Report: Teammate consoled crying Tebow before famous 2008 speech

Before former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow’s famous speech in September 2008, he had to be consoled by a teammate.

Before his famous emotional speech in September 2008, former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow had to be consoled by a teammate, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes in a story about Urban Meyer’s tenure with the Gators. 

On Sept. 27, 2008, Ole Miss handed Florida its only loss of the season when the Rebels blocked a potential game-tying extra point with 3:28 to play. In his postgame press conference, Tebow gave a passionate speech promising he and his team would play as hard as they could for the rest of the season. A transcript of the speech is engraved on a plaque outside Florida’s football facility.

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While outsiders may have viewed Tebow as the team’s primary leader, the star quarterback was just one of a number of strong voices in the Florida locker room, Fowler writes, and occasionally leaned on others for support. 

Tebow’s famed “Promise” speech after the Ole Miss loss is now celebrated with a plaque outside The Swamp. What went untold: wide receiver Louis Murphy consoling a sobbing Tebow minutes before that speech, assuring him Florida would win out.

The Gators went on to win the rest of their games, including the SEC championship over top-ranked Alabama and the national championship game against Sam Bradford’s Oklahoma team. 

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- Dan Gartland