Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow (pron.: /ˈtiːboʊ/; born August 14, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and appearing on BCS National Championship-winning teams in the 2006 and 2008 seasons. After graduating, he was drafted by the Denver Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He is a dual threat quarterback, adept at both rushing and passing. Many football players and observers have said that they "have never seen anything like" his unorthodox quarterback skills and frequent demonstrations of religious devotion.^[1][2][3]

Tebow played quarterback for Allen D. Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and was ranked among the top quarterback prospects in the nation as a high school senior.^[4] He chose to attend the University of Florida, where he played for the Florida Gators football team. As a backup and situational quarterback,^[5] Tebow helped the Gators win the national championship during the2006 college football season. Tebow was the Gators' starting quarterback during the 2007 season when he became the first college sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.^[6]

In 2008, Tebow led Florida to a 13–1 record and its second national championship in three years, and was named the offensive MVP of the national championship game. The Gators again went 13–1 in 2009, his senior year. At the conclusion of his college career, he held the Southeastern Conference's all-time records in both career passing efficiency and total rushing touchdowns, appearing second and tenth (respectively) in the NCAA record book in these categories.^[7] He was selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He started the last three games ofhis rookie season and became the Broncos' full-time starting quarterback beginning in the 6th game of 2011. The team was 1–4 before he became the starter but began winning with him on the field, often coming from behind late in the 4th quarter until they won their first AFC West title and first playoff game since 2005, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime.^[8] Denver was subsequently eliminated from playoff contention a week later by the New England Patriots.^[8] Despite his successes, Tebow was traded to the New York Jets during the offseason after the Broncos aggressively pursued and acquired free agent quarterback Peyton Manning.^[9]

Tebow is known for sharing his Christian faith with fans and in clinics, hospitals, market places, schools, and orphanages.^[10][11]