Running for My Life: My Journey in the Game of Football and Beyond

Overview

NFL running back Warrick Dunn is truly one of the good guys in the world of sports. And in this revealing autobiography, written with New York Times bestselling author Don Yaeger, Dunn tells his incredibly moving, inspirational story of courage and determination in the face of devastating loss, a story that makes his achievements on the football field that much more amazing.

Warrick Dunn and his five brothers and sisters all idolized their mother, Baton Rouge police officer Betty Smothers. As the oldest, Dunn was the closest to her, and the man of the house. On January 7, 1993, while the single mother worked a second job as a supermarket security guard, Betty Smothers was ambushed, shot, and killed while making a bank deposit. Dunn--then a high school senior just weeks away from choosing among his college football scholarship offers--was devastated.

Dunn was only eighteen when circumstances changed and he had to look after his five siblings, but somehow he managed to enroll at Florida State and, in only his freshman year, help their team quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner and roommate Charlie Ward, win the National Championship for the 1993-94 season. And this was just the beginning of Dunn's successful career as a student athlete, which resulted in his selection to the FSU Hall of Fame.

Despite his modest size, Dunn's athleticism, incomparable drive, and personality convinced Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy to select Dunn in the first round of the 1997 draft with the twelth overall pick. During his career with the Bucs and, subsequently, the Atlanta Falcons, Dunn amassed five 1,000-yard rushing seasons, was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl three times, and became one of only twenty-three running backs to exceed the 10,000-yard career rushing mark. In 2008, he returned to the Bucs seeking to continue his success. But perhaps his greatest achievement during his time as an NFL player came off the field when he started a foundation called Homes for the Holidays, a charity that helps single parents become homeowners. To date, he has placed 74 single parents and their 192 dependents in fully furnished and outfitted homes in Tampa, Tallahassee, Baton Rouge, and Atlanta.

But there was one person Dunn neglected in his drive to help others--himself. He spent all of his emotional energy on his siblings and their pain, and never focused on his own. His only solace was the football field, where he truly was running for his life. It wasn't until a Falcons teammate suggested psychological counseling that Dunn began to battle the demons still haunting him from his mother's death.

Uplifting and thought-provoking, Running for My Life is the story of an athlete's drive to help his family and ensure that his mother's legacy and values continue--the story of what it really takes to be a man.

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Author Information

Bio of Warrick Dunn

Warrick Dunn was a first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1997. After five years with Tampa and six years with the Atlanta Falcons, he returned to the Bucs for the 2008 season. In 2008, Dunn was overwhelmingly selected as the inaugural recipient of the Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP award, which recognizes NFL players who are making a positive impact in their local communities through charitable programs and contributions. Dunn also received the 2004 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, was named the Sporting News's Top 75 Good Guys in Sports three times, and was one of Sports Illustrated's Most Influential Minorities in Sports in 2003. He currently runs the Warrick Dunn Foundation and its Homes for the Holidays program.

Bio of Don Yaeger

Don Yaeger is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, former Sports Illustrated associate editor, and award-winning motivational speaker. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife and new son.

Bio of Tony Dungy

Tony Dungy led the Indianapolis Colts to Super Bowl victory on February 4, 2007, the first such win for an African American coach. Dungy had taken eight of his previous ten teams to the playoffs. With this victory, he joined Mike Ditka and Tom Flores as the only individuals to win the Super Bowl as a player and head coach. Dungy joined the Colts in 2002 after serving as the most successful head coach in Tampa Bay history. He has also held assistant coaching positions with the University of Minnesota, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings. Before becoming a coach, Dungy played three seasons in the NFL. Dungy has been involved in a wide variety of charitable organizations, including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, Mentors for Life, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs, the Prison Crusade Ministry, and All Pro Dad. He also works with Basket of Hope, the Black Coaches Association National Convention, Indiana Black Expo, the United Way of Central Indiana, and the American Diabetes Association. He and his wife, Lauren, are the parents of six children: daughters, Tiara and Jade, and sons, Eric, Jordan, and Justin, and the late James Dungy.

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Additional Info

Imprint

Harper Entertainment

Filesize

2.34 MB

Number of Pages

288

eBook ISBN

9780061705625