Cal Kicker Learns Dependence on God Through Football

On Friday mornings, you can typically find Giorgio Tavecchio nursing a cappuccino at Caffe Strada, located just across the street from the University of California campus in Berkeley. He admittedly has been in love with the coffee drink since before birth, and the ambiance and outdoor shaded seating at Strada has an added appeal.

But the real draw for Tavecchio is attending “Jesus and Coffee” at the café as part of the Athletes in Action group at Cal. There, he gets to dive in the Bible and learn more about Jesus with friends.

The weekly coffee gathering is just part of Tavecchio’s involvement in the primarily student-led AIA group at Cal as well as the community. He also attends the weekly Bible study for the football team; attends the AIA meetings regularly; helps with the AIA sandwich giveaways; mentors a student at a local elementary school; and participates in clothing drives and serving at soup kitchens with his family.

“I realized how much I failed God”

During the fall semesters, that has been more of a challenge as Tavecchio balances his schoolwork and service around practices and games for Cal’s Golden Bear football squad, for which he serves as place kicker. And that role has not only called for a lot of flexibility on Tavecchio’s part but also been instrumental in growing his faith in Christ.

“I grew up in a common American household and went to church every Sunday with my mom. In high school I lived a cookie-cutter lifestyle and wasn’t challenged that much,” says Tavecchio, who was born in Milan, Italy, but has lived in America for the better part of his life, most recently in Moraga, Calif. “But I don’t think I really committed to bringing Christ into my life until about halfway through my first semester (at Cal). I realized then how much I failed God and needed to trust Him.”

That trust came after the pressures of collegiate football began to wear on the freshman walk-on. But getting to that point would be a challenge as well. Tavecchio played soccer from childhood and only started focusing attention on kicking a football his senior year in high school. He sent a video to various colleges and got no bites initially. He placed numerous calls to California, each time getting a “no” answer. Then just after graduation, he got an offer to walk-on at Cal. He jumped at the chance.

“There were other kickers they could have used, so I saw that as God having His hand in getting me to Cal,” he says.

Under “a whole new pressure”

Within a few months, the curly headed Italian was on campus, practicing with the Bears. He got some time at kickoffs, carrying an expectation those first few weeks of getting cut from the squad. Instead, he ended up starting at kickoffs for a few games, which he saw as a blessing but now isn’t sure he was really ready. After Cal’s regular kicker was injured, Tavecchio got the call for field goal duty, which he says “added a whole new pressure to the game.”

The pressure started wearing on Tavecchio, who says his mood swung with the outcome of each practice or game. Finally, a friend at Cal who was involved with AIA encouraged him to focus his talent on glorifying God on the field and playing for an Audience of One. He began attending AIA meetings and learning more about how faith and sport can intersect.

It was then he realized he had plenty of knowledge about God but no relationship with the Creator, and until he put his faith completely in Him, he would continue to be battered by the storms of life. The foundation of faith began to solidify as the next years would present more challenges.

“I could really trust God in that situation”

He shared kicking duties his sophomore year, then earned the starting job his junior season. Things were looking up, and Tavecchio says he felt God was pouring out blessings as he was growing in faith. Turns out it was the calm before another storm. Toward the end of the season in a game against Oregon, he lined up for a simple 24-yard field goal but jumped before the snap, earning a penalty. On the re-kick, he missed the goal. Though the game wasn’t over yet, Cal ended up losing by a small margin. That kick would have made the difference.

“I got a lot of flack for that, and I got angry about it,” he recalls. “I felt bad for my team because I let them down. But now I think God allowed that in my life to truly depend on Him. I felt I could really trust God in that situation and I knew who had my best interest at heart. I had to remember that it’s not all about my football playing on the field.”

His playing hasn’t been so bad, though. As he leaves Cal, he is fifth on the school’s all-time scoring list and was named Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week twice in his career. In any case, Tavecchio says his life now is marked by dependence, trusting God to get him through any situation.

“That takes the pressure off me. Whatever happens on the field is going to happen. If I trust in God, I will never be disappointed,” he says. “From a kicking perspective, you are exposed and isolated out there. I think it’s a perfect symbol for me. Once I kick that ball, it’s out of my control. In the same way, I can only control my life to a certain extent. I can do everything I can but at some point, it’s up to God to get me through every situation.”

“My purpose here is not just football”

Tavecchio finds himself relying more on the Lord as his playing career ends and he nears graduation in May 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in political economy. But he knows the things he has learned about Jesus through Athletes in Action will serve him well no matter what the future holds.

“What I’ve learned has made me into a better person and has drawn me closer to God. My purpose here is not just football. I have the confidence that I feel loved, He can get me through life, and not to trust in my own capabilities.”

Read Giorgio’s Beyond the Ultimate testimony by clicking here.

By Teresa Young, AIA Communications

Photo by Michael Pimentel/GoldenBearSports.com

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