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

Warrick Dunn · Don Yaeger

Oct 2008 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

Warrick Dunn was only eighteen when his mother, a Baton Rouge police officer, was shot and killed. Yet somehow he managed to enroll at Florida State University and help his team to a national championship during his freshman year—while also caring for his five brothers and sisters. Despite his modest size, Dunn went on to a storied NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons, becoming one of only twenty-three running backs in NFL history to exceed the 10,000-yard career rushing mark. Off the field, he created the Warrick Dunn Foundation and its Homes for the Holidays program, helping single parents achieve first-time home ownership. But in his drive to help others, the one person Dunn neglected was himself, as the pain of his mother's loss led to a spiraling depression that went untreated for years.

Running for My Life details Dunn's struggle to confront his past and face the grief that consumed him for far too long. Thought-provoking and uplifting, it is the story of an exceptional athlete's secret torment and inspiring courage.

About the author

Warrick Dunn is a former first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his professional accomplishments include five 1,000-yard rushing seasons, three Pro Bowl selections, and the longest touchdown run in Atlanta Falcons history. Dunn also became the Falcons' fifth all-time rushing leader. Don Yaeger was an Associate Editor at Sports Illustrated magazine. He is the co-author of Under the Tarnished Dome: How Notre Dame Betrayed Its Ideals for Football Glory, Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL, and George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History, and Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans: The Battle that shaped America's destiny. Former professional football player and National Football League coach Anthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy was born in Jackson, Michigan on October 6, 1955. While a high school basketball and football player, he was featured in the Faces in the Crowd section of a 1970 Sports Illustrated issue. Dungy worked for a number of NFL teams before being hired as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1996. Following his successes there, he held the head coach position for the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008, becoming in 2007 the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl. Dungy was also the youngest assistant coach and coordinator for the NFL and the first head coach to defeat every team. He is one of the few individuals to have won a Super Bowl as both a player and a head coach. Dungy has written several bestselling books, including the memoir Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life, the picture book You Can Do It, and Uncommon Marriage: Learning about Lasting Love and Overcoming Life's Obstacles Together. He has been involved in a number of charities, 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 assists Basket of Hope, the Black Coaches Association National Convention, Indiana Black Expo, the United Way of Central Indiana, and the American Diabetes Association. In 2007, Dungy was appointed to the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, and in 2009 President Barack Obama asked him to join the Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.