Coaching Your Kids in the Game of Life [Hardcover]

Ricky Byrdsong (Author), Neta Jackson (Author), Dave Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2000

Help Your Children Win in the Game of Life

Bill McCartney Founder & President, Promise Keepers Ricky Byrdsongs is a great book--an enduring legacy--from a wonderful, Christian coach that will help any man be a better father!

From the Foreword by Lute Olson Head Basketball Coach, University of Arizona Rickys experiences as a player, coach, and father will enlighten your life, as it has mine, and allow you to become an all-star coach to your kids.

Lyle Q. Foster Pastor, The Worship Center--Evanston, Illinois Coach Byrdsong, in his final words, has spoken to us about perhaps the most important subjectfamily. In Coachs inimitable witty style, this inspiring book gives each of us a playbook to be a winner. It is quite simply required reading.

Steve Kerr San Antonio Spurs, NBA Champions As a parent of three small children and a twelve-year NBA veteran, this book really hits home for me. The message Ricky delivers is a simple one--that teaching teamwork, tolerance, discipline, and love are the keys to building a solid family.

Haman Cross, Jr. Pastor, Rosedale Park Baptist Church--Detroit "Coach Byrdsong's book has given me both the confidence and competence to be the greatest coach in the game of life for my grandchildren. With this book, and the gift of five grandchildren, I feel as though God has given me a second chance. Ricky has produced the gift of the year for every parent and grandparent."

Fred Mitchell Sports Columnist, The legacy of Ricky Byrdsong is enhanced by this inspiring, timeless blueprint for success in the game of life.

Dr. Bill Bright Founder & President, Campus Crusade for Christ International Ricky Byrdsong was a Christian, a model coach, and leader. Through his excellent book, with many fascinating sports anecdotes, his influence will inspire and live on through countless others.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Byrdsong weaves stories of his coaching and playing days with lessons in parenting to give refreshing insights into family success. -- Moody Magazine, July/August 2000 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

Thousands of parents have told me that they are afraid their kids are losing in the game of life. That is why Im writing this book. --Ricky Byrdsong

Build a Strong Family Coach Ricky Byrdsong was often told, Your coaching looks like parenting, and he agreed that observation was absolutely correct. He saw his responsibilities as a coach to equip and inspire his players to achieve their dreams. The game of basketball was only a means for preparing them for a bigger and more important gamethe game of life. Rickys dream was to help build stronger families through this book. He had been working on it for nearly two years before he was murdered by a white supremacist in a two-state killing rampage. He and Dave and Neta Jackson had finished a majority of the b

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 228 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764223534
• ISBN-13: 978-0764223532
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #535,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coaching Your Kids in the Game of Life, June 14, 2000

By 

Shawn Parrish (Northbrook, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coaching Your Kids in the Game of Life (Hardcover)

An excellent book that takes sport stories and shows how they can be used as parenting techniques. It is the perfect book for the sports fan who is looking for a different approach to dealing with their children or grandchildren. Ricky has a way of touching your heart, making you think, and making you laugh, all in an effort to help you and your kids win in the game of life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From his heart - Ricky Byrdsong was a role model, February 12, 2001

By 

Joe Gideon (Ozark, Mo) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coaching Your Kids in the Game of Life (Hardcover)

I was given this book by my 18 year old son yesterday and immediately began to cry. You see I was a 18 year old teammate of Ricky's at Iowa State some 20+ years ago. When Ricky's senseless death was widely reported on the national news over the 4th of July in 1999 I was stunned and heartbroke. I told my kids at that time about not how great a basketball player Ricky was, but the exceptional young man he was. That he was a person of character. He was different and a real Christian leader and model even at 20 years old. You must get and read this book, don't let Ricky's life slip you by. This is a book that I can personally assure you was written from his true heart and love of Jesus. God speed Ricky, you'll always be on our team.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, Yet Bittersweet Book, January 23, 2001

By 

Tom Burke - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coaching Your Kids in the Game of Life (Hardcover)

As a Chicago area native, I recall the day that Ricky Byrdsong was murdered in a random shooting by a racist gunman on a spree across two states. It makes Byrdsong's posthumous book that much more touching, reading about his positive and Christian outlooks on people of all types.

The practical advice for parents is both encouraging and inspiring and helps us know that we are on the right track with our kids despite ups-and-downs that are part of life. You can hear Byrdsong's voice in the words which thankfully were not ghostwritten by someone else for him. This voice gives it a lot of "been there" credibility and practical advice.

Buy this book before it goes out-of-print!