David beats Goliath again - TCU beats Wisconsin on behalf of the little guys

Rose Bowl Quarterback Quotes Scripture After Win

TCU QB Peter Dalton says all the right things after his team's big win. But it's obvious from some of his prior experiences (as noted in the two stories linked below) leading up to last night that he has been walking the walk as well as talking the talk even when it may not have been so easy to do so. Thank God for live TV.

1 Peter 5:6 (NIV)
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/26/3281760/faith-has-made-tcu-quarterback.html#ixzz19pvh9sSP

http://blackchristiannews.com/news/2010/12/texas-christian-university-qb-andy-dalton-says-faith-has-made-him-the-leader-he-is.html

---

Another verse from the bible has stayed with Dalton ever since he heard former Texas quarterback Major Applewhite repeat it after winning the Holiday Bowl in 2001: "Humble yourself and under God's mighty hand he will exult you in due time."

"That's been something I've taken and made part of my character," Dalton said. "The most rewarding thing for me is people coming up and thanking me for being a great character guy for their kids; for being a class act off the field. That is the kind of person I want to be. It's very fulfilling."

----

The 78th Psalm ends with a tribute to King David: "He (led) them with the integrity of his heart and the skillfulness of his hands."


It's a passage that Greg Dalton instilled in his son, long before Andy Dalton threw his first touchdown pass at TCU.

Andy Dalton, 23, grew up in a family of strong faith and unconditional love. His unwavering Christianity has only strengthened as he's gotten older. It has provided an inspiration to carry him honorably on and off the football field during a record-shattering career.

------

But Dalton will not only leave a massive football legacy behind at TCU, he'll leave a spiritual mark as well.

Along with 10 other TCU students, he helped create Ignite, a weekly nondenominational gathering. The first Monday meeting was held April 5, which happened to fall on the same day of the NCAA men's basketball championship. The group wasn't sure if anyone would attend.

"Lord, if it's just us in here, it's OK," Dalton recalled the group praying just before the doors of the Brown-Lupton University Union Ballroom opened that night. "He placed it on our hearts to do something like this. And we walked in there and the place was packed. We had around 400 people the first night."

-----

TCU center Jake Kirkpatrick, a frequent attendee of Ignite meetings, and Dalton's former roommate, said the quarterback has always been comfortable in his own skin.
"His faith plays a major part in his life, and everything he does revolves around it," Kirkpatrick said. "He has views and morals he sticks to. That's why he's such a leader on this team. I think it shows on the field."

For much of his TCU career, Dalton has been blessed with many highs and few lows. Since his sophomore year, he has lost only three games, the last coming in the Fiesta Bowl in January. Dalton threw a season-high three interceptions, one of which was returned 51 yards for a touchdown, and the Frogs lost to Boise State, 17-10.

"You might find this strange, but I think the Fiesta Bowl was one of his greatest games," Greg Dalton said. "Things were not going right. Watching him continue to battle in the midst of adversity; if everything is just always going our way it's easy to be nice. But to watch him during that game and talk to him afterward, to see him shoulder blame for the team, I thought that was really kind of cool and the right thing to do."

The loss has been a personal motivator for Dalton to help lead TCU back to the BCS Promised Land.

----
Congratulations to TCU and Peter Dalton, way to represent your team(s) well.