9/11 "United We Run" Series: Todd Beamer: Father, Husband, Hero, Athlete

There’s something different about athletes.

Something that sets us apart from the rest of the population.

I don’t know if it’s the discipline it takes to rise at some unearthly hour, or the fact that we push ourselves to break new records – but there’s just a little something extra that makes us stand a bit taller in a crowd.

I believe it’s no different in moments of crisis.

Todd Beamer, the man who uttered the inspirational “Let’s Roll” call to action on 9/11, was a lifelong athlete. Although I couldn’t find specific proof in my research that Todd Beamer was a runner, newspaper accounts suggest he was an avid sports fan and a lifelong team player.

One newspaper reports that throughout his life, Beamer “defined himself by athletics. He excelled at a Christian High School in baseball, basketball and soccer. And when his family moved to California before his senior year, Beamer used sports to make new friends… He attended Fresno State University to play baseball, with an eye toward a professional career, but he soon realized that was not in his future…” Then he met his wife on November 2, 1991. After they got married, Todd decorated their game room in festive Chicago Cubs sports memorabilia. They both joined the softball team at church, where Todd continued to be exceptionally competitive and “did not shy away from bowling over another player if it meant winning.”

All too often in today’s society, being competitive is frowned upon. We want every child to have a trophy, just for showing up. Well, imagine for one moment if the passengers of Flight 93 that day had only  “shown up.” Stayed in their seats, just as the terrorists told them to. The outcome would have been very different.

I believe it was a fiercely competitive spirit that led Todd to act that day and bring together a small team of brave Americans to break into the cockpit, fight hand-to-hand with terrorists, and take down an airliner that was screaming toward our nation's Capitol building – saving hundreds if not thousands of lives, according to aall government counts.
There is a quote from Gene Hackman’s character in the legendary sports film, The Replacements, that happens to be one of my favourite quotes: “Winners always want the ball when the game is on the line.” I think it perfectly represents the heroic actions of our fellow Americans – and fellow athletes – that day. As fierce competitors in the game of good vs. evil and like star players who scored just as the buzzer was running out, Todd Beamer and his fellow passengers saved their nation from further death and heartbreak.

9/11.  Never Forget.