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The image on the trading card seems so simple at first glance.*So . . . bare. There’s no*helmet. No orange-and-blue No. 15 jersey. No shoulder pads to put it on. No Scripture-scribbled eye black. It’s just*Tim Tebow,*stripped down to a Nike*dri-fit shirt and sweats,*attempting to*disprove the critics — again.
At that*very moment*(during Tebow’s pro day workout on the University of Florida campus in March of 2010), the two-time National Champion’s*Heisman-winning*left arm is cocked, on the verge of*firing*one of the most consequential passes of his life.*To casual observers,*the image*that adorns the*Panini America trading card inserted into specially marked copies of*Tebow’s*new documentary DVD “Everything*In Between†may not seem like much. Tebow, however,*sees things a bit differently.
“My dream of becoming an NFL quarterback was at stake on my pro day,†Tebow recalled*Monday, roughly 24 hours*after leading the Denver Broncos to a come-from-behind 38-24 victory over the Oakland Raiders. “All of the championships that I had been very fortunate to be a part of in high school and in college didn’t matter anymore. My dream now depended on being able to show all of the scouts and coaches that were there that day how much I had improved.â€
How much had he improved?*Enough to become a first-round draft pick just one month later before immediately embarking on*one of the most heavily scrutinized*roller-coaster rides*in NFL history. “Everything In Between,†released today, intimately chronicles all that transpired for Tebow*in the frenzied few months between the end of his award-winning career at Florida and the 2010 NFL Draft.
Panini America worked closely with XV Enterprises’ Robby Tebow and Angel Gonzalez on creating the*special trading card, which includes one of Tebow’s favorite Bible verses — Philippians 4:13 — on the back along with*an image of Tebow wearing the verse on his eye black.
“The heritage of Panini is deeply rooted in being true to the player,†said Jason Howarth, Panini America’s Vice President of Marketing. “When Robby approached us to discuss the possibility of incorporating a Panini America trading card into ‘Everything In Between,’ we knew the card had to be different and that it should personify what Tim stands for.â€
The result is a*succinct, collectible summation of what Tim Tebow is all about: Dedication,*determination and*devout faith. It’s also a card that stands out among the more than 1,300 others that bear Tebow’s name and likeness.
“I thought the card*turned out awesome and it’s definitely up there as one of my favorites,†said Tim,*who has appeared on more than 1,300 trading cards since 2010. “The culmination of so many years of hard work is*captured perfectly on this card.â€
You know what else is captured perfectly on this card? Tim’s autograph. As part of the promotion surrounding “Everything In Between,†Tebow*signed a limited*number of these*cards exclusively for Panini America — and we’re going to give 15 of them away to some of his biggest fans.
All you have to do to be eligible to win is go to the Panini America Facebook*page and*share your favorite Tim Tebow moment so far. We’ll select*our 15 favorite entries prior to Sunday’s kickoff between Tebow’s Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Those 15 folks will win a card sure*to be*cherished as much*for the message on it as for*the signature on it.
“If it wasn’t for me whole-heartedly trusting the Lord and believing in what verses like Philippians 4:13 say, nothing that I have been blessed to achieve would have been possible.â€
Read more over at the Panini Blog...
