THE UNSUCCESSFUL CHAMPION

A black New Orleans Saints linebacker recounts his rise from poverty to a career in the NFL in this debut Christian memoir.

Raised by his grandmother in small-town Collins, Mississippi, Davis grew up with a strong foundation in Christian Scripture. He started playing football in the fourth grade, the smallest and youngest player on his team. Around the same time he started to excel at football, his father—a military man who had been around infrequently in his early life—moved back to town and began to instill in the author a strong sense of discipline and drive. But in middle school, Davis was confronted with the temptations of adolescence: weed, beer, and girls. In high school, in addition to his on-field heroics, he began to experiment with theft and burglary. After cutting his arm deeply while breaking into a house, the author heard the voice of God warning him to change his ways. “This is number two,” came the warning. “If you get to strike three, you will either be going to jail for a very long time, or you’ll be dead.” Afterward, Davis concentrated on football and stayed out of trouble—mostly—falling back on his faith in times of need. In a career full of near misses, his reliance on God and the positive values he learned in childhood kept him from taking defeat too personally. The athlete’s story is told in simple, conversational prose that deftly highlights the many chance happenings in his life. Here he describes how he ended up playing defense largely as a result of his offensive coach’s disliking his antics: “ ‘You’re not going to get a scholarship playing on offense because they’ll never pass you the ball,’ the defensive coordinator said, obviously aware of the other coaches’ stance on me. ‘You’ll be a strong safety for me; I’ll show you everything I want you to do.’ ” The author is assured in his beliefs, though perhaps because of this confidence he lacks the curiosity or circumspection that might make his account a more compelling one. But for those looking for a sports memoir with a positive Christian message, Davis’ book—written with York—succeeds in presenting a personal athletic saga with plenty of ups and downs along the way.

A lively, if straightforward, football memoir with an inspirational Christian message.