THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 13, 1996 TAG: 9605130126
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
As a rookie with the Washington Redskins, Heath Shuler threw five interceptions in one humiliating game, just one less than he tossed in two seasons as campus hero at the University of Tennessee. Add injury to insult, he sprained his ankle that day and spent the next three weeks on crutches.
Seventeen plays into last season, Shuler separated his shoulder and missed seven games. A couple of weeks after he returned, a St. Louis Ram stepped on his hand, breaking two fingers and any thoughts of finishing out the year. A national magazine is preparing a story on football's lack of young superstar quarterbacks. Shuler reportedly is one of their primary focuses.
``I'm here to tell you how great God has been to me,'' Shuler informed about 250 men, women and children Saturday night at Atlantic Shores Christian School. ``If my career ended tomorrow, I'd still love God, still be his biggest fan. People ask why I do this. All through my life, people gave testimony to me. I want to be on the other side of it now.''
Shuler, who goes to training camp in July facing a one-on-one battle with Gus Frerotte to be starting quarterback and move his career in the direction that seemed predestined during his glory days at Tennessee, held nothing back during a 45-minute testimony and hour-long autograph session.
``My road in life always seemed paved for me,'' he admitted. ``Every chance I had to do something worked out really good. Right before I was drafted, I prayed to God to put me with a team I'd feel comfortable with and I thank God every day that I'm with the Washington Redskins. I don't think there's another team that has as many believers as the Redskins.''
Shuler also admitted that ``things haven't gone the way I thought they would.'' He talked about entering the locker room at RFK Stadium after throwing five interceptions against the Arizona Cardinals, putting his head down and offering a plaintive, almost desperate prayer.
``I said, `God, this is hard, this is tough. Direct my path. Be with me. Comfort me,' '' he recalled. ``Everything happens for a reason. God has given me a talent and every five minutes, it seems, I'm talking to God, asking him for guidance.''
His Image Youth Ministry is a project undertaken by Shuler and Christian music artist Troy Burns, Shuler's close friend and next-door neighbor in Bryson City, N.C. Every other weekend, they travel to cities in the southeast, preaching to young people how God had impacted on their lives.
When Burns discovered that Shuler was coming here to play in the Bruce Smith Celebrity pro-am today, he phoned Atlantic Christian and asked if they'd be interested in having he and Shuler come by.
Burns opened with classy renditions of modern Christian songs, followed by a short film of Shuler's college and pro exploits. The movie is vivid proof of what the Redskins saw in Shuler when they made him the third pick in the 1994 draft: a scrambling, swivel-hipped college daredevil, being tackled, but pitching the ball to a teammate just yards from the end zone; hitting a receiver in stride with a pass from 65 yards out; cascading his body at a couple of Alabama toughs, making the first down; rifling a pass to Henry Ellard for the winning touchdown in Dallas last season.
``I have seen 96,000 people on their feet, screaming Heath's name, and seen when he could do no wrong,'' Burns said. ``I've also seen 60,000 people on their feet, booing Heath, telling him to go back home. One thing's always been the same throughout - Heath stands for Christ.''
Burns would eventually see the audience stand to praise Shuler at the end of a straight-from-the-heart speech in which the Redskins quarterback bared his soul.
``When I grow up, I want to do what Heath does,'' Blake Osborn, 11, a fifth-grader at Butts Road Intermediate School said. ``I want to be a pro athlete - in baseball - and I want to witness to young people.''
Shuler took Osborn into the Redskins locker room, describing how the team assembles in the shower after getting into their uniforms, drops to its knees and offers the game about to be played to God.
``Someone, a different player each game, will make the offering,'' Shuler said. ``It'll be Darrell Green one week, or Tim Johnson or Michael Westbrook. It's moving to see a grown man with tears running down his face telling his teammates that what they're about to do should be to glorify God, not ourselves or the Washington Redskins.''
When he was finished talking, Shuler signed autographs and chatted with a long line of fans for close to an hour. No request was refused.
``It's good to see a pro athlete stand up for God,'' 14-year-old Jonathan McDermott said.
McDermott hopes to quarterback Atlantic Shore's football team next season and Shuler shared with him some offseason arm exercises and told him to stay in touch. ``People should do this more often. There's a lot of good role models out there, a lot of bad ones, too. This is one to follow.'' by CNB