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

When the first page of the first chapter of a book takes the reader on a trip to *DEATH-ROW-AT-ANGOLA-STATE-PRISON-IN-LOUISIANA* you can be sure you're not at the beginning of a typical sports book! The author Warrick Dunn is assuredly a star football player in the NFL... and a former college All-American at Florida State University... and a first round draft choice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers... and the twenty-second player in NFL history to rush for ten-thousand-yards in his career... and the owner of many more enviable statistics...

**BUT**... more than anything else in the world... Warrick is his Mother's son... and there is nothing in his lifetime that he's prouder of! Warrick's Mother was much more than a Mother to him... they were also best friends. Part of the dedication in the front of the book is to his Mom and other special individuals... but... the story that unfolds as the author shares the innermost secrets... hopes... dreams... and pain of his very soul... are all a testament of the impact that his loved and idolized Mother... had on Warrick... and through him... on the world.

Betty Dunn Smothers was a Baton Rouge police officer and a single Mother with six children. In addition to working fulltime as a police officer she also took on after hours security work at department stores, convenience stores, and football games, in order to survive as a single Mother of six. On January 7, 1993 while working an extra-duty security job at a Piggly Wiggly grocery store she was taking an employee to make a night deposit at the bank... and she was ambushed and shot and killed. Officer Smothers was Warrick's Mother. Warrick would never be the same. A senior in high school, Warrick had to become the Parent of his five brothers and sisters. Throughout the story that follows, which includes his college and professional football careers, Dunn had to carry the extra burden of making sure his family was safe, disciplined, and going in the right direction. When Warrick was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft and signed the lucrative contract that followed... he never forgot where he came from... and the lifelong stress and dreams that his deceased Mother had always carried with her... especially the dream of a single Mother to get a nice home for her kids. His first NFL coach was a devout-spiritual-man, Tony Dungy. Tony told him that one of the first things he should do is make a commitment to helping the community. Warrick had already had that desire, but hadn't really found the right vehicle that would make him feel complete. Then... because of his never-ending thoughts of his Mother... he devised a way to help deserving single Mom's down on their luck.

"IT HAD TAKEN A WHILE, BUT I'D REALIZED MY DREAM. I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO TRANSLATE MY TALENT ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD INTO SOMETHING TRULY MEANINGFUL FOR HARD-WORKING, DETERMINED PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T WANT A HANDOUT, BUT JUST NEEDED A BOOST. I KNEW THAT WAS WHAT MY MOTHER WOULD HAVE BEEN THE MOST PROUD OF: NOT MY RECORDS, NOT MY AWARDS, BUT THE WAY I USED MY WORLDLY SUCCESS TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK."... "AND THAT'S HOW *HOME-FOR-THE-HOLIDAYS* GOT ITS START." "TO DATE, *HOMES-FOR-THE-HOLIDAY* HAS HELPED 77 FAMILIES WITH 201 CHILDREN IN TOTAL. THE WARRICK DUNN FOUNDATION NOW HAS THE CAPACITY TO SPONSOR TEN HOMES ANNUALLY." Warrick assists with the down payment, along with everything imaginable a new homeowner would need to start a dream of living in a house they couldn't have afforded otherwise... everything from furniture... to a refrigerator... to food in the refrigerator... lawn mowers... even flowers and a toothbrush.

The author has come a long way from the awful night he lost his Mother in a brutal murder... and on October 23, 2007 Warrick sat face-to-face on death row with the man who killed his Mother and best friend... and asked why?

Warrick Dunn is an absolute role model in any way you care to define it. Today... and everyday... since his Mother left this earthly world... he is making her proud... and also making the world a better place.

This book I will say has been one of the best I have read for a long time. Mr Dunn has been a hero of mine on and off the field for a long time too. The book was well written, for it repeating itself, I do not agree with that. I call it refreshing everyones memory. It was a very emotional book to read, I was crying and cheering as I read it. Even if you are not a NFL fan, it is a great book on life and makes you think why things happen for a reason. Before i read this book I knew Dunn on the field more then off. Now I can say one of the best running backs is also a genuine down to earth person. The one quote by Frederick Douglass, that was included in this book made me really think that was "It is easier to build strong children then to repair broken men. That is what America needs now a days and Warrick Dunn has proved that it can be done in this book and he has done it in his life. I will be buying many copies for gifts.

Warrick Dunn is an amazing human being as well as one of the best running backs of all time. He is my favorite player in the NFL. The flow of the story is a little back and forth at times, but is a very good read and an amazing and inspiring story!