July 30, 2024 • 30 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, T.C. Stallings is known for making one of the biggest runs in Louisville Cardinal football history. It was the game-winning run in overtime against the University of Kentucky. To this day, he’s known for that play. He calls it “one of the most significant events in my life.” But what people don't know is the story behind that run.
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we continue with our American stories. TC Stollings is
known for making one of the biggest runs in Louisville
Cardinal football history. It was the game winning run in
overtime against the University of Kentucky. To this day, he's
known for that play. He calls it, quote one of
the most significant events in my life unquote. But what
(00:32):
people don't know is the story behind that run. Here
he is to share that story.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
You know, I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and most
of my life I lived in the rougher parts. And
you know, I was the youngest of six, and I
just begin to shape my goals at that point because
I didn't like how tough it was on me. I
didn't like how tough it was on my mother. And
I started to make the goal that I wanted to
(00:59):
take care of one. And so I started to see
on TV and through other things well, that you could
go to college for free by playing football. And you know,
I knew nobody in my family would be able to
afford to send me to college, and nobody had ever
been you know, nobody knew how to get there.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
And I wanted to be the first and I wanted
to play.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Football, and so I started to put everything I could
into getting there. I'll never forget when I was officially
accepted as a scholarship athlete at the University of Louisville,
and I mean, it's important that I let y' all
know what it took to get there, because I wasn't
(01:42):
really prepared. It was hard to pass the ACT. I
would go and I would try to take ACT prep
courses and just anything I could, but I failed that
test like three straight times.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
It was a fourth time that I passed.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
By that time, I had had on like fifty like
letters from colleges, but they were kind of just dropping
off when I was not passing the test. But Louisville
stuck in there, and so I stuck with him and
I signed my scholarship.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
I cried, I had done it.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
I graduated high school, which was a big deal in
my family, and it was the first to go to college,
and I was on my way. So I'm at Louisville,
and I mean, those who know me know this is
Louisville was then and now this is one of the
(02:32):
greatest blessings in my life. And so right away all
the work just began. I began to write my goals down,
and I knew what I wanted to do. Like my
goal was to be the start running back for the
University of Louisville and get myself to the NFL, you know,
And I knew I had to be great. So right
off the bat, the first thing that happens is the
coach has switched my position.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
And they to go to the linebacker room.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
I go to linebacker room so now, and I'm like, coach,
I don't want to play linebacker, and I ain't.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I ain't. I played a little bit in high school,
but I'm a running back.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
That's why I came to collon fourth and he's like, well,
we're picking the most athletic running backs to go.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
This is the sweetening over for me. We're even athletic.
You can play. You know, we need you. We got
a surplus of running backs. We want to see you
play linebacker. Help us out. That's what we're short. We
don't have a lot of linebackers and we won't have
a lot of time. I'm just like, coach, ah, I
hear you, but I just want to I just want
to play running back. He's like, well, you know, you
got an opportunity to start.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
I'm like, okay, so where you say the linebacker room
was because I.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Starting was the key for me.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
And so I got All Conference as a freshman for
the line for linebacker. Playing linebacker, I had like fifty
five tackles in two sacs and I did what I did.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
I worked hard, never complained.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
So I told him like, I was like, I did
everything you wanted me to do. Cooch, all I want
is one shot that player running back.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
One shot. I mean, what do you have to lose?
And at first he's not.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
He really wasn't going for it at all, you know,
And so I'm like, I knew I had to come
up with something different. So I went and talked to
our offensive line coach and it's like one of my
favorite coaches, offensive line coach. I can talk to him
a bout anything. And I'm just like, look, I'm like,
coach won't get me a shot. I just think he's
kind of caught up in the guys that they have.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
And I get it.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
He ain't never seen me play as what it is.
So if he saw me run the ball, mutter a chance.
Coach asked me, did I have in the film of
me running, and I had my high school recruitment tape,
so I gave it to our offensive line coach.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
He took it to the head coach, you know, and
hair coach like, oh, I like the way he kind
of really pushes it up in there. Your one carry,
You don't.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Do something with it?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
You going back to defense, I said, Okay, that's fair.
I appreciate that one carry. I took him serious. I
don't know if he was joking or not, but I
took that one carry and I did something with it.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
My experience as a Christian growing up was just more
about habit than having a deep relationship with Jesus. And again,
this is about as much as any of us knew,
you know, my mother, myself, you know. This is just
how I knew. I believe in God, and I knew
that you could ask him for things, you know. I
knew to pray over my food. I knew to you know,
(05:18):
go to church on Sundays. I like, I knew those
types of things and I would do them. But I
didn't have this deep rooted.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Faith.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So it really wasn't hard to be fooled into thinking
that you are really a super solid Christian if you
just did some of the habits right, and that's what
I was doing.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
And so there were people that would say, hey, is.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
There somebody on the global football team that wouldn't mind
coming and sharing their faith with with some kids. I
would always be the one chosen to do those kinds
of things. So I would go, you know, I would
go and do these things.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah, t season great Christian, you know, get Tony in
the door, is it? So I'm like, you know, no problem.
I love to teach the kids, you know.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
So I would go and I would look at scriptures
and prepare myself and go tell them everything that they're
supposed to do, you know, watch your language, watch what
you watch on TV, like be careful with that, you know,
you know, don't don't say this, don't do that, and
teaching them all the things that they're supposed to be
doing because they're kids and they need to be careful.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
But I'm on the dow. I kind of know what
I'm doing. The music ain't influencing me, so see.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
I would leave those places and pop in whatever I
wanted to listen to because I didn't think it mattered
that I listened to those things.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I would lust with the best of them, you know,
running around.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
At the parties while I'm out, you know, telling everybody
what they need to do.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
And I'm living it out the best I can.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
For what I knew, there was somebody following me around,
like looking at how I live my life.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
And I'll never forget when he made.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Himself known to me because I'm on my way lunch
and he comes up to me and he says, hey,
I want to study.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Scripture with you.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
And I'm like, the first thing popped through your head
when you think you doing you know, Christianity the way
it's supposed to be done, is you get pride for
I'm just like, uh man, you know, I know how
y'all kind of walk around campus looking for people to
study scripture me. But I'm like, brother, I leave Bible
studies on campus and you know, I read. I'm kind
(07:28):
of cool. You probably want to use that for somebody
who needs that, you know, but I appreciate the offer.
