Reporter: THE CHICAGO

BEARS' DEFENSE HAS BEEN

RANKED AMONG THE TOP IN THE

NFL.

DEFENSIVELINEMAN, ISRAEL,

HAS PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE.

HEA BEAST ON THE FIELD,

AND A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN

OFF OF IT.

WE MET WITH ISRAEL AT HIS

FACILITY WHICH PRODUCES AND

DISTRIBUTES PRE-COMMUNION

CUPS.

AND HIS PROMISE TO GOD EVERY

STEP OF THE WAY.

I PRAYED TO GOD, I DON'T

KNOW WHAT IS COMING, WHAT

THE FUTURE HOLDS, BUT IF YOU

COULD JUST PROVIDE A WAY FOR

THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WORK

OUT, I'M GOING TO COMMIT MY

LIFE AND CONTINUE TO DO

EVERYTHING AND USE ALL OF MY

RESOURCES TO CHANGE THE

WORLD AROUND ME FOR THE

BETTER.

Reporter: BUT HIS

JOURNEY TO THE NFL WASN'T

EASY.

HE CAME FROM MANITOBA,

CANADA, NOT EXACTLY AN NFL

HOTBED.

WHEN HE FINALLY HAD A

TRYOUT, MOST OF THE NFL

TEAMS DIDN'T SHOW UP DUE TO

A SARS EPIDEMIC.

THE CLEVELAND BROWNS SIGNED

HIM, BUT HE HURT HIS ANKLE

AND WAS RELEASED.

IT SEEMED AT THE TIME THAT

HIS DREAM OF PLAYING IN THE

NFL WAS OVER.

YOUR DISAPPOINTED, AND IT

IS EASY TO GO INTO HIDING.

WHICH IS WHAT I DID.

Reporter: ISRAEL WAS

EMBARRASSED, AND THOUGHT HIS

CAREER WAS OVER BEFORE IT

BEGAN.

HE STARTED FEELING SORRY FOR

HIMSELF, BUT ADVICE FROM HIS

MOTHER SET HIM ON THE RIGHT

PATH.

MY MOTHER CAME TO ME AND

WAS, LIKE, YOU CAN'T JUST

SIT IN THIS ROOM.

AN OPPORTUNITY IS GOING TO

COME.

IF YOU JUST SIT THERE, WHEN

IT COMES, YOU'RE NOT GOING

TO BE READY.

YOU NEED TO WORK OUT AND GET

YOURSELF READY, SO WHEN THAT

DOOR OPENS, YOU'RE READY TO

WALK THROUGH IT.

Reporter: ISRAEL

LISTENED TO HIS MOTHER AND

GOT BACK INTO THE GYM TO

TRAIN.

SHORTLY AFTER, HE WAS

OFFERED A ONE-WEEK CONTRACT

FROM THE CHICAGO BEARS TO

TRY OUT FOR THE TEAM.

I'VE BEEN IN CHICAGO,

I'VE BEEN ON ONE OF THE

GREATEST NFL TEAMS,

YOU KNOW, FOR THE LAST 10

YEARS.

IT HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE

EXPERIENCE.

FROM THIS EXPERIENCE HERE IN

CHICAGO, BEING A PART OF

THIS FAMILY, THE CHICAGO

BEARS, THE OPPORTUNITIES

THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO

EXPERIENCE AND ALL OF THE

THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE

TO ACHIEVE, UNPARALLELLED.

SO IT HAS BEEN A PART OF HIS

PLAN.

Reporter: HAVE YOU EVER

THOUGHT BACK ON THAT PRAYER,

BEFORE ALL OF THIS STUFF

HAPPENED, YOU PROMISED GOD,

LORD, IF YOU HELP ME GET

INTO THE NFL, I WILL DO "Y,"

"X," "Y" AND "Z."

I STILL HAVE A LOT OF

WORK TO DO TO THE

FULFILLMENT OF THAT PRAYER

THAT DAY.

I'VE STILL GOT TO -- REALLY,

I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'VE

COMPLETED MY END OF THE

BARGAIN, AND HE HAS.

Reporter: ISRAEL HAS

ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE

OF THE GAME'S BEST DEFENSIVE

LINEMANS.

OFF THE FIELDS, IN ADDITION

TO BLESSED COMMU COMMUNION,

, HE HAS A FOUNDATION TO

HONOR CHILDREN.

GOD HAS A PLAN FOR

VICTORY, NOT FOR FAILURES.

WHEN YOU ALLOW HIM TO LEAD

YOUR LIFE AND DIRECT YOUR

LIFE, YOU'RE GOING TO GET TO

A VICTORY.