Temperatures drop, and football frenzy heats up across the countryside. Fans head to their local stadium, dazzled by bright lights illuminating the night sky.
Down on the field adrenalin-laced athletes prepare for kickoff. The players are familiar with the drill. Most are familiar with something else, too—a gnawing desire for a professional sports career. That dream is real, and every player knows that each successful pass, kick and tackle could plant him onto the path of following that dream.
Dreams are important, but what happens when the path you want to take collides with the route God has mapped out?
The Path to Success
Randy McCown, older brother to NFL quarterbacks Josh (Oakland Raiders) and Luke (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), understands that problem well. As a high school senior in 1995, Randy’s array of options seemed to be narrowing toward one road. He hoped it would only be a matter of time before his way was completely cleared. Randy had led his high school football team into playoff action, been named an All-American and had committed to play football for the prestigious Texas A&M University.
Randy sacrificed other dreams to achieve this success. “Basketball was my first love—even had aspirations of a basketball career,” he says. “I switched to football because I thought my height might limit me, and I didn’t know how much I’d mature athletically between high school and college.”
Buoyed by high school recognition, Randy left home to pursue his college sports dream. During his first two seasons at A&M, the road signs all pointed in the same direction. Unlike other freshman teammates who were warming the bench, this first-year quarterback saw limited action on the field. That action steadily increased into Randy’s sophomore year when he gained attention, making one strong play after another. No question about it, Randy had true talent.
Randy’s passion for the sport could be rivaled only by his desire to live a godly life. “Throughout my freshman and sophomore years I had a close relationship with God,” he says. “I’d fought off temptations that students deal with in college.”
Randy recognized his talent and wanted to honor God with it. “I became determined that through the success God gave me in sports, I’d use it to further His kingdom” he says.
Rough Ride
Just as Randy’s life seemed to be cruising toward his dream, he hit a rough patch in the road. Circumstances that had been nearly ideal weeks earlier changed abruptly after one game. Randy started an important game against state rival Texas Tech.
“This was such a huge game for me,” Randy says. “I had the opportunity I’d been waiting for, but I performed poorly. I probably played as bad as anyone could in that position.” To make things worse, the coach benched Randy for the remainder of his sophomore season. His plan of living a God-honoring life in a football spotlights appeared to be stalled.
Randy admits to falling away from God following his fiasco on the field. “I really felt let down and considered transferring to another school,” he says.
Randy needed answers.
One day he found a Bible verse that quickly became a favorite, Proverbs 10:25: “When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.”
This verse challenged Randy not to let himself be swept away by problems. “That hit home for me,” Randy says. “So I decided I would never let anything cause me to doubt God again.” Randy plunged back into his game with a renewed energy and focus to follow God’s will.
During the next couple years, Randy stayed on top of his game. In fact, he moved to starter as a junior and led his team to a Big XII championship. Few people would disagree that he was back on the fast track for a football career. By his senior year, Randy was setting record after record—most passing yards, longest pass play and total offensive yards.
Long Road Ahead
Randy could hardly be stereotyped a “dumb jock.” He wasn’t some starry-eyed kid expecting pro offers to roll in by the dozens. On the contrary, he was quite levelheaded. “I understood being drafted was a long shot, so I planned to take the long road to get there [NFL],” Randy says. By the long road, Randy meant participating in feeder leagues like the Arena Football League (AFL) where he could play while honing his skills.
Levelheaded or not, Randy remained hopeful as the draft approached in the spring of 1999. Nevertheless, deafening silence replaced the roaring crowds he had grown accustomed to each week. “The draft comes and goes, then a couple of days for free agent signings,” Randy says. “Still, you don’t hear any word, and you start to realize.”
He’d been passed over. From any good athlete’s viewpoint, Randy had done everything right. He had displayed impeccable moral fiber and impressive team leadership. He’d worked hard and learned from his mistakes. Still, no NFL team drafted him.
Unshaken, Randy enacted his long-range plan and agreed to play for an AFL franchise, the Houston Thunderbears. His route may have a few more curves, but the destination would be the same.
Despite the NFL rejection, Randy felt content knowing he had a back-up plan. However, several unforeseeable difficulties caused him to begin questioning his path. The Thunderbears team was plagued with problems from low attendance to the absence of a home stadium. He wondered whether he and the Lord shared the same desire. “I played in two pre-season games,” Randy says. “After the second game, I wasn’t enjoying football like I had before. I felt like God was really trying to show me something. I prayed about it and decided to make a move.”
Randy retired from football.
A Better Path
Randy believes he followed God’s will. Blessings and new opportunities have come his way from the moment he changed directions. Today Randy owns a business and has three children with his wife, Shellie.
“This [lumber] mill came up for sale about the time I was retiring and things fell into place,” Randy says. “When I was pursuing football, Shellie and I weren’t dating. Now that I am retired, look what I have. I wouldn’t trade [my family] for any amount of football gratification.”
Randy means that, too. In 2004 another football franchise invited him to tryout. He declined. “Having the business and my family, I didn’t think it would be a good idea,” he says. “The fun I have with my family far outweighs anything I could ever do in football.”
Randy hasn’t completely left football behind. He still uses the sport to teach young athletes and honor God in the process. Each summer he and his brothers host a quarterback camp in their hometown. “We try to expose kids to the coaching and experiences that not every kid gets to have,” Randy says. “We also try to teach the importance of confidence, character and work ethic—all things our parents taught us. This [camp] is something that we plan on doing as long as kids want to participate and God is willing.”
Randy’s route through life may have changed, but from his perspective, the scenery is so much better because he’s allowed God to guide him. 