And so finally he saw he wasn't gonna get nowhere
with me, and he's like, look, just what do we
just do one Bible study one on one and I
leave you alone? And all I really heard was I
(07:49):
leave you alone. That excited me. I'm like, all right, well,
I mean if one in my mind, I'm saying to myself,
one Bible study to get rid of this guy.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Perfect, let's do it. In fact, brother Wayne, ain't gotta wait.
We can go tonight. I get your Bible. We can
go tonight. Let's go.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
So that night he came to my room and when
he walked in, he had his Bible in a videotape.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
He just pops the tape in. I sat down in
my bed, I'm watching, and when.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
It comes on to phase in, it just shows Jesus
on the cross getting whipped, like right off the bat.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
It's just a critcifixion sirenactment.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
And I'm watching this and I'm like, okay, and it's
just whip after the whip, and you're seeing, you know,
the agony.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
And then these.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Scriptures start to scroll up in these words, and it's
just saying things like he died for your sins, He
died for the sins of the world, and so many
of us still freely commit these sins. And then you're
seeing scriptures about what it truly means to follow him
and don't come form to the world, and just all
(08:59):
of these different things there just coming up, and I'll
set up here reading scriptures, read about as you Love You,
and he's still getting beat in the background.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
And you've been listening to TC Stalling share his story.
And he starts off talking about where he grew up
and how he grew up in a tough neighborhood where
nobody and his family had ever gone to college. He
wanted to be the first one. He saw football is
his way to do it. He saw football as a
way to get that scholarship and in the end get
(09:28):
to the NFL and take care of his mom. Some
adversity along the way the acts and he failed, not once,
not twice, but three times. But on the fourth time,
well he got what he needed, the score he needed,
and he found himself at Louisville on a full ride.
And then we started to hear about his faith journey.
And of you listening who have one know exactly what
(09:51):
he's talking about. When we come back more of TC's
Stalling story here on our American story and we continue
with our American stories, and with tc stalling story, let's
(10:14):
pick up where we last left off.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Now he let's just play for quite some time and
I'm sitting up here, this big two hundred and eighteen
pound running back, which is humbled.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
I just start crying.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
I mean, I'm like, I just wanted it to end,
you know, and honestly didn't feel like he was necessarily
showing me anything I didn't know.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
But I mean, it's just here I am face to
face with it.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
So when the video ended, he just immediately opened up
his Bible and he just started showing me even more
scriptures about what it truly means to follow Jesus. And
I'm looking at all of them and I'm like, I'm
not doing any of these things.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
You know.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
It's like these scriptures I had seen him before, I
was familiar with him, but they just was I never
went this deep with him to like really draw out
the true meaning, you know, scriptures about the Holy Spirit,
how the Holy Spirit's about to change your life and
lead your life, and all of this is just I'm like, man,
I felt bad. I felt I felt it was bad
in a good kind of way. It just wasn't feeling
(11:11):
good at that time. It's just I felt good to know,
but I felt I felt embarrassed. I'm just I'm overwhelmed
and He's like, you know, Tony, the reason that I
wanted to talk to you is because you know we
all see you around here, you know, start and running
back for Louisville, and people be asking you to come speak,
and you know you you're speaking on behalf of Jesus Christ.
(11:32):
But if people knew what we're talking about right now,
like if they knew what these scriptures.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Said, if they knew what it truly meant to be a.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Christ follower, and to compare that to the life you
live in today, see you as a hypocrite.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Very next morning, I started trying to do everything right.
It was like cold Turkey, be the best Christian you
could ever beat. I feel like I was doing better
before this kid come here and start showing me all
the scriptures, and now it's harder to be a Christian.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Now this is this. I mean this, I hate this,
you know.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
And I was just really upset because it wasn't easy anymore.
And so I'm like, I look at my Bible and
I was like, you know what, let me just. I
just felt compelled to give it another quick read. I'm like,
let me just and I grabbed the Bible and I
opened it up, and I do not think this was
an accident. But I opened it up to First Corinthians,
(12:26):
chapter nine.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Verse twenty four through twenty seven.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
I just started reading right there, and this is where
it says, do you know that in a race, all
the runners run, but only one gets the prize, so
run to win. Each athlete goes into strict training. They
do it to get a crown that would not last,
but we do it to get a.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
Crown that would last forever.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
I sat there and it just hit me like a
ton of bricks.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
I just watched or read.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Rather, I just I just read Paul compare the effort
of an athlete to the effort of a Christian.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
That's all they did right there.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
And he said that the athletes do it for stuff
that won't last, but the Christian is supposed to do
it for a crown that will last forever.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
And I'm like, well, do what This is what I'm
saying to myself as I'm reading the scripture. He said,
going to strict training.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
And that's when I was just blown away by the
next thought that came in my head. And I know
it came from the Lord because I still live by today.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
But if the Lord could speak audibly, like right to me,
this is what I felt like he was saying.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
You sat up here TC and you had a fit
last night because you was failing.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
As a Christian.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
You know, you get mad about what the Holy Spirit
ain't doing and what ain't working, and.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
How's your effort this Louis little team. You will do everything.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
They tell you to do. When it's time to stript train,
you're strength training. When it's time the endurance train, you're
ending train. But what about when it's time to strength
train for me? What about when it's time to endurance
train for me? What about the strict training that I
try to put you through for Louisvillion ever quit for me?
