Ricky Williams: Dreadlocks to Ditka [Paperback]

Steve Richardson CPA (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 20, 1999

Ricky Williams: Dreadlocks to Ditka is the first book about college football's Heisman Trophy winner and the first-round draft pick of Coach Mike Ditka's New Orleans Saints. Ditka coveted the 1999 Heisman Trophy winner so much that he traded all of the Saints' 1999 draft picks for the right to choose the former University of Texas star. From his prep days in San Diego as an all-sports star to his record-breaking career with the Longhorns, Williams has had to overcome personal obstacles his entire life. He's done so, however, with grace, class and style, even though his trademark dreadlocks and pierced tongue may present a different persona. Today, Ditka proclaims Williams as the National Football League's next superstar and the man he says will lead the Saints to the promised land.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steve Richardson, a veteran sportswriter of nearly 25 years, currently serves as the executive director of the 800-member Football Writers Association of America. He has covered collegiate and professional sports for the Shreveport Journal (LA) the Kansas City Star, and, most recently, The Dallas Morning News, where he followed the career of Ricky Williams. A 1975 graduate of the University of Missouri, Richardson has covered the Barcelona Olympics (Dream team) in 1992 and the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, every Final Four since 1981 and all major bowl games, including the last three title games. He has been a correspondent for Sports Illustrated, and has also written features for Inside Sports, Basketball Digest, and Football Digest.

Product Details

• Paperback: 285 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC (August 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582611440
• ISBN-13: 978-1582611440
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #694,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Richardson's book a brilliant look at a mysterious person, May 15, 2000

By 

"dallascaptain" (Farwell, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ricky Williams: Dreadlocks to Ditka (Paperback)

This book combines two of the most sought-after items in a biography. First, in Williams, you have an intriguing, mysterious figure who not many people have much information on. Yes, he won the Heisman trophy and he is, publically, seen as a good person.

What Richardson, the most respected college sports writer in the country, is able to do is look beyond the public perception and give readers a sense of what makes Williams tick and why Williams ticks the way he does.

This book sets the stage for Williams in New Orleans. It is set before Williams' rookie year with the Saints and controversial coach Mike Ditka. After reading this book, you'll understand why Williams had the turbulent year and subsequent problems.

Through a network of what seem to be unparalled contacts, Richardson is able to gain an insight on Williams the college player that has never before been exposed. He sets the table for Williams' rookie year. Much of the book explains how Williams was handled in college at Texas and why his transition to the real world has been so difficult.

In short, this book is a must for any pro football fan. On a grand scale, it is much more than a work about Ricky Williams and the Saints. It chronicles the reasons college players have such a difficult time making the trasition to the professional level and explains why football is only part of that equation.