The Tragic Events

THE TRAGIC EVENTS of September 11, 2001, brought the sports world to a standstill. Although professional and collegiate teams postponed games, many high school squads elected to play.

One football contest pitted Bloomington, Minnesota’s, Jefferson High against Eastview. Although Jefferson emerged victorious 20–10, the pregame activities overshadowed the action on the field. Jefferson’s helmets bore two decals—an American flag and a No. 10 honoring former quarterback Tom Burnett Jr.

Before the game, the high school recognized the player who had led Jefferson to a state championship in 1981. The 38-year-old father of three girls had been a passenger on United Flight 93.

After hijackers took over the airplane, Burnett called his wife, Deena, on his cell phone. In two later calls, she told him about the destruction of New York’s World Trade Center and the attack on the Pentagon. Burnett telephoned a final time, telling his wife that he and several other passengers would attempt to retake the airplane. They wanted to prevent the hijackers from completing their destructive mission of crashing the plane into a Washington, D.C. building.

Family members of those on board confidentially listened to tapes of the flight’s last moments. Recordings indicated that the pilots had already been killed when the group bravely managed to take control of the jet. Although their specific actions remain unknown, the flight never reached the nation’s capitol. Instead, it crashed in western Pennsylvania, killing all aboard.

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POINT In addition to Tom Burnett, who played football at St. John’s University in New York, three others credited with heroic actions on Flight 93 were college athletes. Todd Beamer played basketball and baseball at Wheaton College in Illinois, Mark Bingham competed in rugby at UC–Berkeley, and Jeremy Glick won a national judo championship.

Burnett and the others knew they probably would die, but they understood the devastation that would have been caused by crashing into the White House or the Capitol Building. The heroes treasured their nation and her people. With bravery and love, they sacrificed their life for their country.

Jesus Christ also laid down his life for his friends, including you and me.

GOAL! Who would you be willing to die for? If you’d been on Flight 93, would you have joined Tom Burnett Jr. in the attempt to retake the plane? Ask God to bless the families of all who died on September 11, 2001. Thank Jesus for dying for you.