You quit at the drop of a hat. The team
(14:15):
meetings you always there. You skip church today because you
ain't feel like coming and be with me. So, yeah,
you're a great player for the University of Louisville. You
do everything your coach tells you to do. But what
kind of player are you on my team?
Speaker 3 (14:33):
I got all of that from that scripture, and it
was clear to me God has done his part.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
His part is to save me, give me the Holy Spirit,
give me a son, of Jesus Christ. My part is
to follow him, obey him, let him train me into
the type of person I need to be.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
So I started thinking it this way.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit those are my
head coaches. And the game is life and I'm always
playing through a hundred sixty five days a year, twenty
four to seven, and the opponent is Satan.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
And the Bible was my playbook.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
And the question I always ask myself is what kind
of player would Jesus saying.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
I am each and every day? That was life changing
for me.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
So I go to the running backs meeting, and you know,
it's like it always is.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
You know, we we.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Sit down and you know, the jokes started coming out,
and a lot of times inappropriate, and the bad language,
and you know, the small talk and just all this
stuff that I'm now working hard to not be attracted to,
you know, and I'm working on myself.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
And so for me, it's you kind of just gotta
wait till it's over. You know, I'm ducking my head.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
I'm obviously uncomfortable, and you know, the players were noticing
and the coach was noticing. So when the meeting ended,
we were all leaving and we're running back. Coaches to
stop me and wanted to talk to me, and he
was just like, you know, what's the problem. It's like,
you really had a problem today. What's going on? I
told him, after just being pressed to give an answer,
I'm just like, look, God runs my life now, so
(16:14):
whenever we are talking about football and the things that
that can help me grow as a player, I'm all is.
But we started talking about all this other stuff, I
ain't gonna be listening. I don't want nothing to do
with it. And I just that didn't really sit well
with him, and I really think he struggled with the
old me versus that new me. But he hit me
(16:35):
with some words that would stay with me the whole
rest of the day. God might control your life, but
I control the running back rotation. You just remember that
I had a choice of me. This is how I
started to think. So I'm just like, now.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Comes to compromise option in my mind.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
As I sit in my dorm room, I'm like, all
I got to do is laugh at a few little
stupid jokes and just like not make this an issue,
and then everything's good. What's so bad about that? But
remember you know, I'm studying scripture now, and I had
a regular reading habit and praying habit that really meant
(17:17):
something to me. Now, So I'm reading scripture and I
see the Book of Matthew where he's like, if you
deny me before men, I'll deny you before the Father.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
But if you honor me before men, I'll honor you
before the Father. And that just made the decision for me.
There's no way that I'm going to put anything ahead
of honoring Jesus Christ. When I went back to the meeting,
(17:49):
it was pretty much the same meeting that it always is,
and I was the same way that.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
I was before, and you could tell it was just.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Like these like battle lines or because from that point on,
Coach is really kind of gravitated away from me.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
I mean, he never was really all in on it anyway,
but I worked hard.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
And you're listening to TC Stallings telling the story about
the battle between his faith walk and his earthly walk. Again,
for any of you who have a faith walk any kind,
you know exactly what he's talking about. That struggle and
that temptation, and he got that word from his Lord
(18:31):
and that was you never quit for Louisville, But you
quit at the drop of a hat when it comes
to me. God did his part, he realized as he
was reading scripture. My part is to follow him and
to have him train me up. The Bible is my
playbook now and now here he is stuck in a conflict.
(18:53):
The coach essentially says to him, God might control your life,
but I control the running back rotation. Will he compromise,
will he laugh at inappropriate things, things that just don't
work with his spirit anymore?
Speaker 3 (19:07):
Or not?
Speaker 1 (19:08):
And what will the consequences be. We'll find out what
happens next in TC Stalling's life. His faith walk versus
his football walk continues here on our American stories. And
(19:38):
we continue with our American stories and TC Stalling's story.
Let's pick up where we last left off.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
As I watched him support you know, those that kind
of got along with him better, I knew that I
was kind of gonna be on my own, like this
is gonna be the challenge of a lifetime. And here
we are gearing up for the first game of the season.
All I could do is control what I can control,
So I knew he probably would prefer somebody else get
(20:09):
the spot, but I held my own in practice. I
stayed in a position where I wasn't giving up my spot.
And so for this season opener against UK I was
listed as a starter. If I don't.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Play well, my dream is done. Boom we come running
out man, here comes the cargos.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
And I remember I knew I was going to start
the game, and I just wanted to start good and
I felt confident. But things just didn't start out the
way I planned it.
Speaker 5 (20:50):
Off On a third and one man, they give it
to Starlings.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
I'm not sure, I'm not. I think he's gonna be
a little bit shy.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Yeah, it's gonna be close through there, but I think
his knees were over there on the Groundley.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
I was so nervous about the wrong thing I want,
nervous about playing football.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
I was nervous about how much I would play.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
But they switch running backs like right off the back,
and I'm like, here we go.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Here's a draw play. They give it off at thirty two.
That's christ Lester.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
And he gives it to Leicester again, and Lester fights
and looks like he has the first downs.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
Here's Lester again.
Speaker 6 (21:33):
He turned the corner and Lester has another Cardinal first down.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
So now I started to see what we got going here.
Whoever did better in this game was going to be
the starter. So then finally.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
I get in.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
You know, I took the ball and I just made
this quick cut and I and I was going, I
had a nice run.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Here's a give big hole up the middle.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
Twenty seven Tony Stallings, Stallings still on his feet, that
fights his way to the forty three go to effort
by Stallings that time, Nick Setti.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
And I'm starting to and I'm like, yes, I needed that,
Like it was a really really good run.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
Then I get caught off the field before I can
really get warmed up.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
I was like, it's slipping away, it's flipping away.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
And then the rains came.
