Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood [Hardcover]

Jeffrey Marx (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 24, 2004

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When Pulitzer-winning investigative reporter Marx was a kid in the 1970s, he was a ballboy for the Baltimore Colts. One of the team captains was Joe Ehrmann, a larger-than-life party guy and star defensive lineman. After the death of his younger brother, Ehrmann changed his life, working in Baltimore's inner city and eventually becoming an ordained minister. Prompted by an article about the demolition of the Colt's legendary Memorial Stadium, Marx reconnected with Ehrmann and became fascinated both with his ministry and his work as a volunteer football coach at a Baltimore private school. This account of Ehrmann's career--and his effect on Marx's life--is inspirational without being preachy. Most amazing are the stories of the team Ehrmann coaches--a football team on which life lessons are more important than tackling fundamentals. The lessons extend to Marx himself, who describes how he was moved by Ehrmann's example to work on his relationship with his father. A sports story, yes, but much more, too. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1ST edition (August 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743269748
• ISBN-13: 978-0743269742
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Football (American)

More About the Author

Jeffrey Marx won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. He has also written for numerous publications, including Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Time, and The Washington Post. He lives in Washington, D.C. For more information visit his website at www.seasonoflife.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boys to Men, January 2, 2005

By 

Michael DENNISUK "cc coach" (trenton, michigan USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood (Hardcover)

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR!! There may not be a more importat issue in todays society. We often talk about how athletics is an important training ground for life. It has been never been better demonstrated than by these coaches and this writer. Mr. Marx follows one season of a very special high school football team and the life lessons the team's coaches impart to their athlete's. This book is special. It should be read by every coach , parent and athlete.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relationships and boys into men, August 13, 2004

By 

Tommy S. (Baton Rouge, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood (Hardcover)

When I first approached this book, I had the initial impression that it would be just another banal "feel-good" book about football. As I began to read the book and reflect upon "Rev. Joe's" messages, I found myself frantically flipping back pages to reread a passage, or see that quote just one more time. What began as a quick afternoon read, developed into a multi-day affair of taking notes, rereading, and reflecting! The format of the book is deceivingly simple; Mr. Marx is able to convey the warm camaraderie of the Gilman Football team in a very moving, very honest lesson about what it means to love and to be compassionate. Far from being commonplace, the powerful lessons of this book will sit well with young men, people struggling in difficult times, or anyone hoping to read an inspiring story.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!, August 21, 2004

By 

Jana P. Moreno "Jana P." (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood (Hardcover)

Not only have I read this book but I was able to go to a seminar that had Jeffrey Marx and Joe Ehrmann as guest speakers. Joe's life story is one that every person should read. Not just Fathers or Coaches. Everyone can learn from this book. I feel blessed to have heard their story in person and then blessed to be given the gift of this book. I have gained so much wisdom and more love from my children by using these methods. I have two boys of my own and as a mother, I needed help in raising two boys to become "Men built for others."