Miracle in Music City

Les Steckel, currently the national president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, had a long football coaching career, including 23 years in the NFL. He tells his story, and the role that God played in his ups and downs, in the book One Yard Short.

On January 8, 2000, Steckel was coaching the Tennessee Titans as their offensive coordinator in a playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. It had been a critical season for the Titans; the team was 13-3 with a perfect record at home. It was the first time that Tennessee had big NFL success.

The Bills were ahead 16-15 with 16 seconds left. The Titans had led most of the game, and the possibly of losing the game was almost too much for Steckel, as he writes on page 8 of the book:

'Lord, I never want to coach again,' I had prayed moments earlier. 'I've had it.'

Then I had one of those extraordinary moments: I heard the quiet voice of God.

I heard him ask, 'Do you have faith?'

I know what you're thinking. But listen, this isn't something that happens to me on an everyday basis. I can tell you that when it does, the words, the message, and the source are unmistakable. I answered the question immediately and instinctively.

'Yes, Lord, I have faith.'

And just like that, I had hope. I can't explain it even today, but I was excited even as everyone around me had given up. Sure, I was tense. But I was hopeful that something good was going to happen.

What happened next was the "Music City Miracle" -- a special play involving an improvised handoff and a pass to Kevin Dyson, who scored! The Titans won the game and were on to the next round of the playoffs.