Speaker 5 (22:39):
And again officials have detected lightning in the area determined
that conditions may be unsaved for the game to continue,
so they've asked everyone to, in an orderly fashion to
return to their bars here at Papa Don's Cardinals Stadium
as the rain really blows in here in a nineteen
to fourteen what we call a suspended game at this
(23:00):
point due to.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Like me, now I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you. I
think to this day that God knew I needed that
storm because it was an hour and fourteen minutes rained
de lay and I didn't even go normally. Everybody like
(23:22):
like everybody goes and meets as a as a group,
like the running basket, go to running backs, to wide receivers,
go to wide receivers. They say, I didn't even go.
I went straight to the bathroom and I was in
there by myself, and I'll.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Never forget this. Man.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
I started to look into the mirror, waters dripping down
and sweat, and I just I'm just looking at myself
and I'm just like, what are you doing? And I
just started to pray. If I have to give up
my starting position to show that I have full faith
(23:58):
in you, that your first place in my life, that's fine.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
I get that.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Like if I'm a loser, let me lose. But let
me go out there and play the way I know
I can play. I'm nervous, I'm scared, I'm looking.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
On my sholder.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
I just want to stop that. Just let me do
what I know I can do. And if you want
to take this away from me, you take it. Just
give me peace.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Just let me play the way.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
I know I can play, and I'm just sitting here
just like begging and pleading in this mirror, and honestly
is just like the movies, man, where I just started
to feel a sense of peace, like I really don't
starting to feel it, and I felt like if I
really go out there and just have this piece, that's faith.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Next thing. I know that was yelling for everybody.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
That's how to go back out our fourteen minutes, and
I needed every minute. So yeah, I didn't think it
mean I was gonna go out there and crush it,
but that's kind of what it started to happen.
Speaker 6 (25:05):
Here's the gift to Stallin dalling inside the twenty s
to the ten to the nine yard line.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
First carry, I'm gone straight up the middle, gone, put
some moves on, gone long run. And now when I
get up normally, after I play like that, I get
pulled out the game and the other running back come in.
Coach called the same play again. I hit it again, boom,
straight up through there. Hey almost scored. They call my
play again. I mean, this is a dream. Every single
(25:34):
play was to me this series.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
I got that ball, I ran straight ahead, ran.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Into the defensive end, carried that boy in the end
zone and scored his touch down.
Speaker 5 (25:49):
Metal League loud Will trying to take the lead for
the first time, stall In touch down.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
And I just remember going straight down on my knees
and I start thanking God.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
And I knew they were gonna keep rotating because I
know that, you know, coach would want his guy to
do well. An he got in, he did okay, But
when I got in, it was the same thing. I
get the ball, it's the same stuff. I'm just relentless.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
And they handed off up the middle pick hole for Starlings.
Speaker 6 (26:21):
Starlings still on his feet to the twenty Dolans.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
To the twentieth yard line. I was running like I
was possessed.
Speaker 6 (26:31):
Yeah, the Stallings Starlin's trying to get outside starline for
the thirty three first down are Dosage Staline.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
I think everybody knows I could run the ball. Now
I'm over one hundred yards. You know, I got a touchdown.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
It don't even matter what the other guy does right now,
because the game's tied.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
Now we're going back and forth. We're going in overtime.
So now.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
It's crazy because I go and get my helmet and
the other running back with to get his too, and
so like, because we don't know who's going in. We've
been rotating all night pretty much fifty to fifty. When
my running back coach says, stallings you in. I can't
describe how I was feeling when I heard it, cause
I'm just I knew that could have win anyway, and
(27:22):
I know there was gonna run the ball, and now
I'm going in. This is the group that's gonna have
an opportunity to beat Kentucky. And I can see this
planning this day, like right now, I'll never forget this day.
Came to the huddle and he said, let's go. Tony
ace Wright twenty four counter ready break and.
Speaker 6 (27:45):
After an hour at fourteenth minute range delay, we have
had a trumpet his blue grass battle.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
Bat you by branch you.
Speaker 6 (27:54):
Up to stall and staring take the battle, start.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
Go stwhere we picked the right cheap player of the game.
Speaker 6 (28:07):
Little did we know pandemonium in the ends on Tony stalling.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
But now you know the story behind the run. It's
a story I've been wanting to tell for a long time,
but I needed to tell.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
It the way the Lord wanted me.
Speaker 7 (28:21):
To tell it to where the focus won't be on football.
It won't be on me, it won't be on no coaches,
it won't be on Louisville, it won't be on UK.
It'll be about Jesus Christ, the piece that he provides
and a plan to hear half of your life.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
If you just willing to trust.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
And a terrific job and the editing, production and storytelling
by our own Greg Hangler and a special Thanks Division
video for this story. To learn more about TC, check
out his website at Tcstallings dot life TC Stallings dot life.
And what a story you heard about the run of
(29:06):
his life and what was behind it and the run
he's still running because in the end, that's what he learned.
He put his priorities in the right place in the end,
and that's all it is. Again, anyone going through any
faith walk knows that priority and when they get out
of line, well things go wrong for you. And for him,
it was just his football in the flesh versus what
God wants from him. And when he got that aligned properly,
(29:30):
it unleashed his performance on the field because he put
God first. It was just that simple. He put God
first in football second. And for any of you struggling
with that priority. If your believers and again whatever your belief,
well you know, take solaceon take inspiration from the story
in the end, because what he wasn't looking for was
his coach's approval or even those fans approval in the end,
(29:52):
but just God's and the rest are care of itself.
