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Season of Life

A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood

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About The Book

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.

About The Author

Photo Credit:

Jeffrey Marx won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. He has written for numerous publications, including Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Time, and The Washington Post. For more information visit his website at SeasonofLife.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 1, 2004)
  • Length: 192 pages
  • ISBN13: 9780743269742

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Raves and Reviews

Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated Jeffrey Marx has used the most violent of American games to show how men and boys should dare not be afraid to look for love. I was tremendously touched by Season of Life.

Christine Brennan, USA Today In a warm, passionate story, Jeffrey Marx finds a boyhood hero who ends up leading him on a fascinating personal journey. This is a book that every father and son will enjoy.

Carl Lewis, Olympic champion Season of Life should be required reading for every high school student in America and every parent as well.

Ronnie Lott, NFL Hall of Famer This is not a book you are just going to read and then forget about. You're probably going to read it again sometime. And you'll definitely want to tell family and friends about it. By sharing Season of Life with others, you will be helping to make this a better world.

Steve Moulton, ESPN Radio This is a life-changing book. You'd have to be a slug on a rock not to be impacted by the messages in this book.

Resources and Downloads

Freshman Reading:

United States Naval Acadamy (2012/2013)

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