How Big Is Your Crease?

Ben Tamburello was an All American football player at Auburn and Superstar in the NFL. He became famous because his role was to give the headlines to other people and make them famous. He was the center for the Auburn offensive line. I always felt sorry for offensive linemen because they do so much of the work, yet get so little of the credit. Ben Tamburello wasn’t looking for credit—he was looking to do his job with excellence.

He played with and blocked for Bo Jackson. I attended a Gridiron sporting event in Montgomery recently where Ben Tamburello was the speaker. He was introduced by video by Bo Jackson. Jackson thanked Tamburello for being such a great role model for the other players. He especially thanked him for blocking for him. Bo Jackson told Tamburello that he and his buddies on the offensive line were the reason that he got that 40-pound statue of the Heisman Trophy!

When have you ever seen an offensive lineman win the Heisman Trophy? Every running back, quarter back, and wide receiver who has won it did so because of the work of the offensive line. Ben Tamburello was an example of that.

Bo Jackson said, ‘Ben, I told you that if you would just give me a small crease, I would go through it and score for us. You were always able to give me that crease.” Bo Jackson thanked him again because he said his reputation was made possible by Tamburello and his blocking linemen.

Ben Tamburello knew how to do something that would make somebody else great. He was glad to block for Bo Jackson. Most people who are successful have to look back at somebody who did things for them for which they got little or no credit. Somebody did the “blocking” so that the successful person could score touchdowns.

One of the greatest college teams of all time was the 1924 Notre Dame. They had the famous Four Horsemen. They were considered the greatest backfield ever to play.

The story is told that one day the guys playing the offensive line, the Seven Mules, got tired of reading and hearing about the great Four Horsemen who were getting all the publicity. They decided in one game to do without blocking for a few plays and see how good the Four Horsemen were. You guessed it, they lost yardage every time. The reason the Four Horsemen were so good was because of the Seven Mules up front who opened the holes and did the blocking.

The 1924 Notre Dame team was undefeated and national champions. The Four Horsemen were all placed in the Hall of Fame, and each has a bronze statue at Notre Dame. None of the Mules had statues or Hall of Fame, but the whole team does have championship rings because the Seven Mules did their job.

Today, Ben Tamburello is a successful businessman who is a tremendous Christian witness. He is still opening a crease for God’s Holy Spirit, who can get through a smaller crease than Bo Jackson. Bo Jackson said he wished that Tamburello had opened a bigger crease for him, but what he did was good enough for him to score.

Tamburello is making Jesus great in today’s world. He is contributing to a win in people’s lives for eternity, which is far more important than a football game and blocking for a Heisman Trophy winner!

How big a crease are you opening for Jesus today?