We love to tell these faith stories on the show
because so many of you listening care and take seriously
your walk with God. The story of T. C. Stallings
his famous run, the story behind that run here on
our American Stories
And we continue with our American stories. TC Stollings is
known for making one of the biggest runs in Louisville
Cardinal football history. It was the game winning run in
overtime against the University of Kentucky. To this day, he's
known for that play. He calls it, quote one of
the most significant events in my life unquote. But what
(00:32):
people don't know is the story behind that run. Here
he is to share that story.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
You know, I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and most
of my life I lived in the rougher parts. And
you know, I was the youngest of six, and I
just begin to shape my goals at that point because
I didn't like how tough it was on me. I
didn't like how tough it was on my mother. And
I started to make the goal that I wanted to
(00:59):
take care of one. And so I started to see
on TV and through other things well, that you could
go to college for free by playing football. And you know,
I knew nobody in my family would be able to
afford to send me to college, and nobody had ever
been you know, nobody knew how to get there.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
And I wanted to be the first and I wanted
to play.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Football, and so I started to put everything I could
into getting there. I'll never forget when I was officially
accepted as a scholarship athlete at the University of Louisville,
and I mean, it's important that I let y' all
know what it took to get there, because I wasn't
(01:42):
really prepared. It was hard to pass the ACT. I
would go and I would try to take ACT prep
courses and just anything I could, but I failed that
test like three straight times.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
It was a fourth time that I passed.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
By that time, I had had on like fifty like
letters from colleges, but they were kind of just dropping
off when I was not passing the test. But Louisville
stuck in there, and so I stuck with him and
I signed my scholarship.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
I cried, I had done it.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
I graduated high school, which was a big deal in
my family, and it was the first to go to college,
and I was on my way. So I'm at Louisville,
and I mean, those who know me know this is
Louisville was then and now this is one of the
(02:32):
greatest blessings in my life. And so right away all
the work just began. I began to write my goals down,
and I knew what I wanted to do. Like my
goal was to be the start running back for the
University of Louisville and get myself to the NFL, you know,
And I knew I had to be great. So right
off the bat, the first thing that happens is the
coach has switched my position.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
And they to go to the linebacker room.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
I go to linebacker room so now, and I'm like, coach,
I don't want to play linebacker, and I ain't.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I ain't. I played a little bit in high school,
but I'm a running back.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
That's why I came to collon fourth and he's like, well,
we're picking the most athletic running backs to go.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
This is the sweetening over for me. We're even athletic.
You can play. You know, we need you. We got
a surplus of running backs. We want to see you
play linebacker. Help us out. That's what we're short. We
don't have a lot of linebackers and we won't have
a lot of time. I'm just like, coach, ah, I
hear you, but I just want to I just want
to play running back. He's like, well, you know, you
got an opportunity to start.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
I'm like, okay, so where you say the linebacker room
was because I.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Starting was the key for me.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
And so I got All Conference as a freshman for
the line for linebacker. Playing linebacker, I had like fifty
five tackles in two sacs and I did what I did.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
I worked hard, never complained.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
So I told him like, I was like, I did
everything you wanted me to do. Cooch, all I want
is one shot that player running back.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
One shot. I mean, what do you have to lose?
And at first he's not.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
He really wasn't going for it at all, you know,
And so I'm like, I knew I had to come
up with something different. So I went and talked to
our offensive line coach and it's like one of my
favorite coaches, offensive line coach. I can talk to him
a bout anything. And I'm just like, look, I'm like,
coach won't get me a shot. I just think he's
kind of caught up in the guys that they have.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
And I get it.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
He ain't never seen me play as what it is.
So if he saw me run the ball, mutter a chance.
Coach asked me, did I have in the film of
me running, and I had my high school recruitment tape,
so I gave it to our offensive line coach.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
He took it to the head coach, you know, and
hair coach like, oh, I like the way he kind
of really pushes it up in there. Your one carry,
You don't.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Do something with it?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
You going back to defense, I said, Okay, that's fair.
I appreciate that one carry. I took him serious. I
don't know if he was joking or not, but I
took that one carry and I did something with it.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
My experience as a Christian growing up was just more
about habit than having a deep relationship with Jesus. And again,
this is about as much as any of us knew,
you know, my mother, myself, you know. This is just
how I knew. I believe in God, and I knew
that you could ask him for things, you know. I
knew to pray over my food. I knew to you know,
(05:18):
go to church on Sundays. I like, I knew those
types of things and I would do them. But I
didn't have this deep rooted.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Faith.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So it really wasn't hard to be fooled into thinking
that you are really a super solid Christian if you
just did some of the habits right, and that's what
I was doing.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
And so there were people that would say, hey, is.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
There somebody on the global football team that wouldn't mind
coming and sharing their faith with with some kids. I
would always be the one chosen to do those kinds
of things. So I would go, you know, I would
go and do these things.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah, t season great Christian, you know, get Tony in
the door, is it? So I'm like, you know, no problem.
I love to teach the kids, you know.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
So I would go and I would look at scriptures
and prepare myself and go tell them everything that they're
supposed to do, you know, watch your language, watch what
you watch on TV, like be careful with that, you know,
you know, don't don't say this, don't do that, and
teaching them all the things that they're supposed to be
doing because they're kids and they need to be careful.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
But I'm on the dow. I kind of know what
I'm doing. The music ain't influencing me, so see.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
I would leave those places and pop in whatever I
wanted to listen to because I didn't think it mattered
that I listened to those things.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I would lust with the best of them, you know,
running around.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
At the parties while I'm out, you know, telling everybody
what they need to do.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
And I'm living it out the best I can.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
For what I knew, there was somebody following me around,
like looking at how I live my life.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
And I'll never forget when he made.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Himself known to me because I'm on my way lunch
and he comes up to me and he says, hey,
I want to study.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Scripture with you.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
And I'm like, the first thing popped through your head
when you think you doing you know, Christianity the way
it's supposed to be done, is you get pride for
I'm just like, uh man, you know, I know how
y'all kind of walk around campus looking for people to
study scripture me. But I'm like, brother, I leave Bible
studies on campus and you know, I read. I'm kind
(07:28):
of cool. You probably want to use that for somebody
who needs that, you know, but I appreciate the offer.
