Chomping at the Bit: Why It's Wrong To Call Tim Tebow a Two-Time National Champ

Turn your television on to ESPN, tune into a college football game, or listen to your local sports talk show and you'll here it. . . 

You know, that historically misleading piece of information in regards to Tim Tebow. That piece of information of course is that Tebow is a two-time national champion.

Ouch! I cringe every time I hear that phrase, it's like the nails on the chock board feeling.

Maybe it is the same feeling LSU fans (or SEC fans) get when someone mentions USC won the national championship in 2003. 

Or in another sport, maybe it is the feeling many fans get when Barry Bonds is mentioned as the all time Home Run King.

Are all of these milestones/achievements true? Yes.

But they are also all misleading, there is a story behind the story.

By why does everyone claim or credit Tebow with two National Championships?

Gator fans will tell you it is because he was an integral part of the the 2006 offense. He was used mainly as a short yardage running back and finished second on the team in rushing yards. We'll go more in depth into his stats later on.

However, the truth is he gets credit for two national championships because he is such a great player and person. Mentioning a second title next to his name only enhances the legacy that he'll leave on the college football. 

Tim Tebow is an all-time great, a once in a generation player. I've got no problem giving him his due, but mentioning two national titles next to his name is just wrong. (unless of course he wins another one this year)

We've all heard the saying that goes something like this,

"When the team is winning the quarterback gets all the credit, and when they're losing he gets all the blame."

That statement is true, well unless you're Chris Leak. He definitely got all the blame when they were losing, but Tebow got all the credit when Leak led the Gators to the 2006 title over Ohio State.

A few weeks ago, I was watching a San Fransisco 49ers documentary and being as young as I am, I don't remember the Niners of the 80s or early 90s. So I asked my Dad, how many Super Bowls does Steve Young have? He replied by saying, "one."

This intrigued me, so I decided to do some research of my own. I found out that Young actually has three rings.

So why did my dad say one? It was obvious, because he was only "the man" on one of those teams, 1994.

In fact, it isn't just my dad who says this, he is widely recognized by the football world as a one-time Super Bowl Champ.

No one with any credibility is going to say he has as many Super Bowls as Tom Brady or one more than John Elway.

In fact, Young contributed as much if not more to the 49ers in 1988 and 1989 than Tebow did in 2006 to the Gators.

Young actually started six games, going 5-1 in that span with 13 TD and nearly 2,000 total yards. However, he doesn't get the credit Tebow does.

In Tebow's freshman season he touched the ball 122 times for 827 yards and 13 touchdowns. However, 518 of those yards came in four games against UCF, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Western Carolina.

Which means in Florida's nine other games against adequate competition Tebow touched the ball on average 7.66 times for 34.33 yards.

I'm sorry but touching the ball roughly eight times for 34 yards as a backup is not enough in my book to be credited with a championship.

It should also be noted that 10 of his 13 touchdowns came from either one or two yards out, or against Western Carolina. If you're wondering, Western Carolina is a FCS Division l school that went winless in the Southern Conference (SoCon) in 2006. Florida won 62-0.

I'm not trying to diminish what the great Florida Gator QB has accomplished, but rather shed some light on the misconception that he is a two-time national champion. 

Tim Tebow deserves everything he gets but he didn't get Florida the 2006 National Championship. Chris Leak did, and that is how history should view it.