A Football Lesson in Life from Wrong-Way Riegels

Stepping into a new year always invites reflection. As you look back on last year, was it a year of gladness, or did it carry more sorrow, struggle, or regret? It can help to ask not only how the year felt to you, but also how it looked from God’s perspective. Were there moments when you clearly sought to glorify Him, yet other moments when you knew you fell short? If we are honest, we will admit that we fall short of God’s standards every day in what we think, say, and do.  Yet God, in His great love, forgives us and encourages us to keep moving forward, running the race to the finish line. 

At Reasons for Hope* Jesus, there has long been an emphasis on “rightly remembering” – not only recalling the facts of what happened, but also how we respond to those memories in light of Christ. Rightly remembering means seeing circumstances from a biblical worldview and knowing that Jesus has been with us in every situation, in good times and in difficult times. Jesus is present when we walk in obedience and when we wander away.  He is always convicting, correcting, and calling us back to Himself by grace. That is why the story of Roy Riegels still resonates almost a century later.

Roy “Wrong Way” Riegels (April 4, 1908–March 26, 1993) 

From 1927 to 1929, Roy Riegels played for the University of California-Berkeley Golden Bears football team. At the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1929, the Golden Bears faced the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. In the second quarter, Riegels picked up a Georgia Tech fumble 30 yards from the Yellow Jackets’ end zone.  In the chaos of the play, he got turned around—and took off running 69 yards in the wrong direction.

His teammate and quarterback, Benny Lom, chased him down, screaming for him to stop. Lom finally caught Riegels at their own 3-yard line and tried to turn him around, but a wave of Georgia Tech players tackled Riegels back to the 1-yard line. The Bears tried to punt from deep in their own end zone, but the kick was blocked for a safety, giving Georgia Tech a 2-0 lead. They would ultimately win the game 8-7.

Riegels was devastated. At halftime, he reportedly told his coach, “I’ve ruined you, I’ve ruined myself, I’ve ruined the University of California. I couldn’t face that crowd to save my life.”

His coach, Nibs Price, simply replied, “Roy, get up and go back out there—the game is only half over.”  And Roy did. He returned to the field and played a stellar second half, even blocking a Georgia Tech punt.

An Example of Perseverance

Riegels’ life became an example of strength, determination, and perseverance—showing how to learn from failure, then get up and get going!

Despite the nationwide mockery that followed, Riegels went on to live a normal life, serving in the military during World War II, coaching high school and college football, and running his own chemical company. He even capitalized on his blunder, parodying the now-famous run in vaudeville acts. The opening sequence of the 1929 Frank Capra movie “Flight” is based on Riegels and uses photographs of him.  

In 1957, Riegels wrote to Jan Bandringa, a football player at Paramount High School.  Bandringa had intercepted a pass only to run it 55 yards into his own end zone, resulting in a safety for Centennial High and their 9-7 win.  Riegels wrote, “For many years I’ve had to go along and laugh whenever my wrong-way run was brought up, even though I’ve grown tired listening and reading about it. But it certainly wasn’t the most serious thing in the world. I regretted doing it, even as you do, but you’ll get over it.”

Your Game Isn’t Over

Maybe this past year has felt like a “wrong-way run” for you. Perhaps you made decisions you regret, experienced public or private humiliation, or just felt like your energy was misdirected. The message of the gospel is that your game is not over. You can get up. You can turn around.

Scripture calls you to do this with a specific mindset. Hebrews 12:1–2 urges believers:

… lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Roy Riegels had to fix his eyes on the game still in front of him to overcome his shame. As followers of Christ, we have something infinitely greater: Jesus Himself. He bore our sin and shame so that no “wrong-way run” would have the final word over our lives.

A New Year, A Fresh Direction 

As a new year begins, this is a wise moment to pause. Take time to remember where God met you over the last twelve months—where He carried you in weakness, corrected you in error, sustained you in hardship, and forgave you of sin. With honest repentance where needed, trusting faith in Jesus, and sincere gratitude for God’s faithfulness, ask God to help you “run” the coming year with a renewed focus. The game, so to speak, is not over, and as coach Nibs told Roy Riegels, “get up and go back out there.”

The Christian life is like a long-distance race that God Himself has mapped out for each of His children. It requires throwing off whatever weighs you down, turning from sin, and moving forward with steady perseverance—all the while keeping your gaze fixed on Jesus. That does not mean ignoring past failures or pretending their impact is small; it means bringing both your best moments and your worst “wrong-way runs” to the cross and receiving Christ’s forgiveness.

The Question Before You Now

So the real question for this new year is not whether you have ever gone the wrong direction—you have, just like everyone else. The question is whether you will remain on the bench in shame or rise in faith to keep running the race God has set before you.

As a new calendar page turns, slow down, look back honestly, and then look forward with hope. Remember where God has already met you. Then, lifting your eyes to Jesus, trust His grace and let Him lead every step you take in the year ahead. When you do that, you’ll move forward in the right direction.    

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Quotes from the 1929 Rose Bowl

“Coach, I can’t do it. I’ve ruined you, I’ve ruined myself, I’ve ruined the University of California. I couldn’t face that crowd to save my life.”  “Roy, get up and go back out there — the game is only half over.”—Halftime exchange between Riegels and head coach Nibs Price

“For many years, I’ve had to go along and laugh whenever my wrong-way run was brought up, even though I’ve grown tired of listening and reading about it. But it certainly wasn’t the most serious thing in the world. I regretted doing it, even as you do, but you’ll get over it.”—Letter from Riegels to Paramount High School’s Jan Bandringa in 1957. Bandringa had intercepted a pass only to run it 55 yards into his own end zone, resulting in a safety for Centennial High, who won the game 9-7. (1)

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Riegels