And so finally he saw he wasn't gonna get nowhere
with me, and he's like, look, just what do we
just do one Bible study one on one and I
leave you alone? And all I really heard was I
(07:49):
leave you alone. That excited me. I'm like, all right, well,
I mean if one in my mind, I'm saying to myself,
one Bible study to get rid of this guy.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Perfect, let's do it. In fact, brother Wayne, ain't gotta wait.
We can go tonight. I get your Bible. We can
go tonight. Let's go.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
So that night he came to my room and when
he walked in, he had his Bible in a videotape.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
He just pops the tape in. I sat down in
my bed, I'm watching, and when.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
It comes on to phase in, it just shows Jesus
on the cross getting whipped, like right off the bat.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
It's just a critcifixion sirenactment.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
And I'm watching this and I'm like, okay, and it's
just whip after the whip, and you're seeing, you know,
the agony.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
And then these.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Scriptures start to scroll up in these words, and it's
just saying things like he died for your sins, He
died for the sins of the world, and so many
of us still freely commit these sins. And then you're
seeing scriptures about what it truly means to follow him
and don't come form to the world, and just all
(08:59):
of these different things there just coming up, and I'll
set up here reading scriptures, read about as you Love You,
and he's still getting beat in the background.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
And you've been listening to TC Stalling share his story.
And he starts off talking about where he grew up
and how he grew up in a tough neighborhood where
nobody and his family had ever gone to college. He
wanted to be the first one. He saw football is
his way to do it. He saw football as a
way to get that scholarship and in the end get
(09:28):
to the NFL and take care of his mom. Some
adversity along the way the acts and he failed, not once,
not twice, but three times. But on the fourth time,
well he got what he needed, the score he needed,
and he found himself at Louisville on a full ride.
And then we started to hear about his faith journey.
And of you listening who have one know exactly what
(09:51):
he's talking about. When we come back more of TC's
Stalling story here on our American story and we continue
with our American stories, and with tc stalling story, let's
(10:14):
pick up where we last left off.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Now he let's just play for quite some time and
I'm sitting up here, this big two hundred and eighteen
pound running back, which is humbled.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
I just start crying.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
I mean, I'm like, I just wanted it to end,
you know, and honestly didn't feel like he was necessarily
showing me anything I didn't know.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
But I mean, it's just here I am face to
face with it.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
So when the video ended, he just immediately opened up
his Bible and he just started showing me even more
scriptures about what it truly means to follow Jesus. And
I'm looking at all of them and I'm like, I'm
not doing any of these things.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
You know.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
It's like these scriptures I had seen him before, I
was familiar with him, but they just was I never
went this deep with him to like really draw out
the true meaning, you know, scriptures about the Holy Spirit,
how the Holy Spirit's about to change your life and
lead your life, and all of this is just I'm like, man,
I felt bad. I felt I felt it was bad
in a good kind of way. It just wasn't feeling
(11:11):
good at that time. It's just I felt good to know,
but I felt I felt embarrassed. I'm just I'm overwhelmed
and He's like, you know, Tony, the reason that I
wanted to talk to you is because you know we
all see you around here, you know, start and running
back for Louisville, and people be asking you to come speak,
and you know you you're speaking on behalf of Jesus Christ.
(11:32):
But if people knew what we're talking about right now,
like if they knew what these scriptures.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Said, if they knew what it truly meant to be a.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Christ follower, and to compare that to the life you
live in today, see you as a hypocrite.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Very next morning, I started trying to do everything right.
It was like cold Turkey, be the best Christian you
could ever beat. I feel like I was doing better
before this kid come here and start showing me all
the scriptures, and now it's harder to be a Christian.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Now this is this. I mean this, I hate this,
you know.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
And I was just really upset because it wasn't easy anymore.
And so I'm like, I look at my Bible and
I was like, you know what, let me just. I
just felt compelled to give it another quick read. I'm like,
let me just and I grabbed the Bible and I
opened it up, and I do not think this was
an accident. But I opened it up to First Corinthians,
(12:26):
chapter nine.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Verse twenty four through twenty seven.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
I just started reading right there, and this is where
it says, do you know that in a race, all
the runners run, but only one gets the prize, so
run to win. Each athlete goes into strict training. They
do it to get a crown that would not last,
but we do it to get a.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
Crown that would last forever.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
I sat there and it just hit me like a
ton of bricks.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
I just watched or read.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Rather, I just I just read Paul compare the effort
of an athlete to the effort of a Christian.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
That's all they did right there.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
And he said that the athletes do it for stuff
that won't last, but the Christian is supposed to do
it for a crown that will last forever.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
And I'm like, well, do what This is what I'm
saying to myself as I'm reading the scripture. He said,
going to strict training.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
And that's when I was just blown away by the
next thought that came in my head. And I know
it came from the Lord because I still live by today.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
But if the Lord could speak audibly, like right to me,
this is what I felt like he was saying.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
You sat up here TC and you had a fit
last night because you was failing.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
As a Christian.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
You know, you get mad about what the Holy Spirit
ain't doing and what ain't working, and.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
How's your effort this Louis little team. You will do everything.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
They tell you to do. When it's time to stript train,
you're strength training. When it's time the endurance train, you're
ending train. But what about when it's time to strength
train for me? What about when it's time to endurance
train for me? What about the strict training that I
try to put you through for Louisvillion ever quit for me?
