Mom of ex-QB Tebow to make speech in Valparaiso
Pam’s story and Tim’s birth have been two of the catalysts for the Tebow family to spread their faith and anti-abortion stance.
I still recall the newsroom buzz and controversy during the December 2009 BCS National Championship Game between the Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners.
College football star Tim Tebow arrived on the game field with the Bible verse John 3:16 written under his eyes, scrawled in the black putty traditionally used by players to help prevent reflection from the sun’s rays and stadium lights.
For anyone who hath forgotten his or her Sunday School lessons, this biblical passage is: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
On that game day alone, there were more than 100 million “hits” on Google from people looking up the words associated with John
3:16.
For the record, the practice of using his black putty under-eye shield to share inscribed Bible verses had already been Tebow’s game habit for two previous seasons. But by the start of the 2010 game season, the NCAA banned Tebow’s trademark inspirational eyeliner.
Next up, on Oct. 23, 2011, Tebow launched a new “on the field” signature trend, one which instantly was branded as “Tebowing.” Following Tebow’s team, the Denver Broncos’ victory over the Miami Dolphins following a comeback in overtime, Tebow genuflected on the field and bowed his head. Today, after a legal battle with two football fans who attempted to trademark his name associated with the term, it is Tebow who officially owns the rights to the trademark “Tebowing” as of Oct. 9, 2012.
Tebow, 33, credits his parents Pam and Bob Tebow for establishing the foundation of his Christian faith.
On Oct. 23, his mom Pam Tebow will speak in-person about her own amazing faith-filled experiences, as well as those of her son and family, at the Bella Vita Annual Dinner Banquet at Nazarene Church, 2702 East Glendale Blvd., Valparaiso. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and tickets are available for $50 by going to www.bellavitaknox.org or calling 574-772-2877.
Located at 801 S. Heaton St. in Knox, the Bella Vita Pregnancy Resource Center is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. It is a Christian-based, nonprofit organization in Starke County, which offers unplanned pregnancy support such as free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, peer counseling, parenting classes and more.
Tim’s parents, Pam and Bob, were students in the late 1960s at the University of Florida when they first met. The couple married in 1971 and they later moved to the Philippines to do missionary work. In 1986, Pam became ill with dysentery, likely caused by drinking unclean water. She was given strong drugs to fight the infection and she even slipped into a coma, but revived. During her treatment, doctors discovered Pam was pregnant and she was advised to have an abortion since it was thought the medical trauma and drugs had made it unlikely for the baby to survive. After talking and praying with her husband, the couple agreed not to have an abortion performed, and Tim was born Aug. 14, 1987.
Pam’s story and Tim’s birth have been two of the catalysts for the Tebow family to spread their faith and anti-abortion stance. In recent years, Pam, 70, and Tim, have always spoken about the strength of their family unit, including 72-yearold father Bob’s fight with Parkinson’s disease. Bob and Pam Tebow have four other children in addition to Tim.
In January 2020, Tim married Miss Universe 2017, model DemiLeigh Nel-Peters.
Most recentl since 2013, Tim has worked as a football broadcast commentator for ESPN. Like his parents, Tim continues to be outspoken about his causes. However, he has remained quiet about the NFL “kneeling during the national anthem protests,” which started in 2016, with the exception of clarifying that his “genuflecting during games” (but during the anthem) only symbolized his own “personal one-on-one moments as someone grateful to God.”