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Today's Christian, May/June 2001
"Don't Wait As Long As I Did"
Ty Cobb's last words weren't about baseball
by John R. Richardson
On July 17, 1961, Tyrus Raymond Cobb, the "Georgia Peach," played his last inning. At the age of 74, he died from cancer in an Atlanta hospital.
Ty Cobb was known as a rough character. Yet he mellowed considerably the older he got. In May 1961 he was admitted to Atlanta's Emory University Hospital. As pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, I was encouraged to visit Ty by a mutual friend, Charles W. Outlaw.
On that first visit, Ty wasn't up to talking. He asked if we'd come back later. I quickly read a passage of Scripture and prayed for his welfare.
Two days later I returned to find that the Holy Spirit had been working in his heart. I explained God's plan of salvation and the need for repentance. He replied that he wished to put his complete trust in Christ. On subsequent visits Ty was eager to talk about Jesus Christ.
Two days before his death, I paid my last call. "I feel the strong arms of God underneath me," Ty said. "It is wonderful to be able to pray. Tell folks they should not wait as I did, until a crisis comes, before they learn how."
Ty never once mentioned baseball to me. His mind was focused on his faith in the God who made him and redeemed him through his Son.
This article first appeared in its entirety in the May 1962 issue of Decision, published by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
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