Sep. 5--IRVING -- When John Weber, the Cowboys' team chaplain, died suddenly from a heart attack last November, he left a colossal void within the organization.
It still hasn't been filled.
Although Dr. John Tolson, recently named team chaplain, is doing his best to do so.
Weber, a gentle soul, served as the Cowboys' chaplain for more than two decades because he developed a relationship built on trust with players and coaches.
They could tell him anything, and he'd listen. Then without passing judgment, he'd offer solutions. Or prayer. Or both.
Trust, you see, is the most important part of the relationship between a chaplain and the players he serves.
Somebody always wants something -- a car, a loan, an autograph, a jersey and appearance -- from a player because of the money he makes and the way we idolize him.
So players learn not to trust folks. Or they question the motives behind the simplest gestures. They must believe the team chaplain wants and needs nothing from them or the relationship won't work.
"He's very open to how John did things. He hasn't said this is my program and this is how I do things," said Greg Ellis, who spoke at Weber's funeral.
"John [Tolson] has a good heart, he's genuine and he has a true love for God. That's a powerful combination."
He's also smart enough to realize he can't replace Weber, so he hasn't tried. He's trying to fit in with the players -- not the other way around.
"He was a servant who really cared for these guys deeply," Tolson said of Weber. "He invested a lot of his life and time."
Dodger4Life 
