In the summer of 1987 Pam and Robert Tebow were expecting their fifth child, Tim. Pam and Robert were working as Christian Baptist missionaries in Makati City in the Philippines. Later that summer, Pam developed a disease that would greatly endanger her life if she had the baby; she began to contemplate abortion. Doctors referred to “baby” Tim as just a “mass of fetal tissue” and his survival was highly unexpected. Against all odds, Timothy Richard Tebow was born on August 14, 1987.

Today that “mass of fetal tissue” is the winner of the 2007 Heisman Trophy and the current quarterback of the Denver Broncos.

“Polarizing” is a sports fans term used to describe the national reaction to Tebow since he became a professional football player. If you look up “polarizing” in the dictionary, it says, “To divide into sharply opposing factions.” The opposing factions divided over an NFL player could consist of teammates, other members of the organization, the media, and, most likely, fans.

Tebow perfectly fits this definition.

Off the field Tebow captures the attention of the media and fans by expressing his faith publicly. He participates in missionary work around the world and is known to post inspirational quotes and bible verses on his facebook and twitter page, which has over 5 million followers. Most notably, and most controversially, Tebow has caused a worldwide phenomenon called “Tebowing,” which, according to the Tebowing website, means, “To get down on a knee and pray, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.”

On the field his exciting yet inconsistent play causes huge reactions by fans and the media. Tebow’s “run heavy” offense is frowned upon by some people, mostly because it’s hard to win with that style. Others (including me) enjoy watching that style because that was the offense Tebow ran while he was at Florida, it worked then and it works now.

Tebow’s career began at Florida’s 4A Nease High School. He kept Nease competitive and in a game against the perennial 6A powerhouse Hoover High School in Alabama, and he nearly pulled off an upset. In high school Tebow was soon known not only for his running and throwing, but for his intense competitiveness and uncommon physical courage. During his senior season he led the Nease Panthers to a state title, earned All-State honors, was named Florida’s Mr. Football and a Parade magazine high school All-American, and repeated as Florida’s Player of the Year. Tebow finished his high school career with 9,810 passing yards, 3,186 rushing yards, 95 passing touchdowns, and 62 rushing touchdowns.

Tebow continued his football career at the University of Florida where he won the 2007 Heisman Trophy and the 2008 National Championship along with numerous other awards and honors. Tebow finished college with 9,286 yards passing, 2,947 rushing yards, 88 passing touchdowns, and 57 rushing touchdowns.

Tebow went into the pre-NFL draft combine with very low expectations. Critics, and fans, said because of his controversial playing style there was no way Tebow could be a valuable quarterback in the NFL.

In the 2010 NFL Draft Tebow was selected in the first round (25^th overall) by the Denver Broncos. Tebow started his first NFL game on December 19, 2010, which was a 39-23 road loss to the Oakland Raiders. Tebow’s first career victory came in his second start, on December 26, 2010,  when the Broncos defeated the Houston Texans, 24-23, in Denver.

Tebow entered the 2011 season as a backup to former Denver quarterback, Kyle Orton. After a 1-4 start, Denver head coach John Fox decided to go with Tebow as their quarterback. Tebow won his first start of 2011 against the Miami Dolphins on October 23. From November 6 to December 11 Tebow and the Broncos won 6 straight games and vaulted to an 8-5 record.

However, Denver finished with 3 straight losses to end the regular season at 8-8. In the first round of the playoffs Denver was taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tebow completed 10 out of 21 passes for 316 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, and a 29-23 overtime win over the Steelers.

With all the speculation about whether Tebow is a legitimate NFL quarterback, you must know one thing: Tebow will never be the “best” quarterback in league-he’s just not built like that. Tebow’s style and playing are different and at times are “hard to watch.” However, his faith, tenacity, physical courage, and leadership make him stand out among all NFL players and will insure him a bright, long future as an NFL quarterback.