You quit at the drop of a hat. The team
(14:15):
meetings you always there. You skip church today because you
ain't feel like coming and be with me. So, yeah,
you're a great player for the University of Louisville. You
do everything your coach tells you to do. But what
kind of player are you on my team?
Speaker 3 (14:33):
I got all of that from that scripture, and it
was clear to me God has done his part.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
His part is to save me, give me the Holy Spirit,
give me a son, of Jesus Christ. My part is
to follow him, obey him, let him train me into
the type of person I need to be.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
So I started thinking it this way.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit those are my
head coaches. And the game is life and I'm always
playing through a hundred sixty five days a year, twenty
four to seven, and the opponent is Satan.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
And the Bible was my playbook.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
And the question I always ask myself is what kind
of player would Jesus saying.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
I am each and every day? That was life changing
for me.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
So I go to the running backs meeting, and you know,
it's like it always is.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
You know, we we.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Sit down and you know, the jokes started coming out,
and a lot of times inappropriate, and the bad language,
and you know, the small talk and just all this
stuff that I'm now working hard to not be attracted to,
you know, and I'm working on myself.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
And so for me, it's you kind of just gotta
wait till it's over. You know, I'm ducking my head.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
I'm obviously uncomfortable, and you know, the players were noticing
and the coach was noticing. So when the meeting ended,
we were all leaving and we're running back. Coaches to
stop me and wanted to talk to me, and he
was just like, you know, what's the problem. It's like,
you really had a problem today. What's going on? I
told him, after just being pressed to give an answer,
I'm just like, look, God runs my life now, so
(16:14):
whenever we are talking about football and the things that
that can help me grow as a player, I'm all is.
But we started talking about all this other stuff, I
ain't gonna be listening. I don't want nothing to do
with it. And I just that didn't really sit well
with him, and I really think he struggled with the
old me versus that new me. But he hit me
(16:35):
with some words that would stay with me the whole
rest of the day. God might control your life, but
I control the running back rotation. You just remember that
I had a choice of me. This is how I
started to think. So I'm just like, now.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Comes to compromise option in my mind.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
As I sit in my dorm room, I'm like, all
I got to do is laugh at a few little
stupid jokes and just like not make this an issue,
and then everything's good. What's so bad about that? But
remember you know, I'm studying scripture now, and I had
a regular reading habit and praying habit that really meant
(17:17):
something to me. Now, So I'm reading scripture and I
see the Book of Matthew where he's like, if you
deny me before men, I'll deny you before the Father.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
But if you honor me before men, I'll honor you
before the Father. And that just made the decision for me.
There's no way that I'm going to put anything ahead
of honoring Jesus Christ. When I went back to the meeting,
(17:49):
it was pretty much the same meeting that it always is,
and I was the same way that.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
I was before, and you could tell it was just.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Like these like battle lines or because from that point on,
Coach is really kind of gravitated away from me.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
I mean, he never was really all in on it anyway,
but I worked hard.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
And you're listening to TC Stallings telling the story about
the battle between his faith walk and his earthly walk. Again,
for any of you who have a faith walk any kind,
you know exactly what he's talking about. That struggle and
that temptation, and he got that word from his Lord
(18:31):
and that was you never quit for Louisville, But you
quit at the drop of a hat when it comes
to me. God did his part, he realized as he
was reading scripture. My part is to follow him and
to have him train me up. The Bible is my
playbook now and now here he is stuck in a conflict.
(18:53):
The coach essentially says to him, God might control your life,
but I control the running back rotation. Will he compromise,
will he laugh at inappropriate things, things that just don't
work with his spirit anymore?
Speaker 3 (19:07):
Or not?
Speaker 1 (19:08):
And what will the consequences be. We'll find out what
happens next in TC Stalling's life. His faith walk versus
his football walk continues here on our American stories. And
(19:38):
we continue with our American stories and TC Stalling's story.
Let's pick up where we last left off.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
As I watched him support you know, those that kind
of got along with him better, I knew that I
was kind of gonna be on my own, like this
is gonna be the challenge of a lifetime. And here
we are gearing up for the first game of the season.
All I could do is control what I can control,
So I knew he probably would prefer somebody else get
(20:09):
the spot, but I held my own in practice. I
stayed in a position where I wasn't giving up my spot.
And so for this season opener against UK I was
listed as a starter. If I don't.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Play well, my dream is done. Boom we come running
out man, here comes the cargos.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
And I remember I knew I was going to start
the game, and I just wanted to start good and
I felt confident. But things just didn't start out the
way I planned it.
Speaker 5 (20:50):
Off On a third and one man, they give it
to Starlings.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
I'm not sure, I'm not. I think he's gonna be
a little bit shy.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Yeah, it's gonna be close through there, but I think
his knees were over there on the Groundley.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
I was so nervous about the wrong thing I want,
nervous about playing football.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
I was nervous about how much I would play.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
But they switch running backs like right off the back,
and I'm like, here we go.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Here's a draw play. They give it off at thirty two.
That's christ Lester.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
And he gives it to Leicester again, and Lester fights
and looks like he has the first downs.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
Here's Lester again.
Speaker 6 (21:33):
He turned the corner and Lester has another Cardinal first down.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
So now I started to see what we got going here.
Whoever did better in this game was going to be
the starter. So then finally.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
I get in.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
You know, I took the ball and I just made
this quick cut and I and I was going, I
had a nice run.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Here's a give big hole up the middle.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
Twenty seven Tony Stallings, Stallings still on his feet, that
fights his way to the forty three go to effort
by Stallings that time, Nick Setti.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
And I'm starting to and I'm like, yes, I needed that,
Like it was a really really good run.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
Then I get caught off the field before I can
really get warmed up.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
I was like, it's slipping away, it's flipping away.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
And then the rains came.
