BCS National Championship: Tim Tebow a shining example for homeschooled athletes

→Jason Taylor, Washington Redskins: The All-Pro defensive end was homeschooled in Pittsburgh but played football for Woodland Hills High School. That helped him land a football scholarship at the University of Akron before being selected in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft.

→Tim Tebow, Florida Gators: Because of the Craig Dickinson Act, Tebow was allowed by Florida law to play football for Nease High School in Jacksonville. That led to a scholarship at Florida, a national title in 2006 and a Heisman Trophy in 2007.

→Katie Hoff, Olympic swimmer: With the exception of fourth grade, she was homeschooled throughout her life. That flexible schedule came in handy with high-level competitive swimming, which climaxed with a silver and two bronzes last summer in Beijing.

→Pat Venditte, Staten Island Yankees: Homeschooled in Omaha, Neb., the pitcher walked on at Creighton and became a YouTube sensation. Being ambidextrous, he’s able to pitch with either hand. He was drafted last year by the Yankees and had 23 saves in the minors.

BY JENNI CARLSON

BCS national championship

→Who: No. 1 OU vs. No. 2 Florida

→When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday

→Where: Dolphin Stadium, Miami

→TV: FOX (Cox 12)