Brett Favre, the lion-hearted quarterback for the Green Bay Packers is one of the time proven players in the National Football League. He s courageous, tough-minded, and persistent, often showing a rare grace under pressure, yet his boyish enthusiasm for the game is infectious as he celebrates each Packers success.

A couple of Sundays ago (Sept. 30), Brett threw a pass that set a new record: the most touchdown passes by an NFL quarterback 421.

Although the Pack was playing in Minnesota, the officials temporarily stopped the game in order to honor Brett s achievement. And Brett, in his customary humility, later said he was more interested in a team win than an individual record.

In surprising contrast, the very next week (Oct. 8, 2007) Brett tied another record: the most interceptions thrown by an NFL quarterback 277. This game also was stopped after this record was achieved, but only because the interception ended the Packers last-second attempt to win the game.

The most touchdown passes and the most interceptions! It reminds me that there was a time when Babe Ruth, the baseball player who was one of the greatest hitters in the game, owned two records simultaneously: the most home runs hit in a career as well as the most strike-outs in a career.

We can learn from these men, and others like them that one should never stop reaching for new goals merely because there are temporary setbacks and failures we encounter. The year before Bret s records the Packers had a dismal record with many calling for his retirement, but Bret refused to give up. Thankfully he didn t or we would have never witnessed the greatest passer of all time.

– Gene Bedley