reconstruction around his home state of Mississippi in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Favre is now the winningest quarterback in history. By Monday he'll likely have thrown the most touchdowns - and perhaps the most interceptions - in history. By the end of this season, annually rumored to be his last, he will have attempted and completed more passes than any of the other legends and Hall of Famers that he has refused to include his name among. As icing, he will attempt to throw for the most yards in NFL history.
But his contributions go far beyond statistics and broken records. Favre is the last vestige of a time when football was still pure. He's the last gunslinger. But when, or if, his career ends at the conclusion of the season, regardless of the Packers' successes or failures, Favre can retire from the game he has given so much of himself to knowing that he has made a difference in many more lives than most people can say. He can retire knowing that somewhere out there in small, country towns, the next Iron Man is waiting in the wings to take football to what we will one day refer to as "Favre-like" heights.
Original Article at Maine Campus. By Derek McKinley from Maine Campus. 10/1/07