Speaker 5 (22:39):
And again officials have detected lightning in the area determined
that conditions may be unsaved for the game to continue,
so they've asked everyone to, in an orderly fashion to
return to their bars here at Papa Don's Cardinals Stadium
as the rain really blows in here in a nineteen
to fourteen what we call a suspended game at this
(23:00):
point due to.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Like me, now I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you. I
think to this day that God knew I needed that
storm because it was an hour and fourteen minutes rained
de lay and I didn't even go normally. Everybody like
(23:22):
like everybody goes and meets as a as a group,
like the running basket, go to running backs, to wide receivers,
go to wide receivers. They say, I didn't even go.
I went straight to the bathroom and I was in
there by myself, and I'll.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Never forget this. Man.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
I started to look into the mirror, waters dripping down
and sweat, and I just I'm just looking at myself
and I'm just like, what are you doing? And I
just started to pray. If I have to give up
my starting position to show that I have full faith
(23:58):
in you, that your first place in my life, that's fine.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
I get that.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Like if I'm a loser, let me lose. But let
me go out there and play the way I know
I can play. I'm nervous, I'm scared, I'm looking.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
On my sholder.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
I just want to stop that. Just let me do
what I know I can do. And if you want
to take this away from me, you take it. Just
give me peace.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Just let me play the way.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
I know I can play, and I'm just sitting here
just like begging and pleading in this mirror, and honestly
is just like the movies, man, where I just started
to feel a sense of peace, like I really don't
starting to feel it, and I felt like if I
really go out there and just have this piece, that's faith.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Next thing. I know that was yelling for everybody.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
That's how to go back out our fourteen minutes, and
I needed every minute. So yeah, I didn't think it
mean I was gonna go out there and crush it,
but that's kind of what it started to happen.
Speaker 6 (25:05):
Here's the gift to Stallin dalling inside the twenty s
to the ten to the nine yard line.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
First carry, I'm gone straight up the middle, gone, put
some moves on, gone long run. And now when I
get up normally, after I play like that, I get
pulled out the game and the other running back come in.
Coach called the same play again. I hit it again, boom,
straight up through there. Hey almost scored. They call my
play again. I mean, this is a dream. Every single
(25:34):
play was to me this series.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
I got that ball, I ran straight ahead, ran.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Into the defensive end, carried that boy in the end
zone and scored his touch down.
Speaker 5 (25:49):
Metal League loud Will trying to take the lead for
the first time, stall In touch down.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
And I just remember going straight down on my knees
and I start thanking God.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
And I knew they were gonna keep rotating because I
know that, you know, coach would want his guy to
do well. An he got in, he did okay, But
when I got in, it was the same thing. I
get the ball, it's the same stuff. I'm just relentless.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
And they handed off up the middle pick hole for Starlings.
Speaker 6 (26:21):
Starlings still on his feet to the twenty Dolans.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
To the twentieth yard line. I was running like I
was possessed.
Speaker 6 (26:31):
Yeah, the Stallings Starlin's trying to get outside starline for
the thirty three first down are Dosage Staline.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
I think everybody knows I could run the ball. Now
I'm over one hundred yards. You know, I got a touchdown.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
It don't even matter what the other guy does right now,
because the game's tied.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
Now we're going back and forth. We're going in overtime.
So now.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
It's crazy because I go and get my helmet and
the other running back with to get his too, and
so like, because we don't know who's going in. We've
been rotating all night pretty much fifty to fifty. When
my running back coach says, stallings you in. I can't
describe how I was feeling when I heard it, cause
I'm just I knew that could have win anyway, and
(27:22):
I know there was gonna run the ball, and now
I'm going in. This is the group that's gonna have
an opportunity to beat Kentucky. And I can see this
planning this day, like right now, I'll never forget this day.
Came to the huddle and he said, let's go. Tony
ace Wright twenty four counter ready break and.
Speaker 6 (27:45):
After an hour at fourteenth minute range delay, we have
had a trumpet his blue grass battle.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
Bat you by branch you.
Speaker 6 (27:54):
Up to stall and staring take the battle, start.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
Go stwhere we picked the right cheap player of the game.
Speaker 6 (28:07):
Little did we know pandemonium in the ends on Tony stalling.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
But now you know the story behind the run. It's
a story I've been wanting to tell for a long time,
but I needed to tell.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
It the way the Lord wanted me.
Speaker 7 (28:21):
To tell it to where the focus won't be on football.
It won't be on me, it won't be on no coaches,
it won't be on Louisville, it won't be on UK.
It'll be about Jesus Christ, the piece that he provides
and a plan to hear half of your life.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
If you just willing to trust.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
And a terrific job and the editing, production and storytelling
by our own Greg Hangler and a special Thanks Division
video for this story. To learn more about TC, check
out his website at Tcstallings dot life TC Stallings dot life.
And what a story you heard about the run of
(29:06):
his life and what was behind it and the run
he's still running because in the end, that's what he learned.
He put his priorities in the right place in the end,
and that's all it is. Again, anyone going through any
faith walk knows that priority and when they get out
of line, well things go wrong for you. And for him,
it was just his football in the flesh versus what
God wants from him. And when he got that aligned properly,
(29:30):
it unleashed his performance on the field because he put
God first. It was just that simple. He put God
first in football second. And for any of you struggling
with that priority. If your believers and again whatever your belief,
well you know, take solaceon take inspiration from the story
in the end, because what he wasn't looking for was
his coach's approval or even those fans approval in the end,
(29:52):
but just God's and the rest are care of itself.
We love to tell these faith stories on the show
because so many of you listening care and take seriously
your walk with God. The story of T. C. Stallings
his famous run, the story behind that run here on
our American Stories
Host
Lee Habeeb
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