Framed within the frenzy leading up to a Super Bowl, Gary Brackett flashes back to the defining moments and lessons in his journey leading to the threshold of a championship season. With his heart metaphorically on his jersey sleeve, Gary invites the reader inside the world of NFL football and the drama leading up to the biggest game day of the year. Along the way, Gary provides glimpses of real-life heroes, on and off the field, as he recounts the stories in this touching testament to the memory of his mom, dad and brother.

Captain for Life offers a unique and powerful personal tale about the great joy and devastating price of playing professional football, by a legendary former NFL linebacker Harry Carson. One of the greatest linebackers to ever play professional football, Harry Carson built a reputation during his 13 years in the NFL as a fearsome, physical and passionate player who would give everything he had to win. Whether violently tackling running backs, engaging blockers with reckless abandon or ferociously attacking the line of scrimmage, Carson will always be remembered as having played the game the way it's meant to be played--all out. For the first time ever, this legendary athlete takes readers on an unlikely journey to the NFL that began in the small town of Florence, South Carolina to his days at little known South Carolina State University--and then the bright lights of professional football in New York, playing for the Giants. Carson's story of his life as a football player and after his retirement is more powerful and eye-opening than any that's come before. Within these pages, Carson reveals the startling truth behind the sacrifices these great warriors make for our entertainment, the thrill of stepping onto a field with 80,000 fans screaming your name, and the debilitating physical and mental toll this violent and uncompromising game takes. With insight into some of the game's biggest stars, from Lawrence Taylor to Bill Parcells to Phil Simms this book is a must for any NFL fan.

The bestselling inspirational book in which the author reunites with a childhood football hero, now a minister and coach, and witnesses a revelatory demonstration of the true meaning of manhood—Season of Life is a book that “should be required reading for every high school student in America and every parent as well” (Carl Lewis, Olympic champion). Joe Ehrmann, a former NFL football star and volunteer coach for the Gilman high school football team, teaches his players the keys to successful defense: penetrate, pursue, punish, love. Love? A former captain of the Baltimore Colts and now an ordained minister, Ehrmann is serious about the game of football but even more serious about the purpose of life. Season of Life is his inspirational story as told by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jeffrey Marx, who was a ballboy for the Colts when he first met Ehrmann. Ehrmann now devotes his life to teaching young men a whole new meaning of masculinity. He teaches the boys at Gilman the precepts of his Building Men for Others program: Being a man means emphasizing relationships and having a cause bigger than yourself. It means accepting responsibility and leading courageously. It means that empathy, integrity, and living a life of service to others are more important than points on a scoreboard. Decades after he first met Ehrmann, Jeffrey Marx renewed their friendship and watched his childhood hero putting his principles into action. While chronicling a season with the Gilman Greyhounds, Marx witnessed the most extraordinary sports program he’d ever seen, where players say “I love you” to each other and coaches profess their love for their players. Off the field Marx sat with Ehrmann and absorbed life lessons that led him to reexamine his own unresolved relationship with his father. Season of Life is a book about what it means to be a man of substance and impact. It is a moving story that will resonate with athletes, coaches, parents—anyone struggling to make the right choices in life.

Premier league footballer turned pastor Gavin Peacock tells the story of his career and his faith in this fascinating, thought-provoking and personal read. 'There is more to life than football, fame and fortune. There is a greater joy and a greater glory to be had.' What makes a man walk away from his life as a professional footballer turned BBC pundit to become a church minister? They say it is every schoolboy's dream to play in the F.A. Cup Final and it's a dream that came true for Gavin Peacock. In his riveting autobiography follow Gavin's journey from a child growing up in a footballing family to Chelsea captain; from a son following in his father's footsteps to a husband and father supporting his own family; from pundit to preacher. Experience his highs and lows as he tells his story and explains the driving force behind it all - his love for football, his love for his family, and most importantly his love for God.

My Winning Seasons: Discovering the Champion Within is more than just a sports story, though it's an exciting one, about one of the top-ranked football teams ever to come out of The Citadel. And it's more than just a memoir, though it's a big one: author Joe Crochet was a cadet, a student, and an athlete. My Winning Seasons is, most importantly, an inspiration to anyone trying to succeed not just in sports, academics, or a career but in life. Crochet was a captain and an All-American who helped transform his Citadel football team through great personal tragedy and multiple coach turnovers from being a losing program into a top-tier back-to-back championship program. At the same time, Crochet succeeded off the field, earning a BS in three years with honors and then going on to earn an MBA and work for a Fortune 250 company. With what he teaches readers in My Winning Seasons, Crochet hopes to help others develop their own winning streak.

