Thank Goodness for Danny Wuerffel

Gator Bill · Dec 25, 2012

I have to post this about one of my favorite Gators.

I say one of my favorite Gators and not favorite Gator football player, because he is so much more than just a great football player.

He was in New York a few weeks ago for the Heisman Trophy presentation, and marveled at this year's winner, Texas A&M freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel.

"He's an impressive young man," Danny Wuerffel said.

Has it really been 16 years since Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman and led Florida to its first national championship?

Here was an impressive young man — who stayed that way.

Thank goodness for Danny.

He's 38 and still a point of light. He's still out there, all Christian mission and charitable work, an All-American still giving his all.

Wuerffel spoke Thursday at the St. Petersburg kickoff luncheon for tonight's Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl. He has less hair than he did in his playing days, but nothing has changed his soft voice or quiet strength. It fills even the largest banquet room.

Thank goodness for Danny.

Seven years ago, Hurricane Katrina made landfall. When the levees in New Orleans failed, there went Danny Wuerffel's home, everything destroyed, and there went the headquarters of Desire Street Ministries, where he helped reach out to people in New Orleans' already desperate Ninth Ward.

"So many people lost so much more," Wuerffel said.

Desire Street Ministries is back, going strong and growing, in New Orleans and in cities across the Southeast. Wuerffel is now Desire's director. He lives near the non-profit's Atlanta headquarters with his wife and three children.

Before the Sugar Bowl between his Gators and Louisville, he'll host a brunch at a new multipurpose building being built in the Ninth Ward "right on the site of where we once were," Wuerffel said. He smiled.

Thank goodness for Danny.

It was never all about the football, not in any sense.

"It's the sense that all of us have dignity and worth, we're all created in the image of God. But some neighborhoods, for a lot of complicated reasons, are really struggling. My heart, and our mission, is to love our neighbors and make tough places a little better."

Wuerffel's message Thursday to Ball State and Central Florida players, to everyone in the room, was simple:

It's not about you.

"It's about your time and how you can invest in others," Wuerffel said.

A year and half ago, he climbed out of bed, but nearly fell. His knees were weak. Later, his hands went numb.

Wuerffel was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that can cause paralysis. His nervous system was under attack. He recovered, and his prognosis is good, but it was a struggle. He's easily fatigued. It's a battle every day.

"It was really an intense few months on the front end," Wuerffel said. "My body was beginning to shut down. I was beginning to have paralysis in the legs and hands. I was able to stand, but it was really difficult to walk even a few steps. As I began to recover, I had to stay sedentary. Picture a woman on bed rest, complete bed rest, for a couple of months.

"There were times it was frightening. I was helpless. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't play with my children. I didn't have the strength. Most challenges in life, as a man, an athlete, a competitor, you try to overcome it, go around it or over it. But there are things you can't control. Even after Katrina, there were things I could do, people I could help. This was different."

That's where his faith came in.

A week ago, Wuerffel was tested again. We all were. Sandy Hook Elementary: Those babies became our babies. Wuerffel and his wife, Jessica, have two sons. Jonah is 9, Joshua is 6. Their sister Macy is 4.

"There is a lot of brokenness and pain and evil," Wuerffel said. "This is something that transcends our ability to have a simple answer. Things happen in this world. ... Storms come. We have this hope and expectation, especially in America, that it will go well, that we deserve to be safe and happy. When a struggle comes, it's not just the pain, it's the broken expectation.

"God doesn't take the storm from his children. He doesn't save you from the storm. He saves you in the storm."

He played football catch with his oldest son Saturday. Jonah is just becoming interested. His father doesn't push.

"He's never seen me play," Danny Wuerffel said. "We're thinking about finding a tape so he can see me in a game. We just haven't gotten around to it."

Thank goodness for Danny.
Click to expand...

Thank Goodness for Danny Wuerffel

Terry O'Keefe · Dec 25, 2012

Danny clearly has success beyond anything he did on the football field. I hope he makes a full recovery! Thanks for sharing.

Log in or Sign up

Thank Goodness for Danny Wuerffel

Gator Bill Well-Known Member Administrator

Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

Members

Useful Searches