Once a generation, an athlete is born with skill and prowess that is both unprecedented and unparalleled; a sportsman so gifted, so talented that simply to behold this champion at his sport is to feel as though you are in the presence of a god.

Sometimes the world we live in is a just one and these heroes are recognized. Sometimes they are celebrated. More often then not, they are unheralded.

And so it is with Steve Safford.

Born into an average suburban family, Steve Safford's peers did not realize the majestic combination of talent, instinct and brute force this young man possessed. A natural athlete, Safford played baseball, soccer, and swam competitively throughout his education. Then there came a day when the planets aligned and young Steve Safford was introduced to a sport like none other. A sport that inspired him and seemed created specifically for one with his god-given abilities.

That sport was Animalball.

Like all athletes who compete on the Animalball field, Safford found the sport to be frustrating, exhausting, complex... and wonderful. Nothing was nearly so satisfying as pitting himself against his challengers to wrestle possession of a precious red football while trying to swim one length of a standard-sized swimming pool. Even though Safford quickly attained a spot as one of the top-ranked competitors in the sport, he was driven by the same elusive goal which drove all Animalball players. He could not help but strive for that one benchmark that had never been achieved- NAY! That they said couldn't be achieved. But Steve Safford never lost that fire in his eyes for that lofty, perfect goal: he wanted to score a point.

Steve struggled (along with the rest of humanity) to reach that goal for several years. Sadly he, and anyone who chanced to play the game, discovered it was impossible to score a point by dragging that infernal red ball from one end of the pool to the other.

One day, during a fierce game of Animalball, the waters parted and Safford broke free of his opponents and began to pull away from the shallow end of the pool. His breath searing his lungs he almost gave up as he felt the bottom of the pool fall away, knowing he now faced the long, lonely swim across the vast expanse of the Deep End. But he gathered his courage and soldiered on, determined to finally realize his dream. At last his perseverance was rewarded and Safford felt the hard tile of the pool's far edge. He knew then he had finally accomplished what no one had ever believed possible.

He had scored the first and last point ever recorded in Animalball history.

And so today we salute you, Steve Safford. Know that in our hearts and minds, you will always be an

Animalball Legend