August 8 marks the third anniversary of the passing of Coach Bobby Bowden. 

I’d like to share parts from two stories I wrote from two of several times he spoke and shared his Christian faith.

** First, from one of the stories, is the message of salvation explained in the words of Bobby Bowden:

“Jesus said, ‘I’m going to prepare a place for you, and I’m coming back. I’m going to come back like a thief in the night, and you won’t know when I’m coming.’ We’ve got to be ready. How do you get ready? Confess your sins. I sin, like everybody else. I’ve sinned, but I’m saved, because I believe in Jesus. I confessed my sins to Him. I asked Him to forgive me. I trust Him. It is through Christ that I’m saved. I don’t deserve it. I’m no better than any man, but I’m saved.”

Bowden then used an illustration, not from football, but from baseball, as he told his favorite story, an incident that happened his senior year of college. He was the only member of the baseball team who had never hit a home run. In a home game against Auburn, Bowden hit the ball hard, and, although it didn’t get high, it was a line drive between shortstop and second base.

“It gets through,” he said. “I flip that bat and take off for first base. All I want to do is hit the inside of the bag and get to second, so I sort of slide my foot against that bag as I’m going to second.

“I can see the ball. It got through the centerfielder and the leftfielder, too. It’s rolling, and they’re running and chasing the ball. I hit second base. I can’t see the ball anymore, and I look at the third base coach. He’s waving me home. I hit third base, and I start for home, and he says, ‘But hurry!’ Boy, I start running to home plate. Meanwhile, the centerfielder gets the ball and fires it to the shortstop. The shortstop takes it and fires that thing home.

“Their catcher is squatted down and blocking the bag. I’m running as hard as I can. All of a sudden, his eyes start getting big, and I think ‘Oh, that ball is about here.’ I hit him as hard as I can hit him. I try to run right through him. About the time the ball hits his mitt, I hit him, and that ball jumps up in the air. We scramble around. I reach over the top and hit home plate. The ump says, ‘You’re safe!’ It’s a home run. I’ve never had one. I’m so excited and get up to brush the red mud off me. The players come off the bench and start shaking my hand. We didn’t have high fives back in those days.

“Then, the first baseman yells to the catcher, ‘Hey, John, throw me the ball!’ The catcher gets the ball and throws that thing to the first baseman. He touches first base. The first base ump says,  ‘You’re out! You missed first base!’

“I distinctly remember getting second. What had happened was, when I came inside first base and tried to hit it with the side of my foot, I didn’t quite get it. I missed it. I was out. I never got a home run in college.

“Here is the significance of that story. If you remember anything I say, remember this, as you go through life: First base is Jesus Christ. If you do everything else you could think of, to get to heaven, it won’t work. You must touch first base.

“Those sins that you did, those sins that you did today, He has forgiven you for that. His blood has already paid for that. The only thing you can do wrong is reject Him. The good news is that God rejects no man. The bad news is that man rejects God. It’s in your hands, so don’t let it slip. Don’t let it slip.

“Don’t gamble on it, folks. I can gamble in football. If it won’t work, I’ve got another game next week. There’s always another chance. But you can’t gamble with your life. There are no exits in hell. There is no way out of hell. I hope to see every one of you in heaven one of these days.”

** Here is a selection from another story I wrote, in which Coach Bobby Bowden explained about heaven and life after death.

“I’ve always believed in life after death. I’ve always believed that life after death is going to be so much greater than it is here on this earth. They’re a lot happier there. People have a hard time understanding that. They think that it’s so good here, they don’t want to leave, but there is not one of us who’s not going to go. The main thing is to be ready. You and I are here on earth not very long. I’ve already spent 76 years here. How much longer have I got? But, when I die, eternity goes on forever and ever and ever and ever. This is nothing. This is nothing. This is a little trial. We’re told how perfect heaven is, with no pain, no sorrow, and I believe it. How are we going to get there? By believing that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected.”

He related a story, which, he said, is “a great illustration of how important life after death is, compared to life here.

“A kid is having a good time playing with a beach ball, but, then, it gets away from him, hits a thorn bush, and bursts. An adult comes up to him and says, ‘Hey, son, you’ve just won $100 million.’ But he’s still crying about the ball. $100 million means nothing to him. He says, ‘I want the ball.’ The man says, “You can buy a million balls with this.’ ‘No, I don’t want that. I want my ball.’ That’s kind of the way it is with us. While we’re here on earth, we like the ball, but that’s not the most important thing. God gave His Son, who died on the cross, so that you and I can live forever. We had better pay attention to that, hadn’t we, instead of that busted ball? Life doesn’t last long, and then you have forever. That’s what I believe. I’m positive. The older I get, the closer I get, and the readier I am to go.”