All American at Ohio State and All Pro linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ryan Shazier has learned to live his best life, and come to terms with the game he loves and has given him so much. And as Ryan has also learned: success is no longer measured by tackles or sacks; it is measured by purpose and strength. WALKING MIRACLE is the story of this new definition of success. The narrative follows the arc from December 4, 2017 when Shazier was injured playing the Cincinnati Bengals, to his retirement. For three years, Shazier doggedly pursued a return to professional football. He took small wins as first downs on the drive to return to the field, moving his toes, walking, dancing at his wedding, and ultimately running and returning to the team. What Shazier didn't realize is that along the way, he was preparing himself for another purpose -- that of father and husband, philanthropist, and football analyst. The journey was preparing him not for a renewed life as a middle linebacker, but a renewed life after the game. Here we see Shazier overcome childhood alopecia, which caused a great deal of emotional pain, and scoliosis, which nearly robbed him of his dreams of playing college and professional football. We gain insights into legendary coaches Urban Meyer and Mike Tomlin. And we see him star on the field; Shazier was one of the best defensive players in Steeler history -- a history full of great defensive stars. WALKING MIRACLE -- the message on a bracelet given to him by his Godmother -- is the story of Ryan's comeback, but it's also a book of life's lessons, challenges, and so much more.

Super Bowl-winning coach Dungy reflects on what it takes to achieve significance.

Sally Jenkins, bestselling co-author of It's Not About the Bike, revives a forgotten piece of history in The Real All Americans. In doing so, she has crafted a truly inspirational story about a Native American football team that is as much about football as Lance Armstrong's book was about a bike. If you’d guess that Yale or Harvard ruled the college gridiron in 1911 and 1912, you’d be wrong. The most popular team belonged to an institution called the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Its story begins with Lt. Col. Richard Henry Pratt, a fierce abolitionist who believed that Native Americans deserved a place in American society. In 1879, Pratt made a treacherous journey to the Dakota Territory to recruit Carlisle’s first students. Years later, three students approached Pratt with the notion of forming a football team. Pratt liked the idea, and in less than twenty years the Carlisle football team was defeating their Ivy League opponents and in the process changing the way the game was played. Sally Jenkins gives this story of unlikely champions a breathtaking immediacy. We see the legendary Jim Thorpe kicking a winning field goal, watch an injured Dwight D. Eisenhower limping off the field, and follow the glorious rise of Coach Glenn “Pop” Warner as well as his unexpected fall from grace. The Real All Americans is about the end of a culture and the birth of a game that has thrilled Americans for generations. It is an inspiring reminder of the extraordinary things that can be achieved when we set aside our differences and embrace a common purpose.

Now in its third printing, see what it took to become the shortest player in Notre Dame football history to carry the ball in a game. Every Play Every Day takes you on the intimate journey of former Notre Dame tailback Timmy O'Neill, who, at 5' 6" and 165 lbs, wasn't the prototypical Division I college football player. Experience the journey from the dorm room to the classroom, from the locker room to the training room, and everywhere in between. Read about the incredible experience of being a college football walk-on; the joy, the pain, and the raw emotion characterizing the inner fight athletes deal with on a daily basis. This book details the lessons learned through O'Neill's five years as a Notre Dame walk-on, and shows what can happen to anyone who refuses to accept the limitations imposed by others. "As a college and professional football player, I've learned that nobody is ever going to hand you the life you imagined, you have to out and fight for it. That's the message conveyed in Timmy's story. Timmy's dream was to play football for Notre Dame, but not matter what you dream is, Every Play Every Day will inspire you to get there." --Tim Brown, 1987 Heisman Trophy winner, NFL 9-time Pro Bowl wide receiver "It's hard enough to play college football as a scholarship player. It takes a rare individual to succeed at Notre Dame as a walk-on. Timmy O'Neill succeeded doing this. You will enjoy his journey." --Lou Holtz, Only college football coach to lead six different programs to bowl games and the only coach to guide four different programs to the final top 20 rankings "Every Play Every Day is filled with Timmy's passion for life and his desire to share what he's learned with others. His language is plain and his message is clear. Timmy understands that hard work and a positive attitude are vital to success in life." --Sean Astin, Star of Rudy and Lord of the Rings "Every Play Every Day is more about not accepting other people's expectations for your life than it is about football. The experiences chronicled in this book truly to apply to everyone." --Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., President Emeritus, University of Notre Dame

If you've ever dreamed of something more in life, this book is for you. Winner in two categories at the 2018 Benjamin Franklin Awards, Blitz Your Life is a collection of reflections from a former NFL linebacker on a life lived fearlessly and challenges from a man with a sense of urgency for impact. These powerful stories range from Tim's time on the football field to the radically different life and goals that resulted from his diagnosis with ALS in 2014. Tim also shares stories of ordinary people who have faced everyday challenges and accomplished extraordinary things. Whether they sweep floors or rebuild neighborhoods or make music, all are living lives that make a difference. At times funny and others serious, Tim encourages readers to write their own goals and stories while pursuing their dreams. Through his whiteboard challenges, he provides practical help that takes readers on a road to success. From his NFL days to his support of ALS awareness, this fighter's message is a courageous call to find and enjoy a life with purpose.