It remains to be seen whether he actually will win -- and we're going to dig a lot more into this as we get closer to the December 1 reveal, and I think he will -- but he has at least one other vote.
SI's Austin Murphy -- who wrote the Missionary Tebow cover story in July -- thinks Tebow deserves the honor.
This nomination is pegged less to his production on the field than to his actions away from it. With an easy smile and a remarkably tireless, selfless example, Tebow has demonstrated to a generation of football fans that it's cool to be kind.
There would be a bit of a "lifetime achievement" element to Tebow earning the honor: He was a phenom in '06, a Heisman-winner in '07, won a national title in '08 and -- now -- in '09, is on the verge of another title.
But Tebow's appeal has always been in the way his mythology intertwines on-field and off-field action. His NFL future may or may not have the former (if it will most certainly still have the latter).
The SI Sportsman of the Year award in 2009 would celebrate the greatest college football player ever, at the peak of his mythic status.
(Even if you don't consider that SI has devoted a month's worth of their covers in 2009 to Tebow, I really do think he will win it. The other contenders would be... hmm... Tyler Hansbrough? Kobe? Drew Brees? When put against Tebow, they simply don't compare.)
But Tebow's appeal has always been in the way his mythology intertwines on-field and off-field action. His NFL future may or may not have the former (if it will most certainly still have the latter).
The SI Sportsman of the Year award in 2009 would celebrate the greatest college football player ever, at the peak of his mythic status.
(Even if you don't consider that SI has devoted a month's worth of their covers in 2009 to Tebow, I really do think he will win it. The other contenders would be... hmm... Tyler Hansbrough? Kobe? Drew Brees? When put against Tebow, they simply don't compare.)
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