In December 1994 syndicated columnist Bob Greene told the inspiring story of Rob Mouw.
Rob played on the soccer team in his senior year at Wheaton Christian High School. In the final seconds of a big game against favored Waubonsie Valley, with his team behind by one goal,
Rob was dribbling the ball in front of him, running at full speed toward the opponent’s goal.
Just before he shot the ball, though, he caught sight of the scoreboard. The clock read 00.00. But like any good athlete, Rob shot the ball anyway, and it went in for a goal. The referee signaled that the goal counted, and the game finished in a tie.
The Wheaton fans cheered. The Waubonsie Valley fans cried that time had run out. Bob had a choice to make. He could say nothing and avoid a loss. After all, it was the referee’s job to decide the calls, not his. Or Rob could do what was right.
Rob asked the referee whether the official time was kept on scoreboard or the referee’s stopwatch. The referee said the scoreboard time was official and then ran off the field. Rob went
to his coaches and explained that just before his kick, he had seen zeros on the scoreboard clock. Since he hadn’t heard a whistle, he kept playing. But his goal was late, and he didn’t think it should count.
His coaches agreed, and so they went over
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