I Am Third

Every few years it seems like I find myself re-reading this exciting account of Sayers' glory days in the NFL when he was the most magnificent running back not only on the Chicago Bears but also in the entire league. So I took my thumb-worn copy off the bookshelf and gave it once-over.

As a teenager I can't think of how many times I read and re-read what is to me pretty timeless story-telling: Sayers grew up in absolute poverty. Times were so bad that he was even reduced to shooting Blue jays with a BB gun on occasion in order to have something to eat. Sayers may have had to search for a meal at times but he didn't have to look very far to come to grips with his natural athletic ability. I Am Third documents how Sayers raw talent as a high school running back was developed in college and matured in the NFL where he was the Bears number one draft-pick and rookie of the year among countless other honors, records and awards.

What makes I Am Third a cut above dozens of other sports stories is the retelling of Gale Sayers' remarkable comeback to lead the league in rushing after a devastating knee injury the year before. Sayers' injury and comeback coincides with his friendship with teammate and fellow running back Brian Piccolo who died of cancer in 1970.

In I Am Third, Sayers only devotes one chapter to his friendship with Piccolo yet that one chapter was the impetus for the classic sports movie Brian's Song (1971) which even today is a film cherished among sports enthusiasts and one of the few films that guys will readily admit makes them cry.

So there I was: re-reading this great sports book from my youth. The book hasn't changed at all - yet I have and maybe that's why every time I read I Am Third I find something new to appreciate. A simple tale actually of a modest individual who let his actions do all the talking. An individual who knew that talent alone won't get you anywhere but the combination of talent, hard work and sacrifice make all the difference no matter if you're an athlete, soldier, doctor or lawyer.

I Am Third should be required reading for anyone who wants to learn about succeeding on the playing field and off.

One last note: In 2007, Gale Sayers followed up I Am Third with Gale Sayers: My Life and Times which more or less picks up with his life after his playing days were over. Enjoyable, but not nearly as much as I Am Third, both books should bracket any other sports novels of the last 40 years.