Wellington T. Mara: RIP
 
Earlier today, the National Football League said goodbye to Wellington Mara, a giant in professional football and a staunch pro-lifer. In 1999 the National Right to Life Educational Trust Fund gave Mr. Mara its Proudly Pro-Life Award.
 
Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Mara was the inspiration behind Life Athletes. Following the team's victory in Super Bowl XXI, Mara brought together six of his beloved Giants to appear in the video "Champions for Life."
(See below--and www.lifeathletes.org)
 
I did not know the man personally, but over the years I have read countless stories attesting to his integrity, modesty, and deep devotion to his family and the team. A story that came across the wires today attests to the esteem in which the 89-year-old Mr. Mara was held: "The presence of NFL coaches from around the league, just two days before their Sunday games spoke volumes about the level of regard for Mara."
 
If I may, I'd like to share with you the story I wrote just prior to the 1999 Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinner.
 
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Wellington Mara: A Humble Champion of Unborn Babies

When Wellington Mara, president and co-chief executive officer of the New York Football Giants team, accepts the sixth annual Proudly Pro-Life Award from the National Right to Life Educational Trust Fund, he will join an elite group of recipients that includes Mother Teresa, Mrs. Arthur DeMoss, Rep. Chris Smith, Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Virgil Dechant, and Pope John Paul II. Mr. Mara, a commanding figure in the sports world and a stout defender of unborn babies, will accept his award April 21 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

According to Chris Godfrey, president of Life Athletes, Mr. Mara richly deserves the acknowledgment.

"Mr. Mara combines concern, compassion for others, and courage" - - a willingness to do what's right even when that is not popular," Godfrey told NRL News.

"When people get successful, they often get protective," Godfrey said, "They are unwilling to take a stand that people might disagree with." Not so with Mr. Mara, whom Godfrey described as a genuinely humble man as well as supporter, friend, and collaborator in Life Athletes.

In fact, Godfrey gives the credit for the creation of Life Athletes to Mr. Mara, for whom Godfrey played football for nine years.

Following the Giants' victory in Super Bowl XXI, Mara brought together six of his players to appear in the video Champions for Life. With his continued guidance and support, Life Athletes has grown to include over 200 professional and Olympic athletes who teach and inspire young people.
Godfrey explained that Life Athletes, now 10 years old, has reached a "critical mass" of world-class athletes. "It's not about numbers," he said. "What Life Athletes is about is getting in front of our audience - - young people - - who look up to and revere great athletes."

Not that one has to be a superstar to be a Life Athlete. The organization is for anyone who is willing to commit to its core principles which include respect for life, "especially the unborn and the aged."

Godfrey put it this way: "Talent is God-given, but your heart is something that grows out of the choices that you make in life.

"You might not have a Michael Jordan-size talent but you can have a Michael Jordan-size heart - - or bigger." That, he said, is what Life Athletes is all about.

Godfrey said Life Athletes reaches young people primarily through sports camps and by providing material to athletes that they can weave into their own presentations to young people. A schedule can be found on the Life Athletes web site at www.lifeathletes.org - - or you can write to Life Athletes, 400 Plaza Building, 210 S. Michigan, South Bend, IN 46601.

Godfrey said that the Life Athletes' Commitment is personified in the life Mr. Mara lives. "He has long been active in bettering the lives of others, especially the young," Godfrey said. "Such compassion finds a natural home in the pro-life movement."