In 1965 the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (that is football, not futbol, BTW) drafted Gayle Sayers from the University of Kansas. Sayers was a phenom in college and was known as the Kansas Comet. A can’t miss prospect for the Bears. He would go on to set numerous records for the Bears and would become one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.
Also in 1965, Brian Piccolo of Wake Forest made the Bears roster on the practice squad after failing to be drafted by any NFL team. He led the nation in rushing yards and scoring during his Senior Year at Wake but NFL teams did not think he had enough talent to make the league. In 1966 he moved up to playing on special teams and in 1967 ran as backup to Sayers. The two players, one black (Sayers) and one white (Piccolo), became close friends. They were the first players in football of mixed race to room together.
Near the end of the 1968 season, Sayers had a serious knee injury that ended his season. The two knew that they would be competing for the same job in 1969. With this in mind, Piccolo recognized that Sayers was the better player and would likely be the determining factor if the Bears would have a successful season. During that off season between 1968 and 1969 Piccolo sacrificed his own training to dedicate himself to Sayer’s physical rehabilitation from his knee injury. And in 1969 the pair shared the backfield with Sayers at halfback and Piccolo as fullback.
Towards the end of 1969, Piccolo was diagnosed with cancer. In 1970 Sayers won the George S Halas Most Courageous Player award. During his acceptance speech, he dedicated the award to Piccolo who died in June of that year at 26 years of age. Their story was immortalized in 1971 in the TV movie, Brian’s Song. Here is Sayer’s acceptance speech from the movie:
In today’s Gospel we see the familiar story of John the Baptist. John was basically a rock star around the Jordan river. He was known by all for his preaching and thousands flocked to him to be baptized. A measure of his fame can be seen in the reading from Luke 20:4 where Jesus asks the Pharisees if John’s baptism was from God or man. The Pharisees did not want to say from man because they feared the crowds would revolt against them for diminishing John’s status. He also had such popularity and support from the people that he was able to challenge King Herod’s illegal marriage. In today’s reading, John’s followers are coming to him to bring to his attention that Jesus is also baptizing people. Alluding to Jesus competing against John. Most expecting that John would be angry at someone duplicating his mission. Instead, John responds by telling them:
“No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.
You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ,
but that I was sent before him.
The one who has the bride is the bridegroom;
the best man, who stands and listens for him,
rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice.
So this joy of mine has been made complete.
He must increase; I must decrease.”
He must increase and I must decrease. The definition of humility. Brian Piccolo showed the same humility in decreasing his star power to the benefit of Sayer’s in dedicating himself to Sayer coming back from a potential career ending injury. John points to Jesus while John was at the height of his popularity, knowing that he would assume a back seat to Jesus. He is the best man to Jesus, the bridegroom.
When Elise and I owned our veterinary practice, and were just starting out, we had problems with administration. We each wanted to do everything. And what transpired was bills not getting paid or getting paid double since we were not trusting that the other person was getting it done. Inventory was missed or we ordered more than was needed. Bank deposits and investments were getting missed. Finally, we recognized that each of us had to learn to defer and trust the other. So we divided tasks and stepped back allowing the other to do their job. And things flourished in the practice.
Every day we have the opportunity to “blow our own horn” or point to the strengths of another. To find a teaching moment and not always reach for for the limelight. To humble ourselves in order to increase the joy of another. Give a compliment randomly. Allow a newbie into your pickleball group and guide them in picking up the game. Refrain from shouting out “I Told You So” the next time you were right about an issue. As you can probably tell from the specific nature of these suggestions, I was looking squarely in the mirror when I crafted them.
And, finally, I think of the words of Father Burke Masters when he speaks of what being humble truly means. It is not about being self-deprecating. As he says;
Being truly humble is not thinking less about yourself, but thinking about yourself less.
In short, follow John’s lead. Look for moments to decrease and help another increase.
