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Brett Favre

by Carl from Brimfield

"That's the only way I know how to play. Give it up for the team." - On his block against the Vikings, Dec. 30th 2001
Brett Favre Gets Ready to Throw a TD Pass
Brett Favre Gets Ready to Throw a TD Pass

On October 10, 1969 in the town of Gulfport, Mississippi, Brett Lorenzo Favre was born to Irvin and Bonita Favre. Brett was always a very talented football and baseball player in high school, and was recruited to Southern Mississippi University in 1987. Although he was brought in as a defensive back and began the year as the 7th string quarterback, Brett Favre was always confident that he would end up the leader of his team. Just three games into his freshman year, Favre became starting QB and never looked back.

Following a brilliant college career with the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, Brett was picked in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Favre looked like a disasterous pick when he didn't even make the team picture. In a bold move, the Green Bay Packers traded a first round pick for Favre based on what they saw as immense talent. Little did they know at the time that Favre would more than just produce for them. Brett Favre would soon become one of the All-Time Great QBs. In week four of the 1992 NFL season, Brett Favre, who was starting his first game for the injured Don Majikowski, began what would become the longest streak of consecutive starts by any quarterback ever. More than 12 years later, Favre is still going strong and his streak is still alive at more than 200 games. Since his first year with the Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre has become the only ever three- time NFL MVP. He also ranks in the top five in such prestigious categories as most passing yards, most passing touchdowns and most career wins as a quarterback. Throughout his career, Brett Favre has been a model of excellence and durability. Battling through constant thumb injuries, Brett has been there for his team every Sunday for the past 12+ years.

Brett Favre became a Super Bowl champion at the conclusion of the 1997 NFL season. For most every NFL player, there can be no greater highlight of their career than winning a Super Bowl. Then again, Brett Favre is not the ordinary NFL player. In a series of closely linked events, Brett Favre displayed a level of heroism that would immortalize him as a quarterback and person in the eyes of not just his fellow teammates, but the people of this nation. On Sunday, December 21, 2003, Brett Favre's father, Irvin Favre, passed away. That night, Favre assembled a team meeting, telling each and every player that he would be there for them and that he had their back. Several players were quoted as wondering how a guy could suffer such an emotional loss and then pledge his allegience to the team during an umimaginably hard time for him. Football players are not often the type of men to cry, but several Packers were holding back tears at the site of their brave quarterback. The next day, on Monday Night Football, Favre played the game of his career throwing for 399 yards and 4 touchdowns with near perfect throwing accuracy. Irving Favre was more than a father to Brett Favre, he was more than just a man. For his father, Brett rose above his pain and emotional distress to himself become more than just a man. Brett Favre delivered a performance incomparable to any other, on a night when he should have been at home mourning. That night Brett Favre rose above football and the NFL, and became a hero.

Brett Celebrates A Successful Drive
Brett Celebrates A Successful Drive

If it is possible to say this, more important than the man Brett Favre is on the field, is the man off of it. Brett Favre has always played through pain, and in the process of playing through injuries he developed a pain killer addiction. In May 1996, Favre recognized he had an addiction and confronted it. He did not hide, but addressed the media in full honesty, announcing he would enter rehab. 46 days later, Favre had conquered his addiction and was out of rehab. Although it is an awkward transition to Brett Favre's home life, he is a man happily married to his wife, Deanna, and he is the proud father of 2 daughters. Favre is also a charitable man, starting the Brett Favre Forward Foundation which has donated around $1 million to charities in Mississippi and Wisconsin. In conjunction with that, Favre has raised $250,000 in scholarship money for students going to Southern Mississippi University and has raised close to $700,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay.

Brett Favre is a hero because he is a model of strength and stability. True, he had an addiction that was in no way flattering, but it is the ability to confront your weaknesses that shows the character of a person. Time and time again, Brett Favre has battled through pain, whether physical or emotional, to achieve his goals and prevail in victory. On and off the field Favre has always given what he could to the people that needed him. His charity efforts are rivaled by few others in sports. It is not just Favre off the field that makes him a hero. On the field, Brett is a legend and is an example of clutch play and a person who comes through for their teammates. Through his efforts, Favre has transcended football and become more than just a player. Brett Favre is more than a champion on the field, he is a champion in life, never compromising anyone along his way to greatness. Brett Favre in fact is more than a champion, he is a hero, my hero.

Page created on 11/12/2004 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 11/12/2004 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Bibliography

Evans, Tim. "BrettFavre.com Biography." [Online] Available http://www.brettfavre.com/main.php.

no author. "Simply classic: Favre riddles Raiders with four TDs after losing father." [Online] Available http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/football/nfl/12/23/packers.raiders.ap/. 2003.