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I Am Third
" Gale Sayers ' book I Am Third , with Al Silverman , is a stirring, painfully honest account of his struggle to become the greatest running back in history and that agonizing moment between immortality and becoming a cripple."— The New York Times Book Review
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
June 4, 2014
The book's greatest strength and greatest weakness are that you can tell that Gale Sayers really wrote this book. I think it's great that he was the true author. Today, his book would almost certainly have a ghost writer. However, as he says himself, English was never his best subject. There is some lovely information about his life, but to find it the reader has to sift through pages of recaps of football games that Sayers has played in, which would likely be more interesting to someone more athletically inclined. Even the story of his relationship with Brian Piccolo suffers because his struggle to effectively express himself makes him come off as distant. In all, there is good content in the book, but is lacking in style.
March 7, 2008
I've had this book since i was ten years old and never finished it until now, although i grew up a bears fan. as a result, i had this weird paradox - i always think of sayers as being much older than me, and yet this book was written when he was 27 - nearly twenty years younger than me. (i know, none of this is valuable to you as a review. so be it)
on the one hand, this book reminds you of what a remarkable running back sayers was, and really makes you wish there was video of sayers so you could see some of the runs he describes. i've spent way too much time online trying to track down even a few of the games. on the other hand, as a document of it's era - of the way college athletes were treated, of the way professional football players were treated (sayers had a job in the off-season - can you imagine any NFL star needing to do that nowadays?), and, of course, the way racial politics was discussed in 1970 - it's fascinating.
all in all, worth reading if you're a football fan.
on the one hand, this book reminds you of what a remarkable running back sayers was, and really makes you wish there was video of sayers so you could see some of the runs he describes. i've spent way too much time online trying to track down even a few of the games. on the other hand, as a document of it's era - of the way college athletes were treated, of the way professional football players were treated (sayers had a job in the off-season - can you imagine any NFL star needing to do that nowadays?), and, of course, the way racial politics was discussed in 1970 - it's fascinating.
all in all, worth reading if you're a football fan.
October 11, 2009
I read this when I was a kid. I'm not a big sports fan, but the whole story has really stuck with me. I took Brian Piccolo's adage to heart: God is first, my family is second, and I am third.
April 7, 2009
I first read this autobiography and memoir when I was in high school. I had seen the movie, Brian's Song, and as I often do with impactful movies, I sought out the book upon which the movie was based.
The book was even more powerful than the movie. It was an inspiring account, partly of Gale Sayers, a Hall of Fame football player for the Chicago Bears, but more about his relationship with his friend and teammate, Brian Piccolo. That friendship becomes deeper and stronger as Piccolo helps Sayers recover from a severe knee injury.
Subsequently, with Piccolo's diagnosis of cancer (which was terminal), the friendship with Sayers becomes a bond of brotherhood, and as Sayers helps Brian deal with his imminent death, it becomes a life changing experience for him, in which he realized the relative insignificance of his own injury, and even of his career as a football player.
Though I have not read it (I intend to), I understand that another book Sayers wrote, titled Sayers: My Life and Times is even more inspiring. I recommend both.
The book was even more powerful than the movie. It was an inspiring account, partly of Gale Sayers, a Hall of Fame football player for the Chicago Bears, but more about his relationship with his friend and teammate, Brian Piccolo. That friendship becomes deeper and stronger as Piccolo helps Sayers recover from a severe knee injury.
Subsequently, with Piccolo's diagnosis of cancer (which was terminal), the friendship with Sayers becomes a bond of brotherhood, and as Sayers helps Brian deal with his imminent death, it becomes a life changing experience for him, in which he realized the relative insignificance of his own injury, and even of his career as a football player.
Though I have not read it (I intend to), I understand that another book Sayers wrote, titled Sayers: My Life and Times is even more inspiring. I recommend both.
October 4, 2009
I've been a Chicago Bears fan since the 1950s. I remember in 1st grade talking "knowledgeably" about Ed Brown to Harlon Hill (the truth is I knew nothing much about football then). Over the decades, I have continued to root for the Bears. One of those great moments for me was the draft before the 1965 season--when the Bears snagged both Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers.
This book focuses on a number of different issues, from the knee injury that Sayers suffered in 1968, as he was experincing a monster year, to the illness of Brian Piccolo (with whom Sayers roomed), to his comeback in 1969.
This book represents his personal reflections on his career through the 1969 season. Unhappily, that also pretty much was the end of Sayers' career, although he tried to come back a couple times after that,
Bill Cosby writes a nice introduction. The book reads easily and well.
The title? "I am Third" refers to the phrase--"The Lord is first; My friends are second; And I am third." Not a weighty book, but a nice perspective from Sayers' view of his life and career.
This book focuses on a number of different issues, from the knee injury that Sayers suffered in 1968, as he was experincing a monster year, to the illness of Brian Piccolo (with whom Sayers roomed), to his comeback in 1969.
This book represents his personal reflections on his career through the 1969 season. Unhappily, that also pretty much was the end of Sayers' career, although he tried to come back a couple times after that,
Bill Cosby writes a nice introduction. The book reads easily and well.
The title? "I am Third" refers to the phrase--"The Lord is first; My friends are second; And I am third." Not a weighty book, but a nice perspective from Sayers' view of his life and career.
October 20, 2021
I originally bought this book on a scholastic book order in 1972 so it's technically been on my to-read list for 49 years. I loved the movie "Brian's Song" and knew this book was the basis for the movie hence my desire to read. The book is good. The reason for my 3 rating is because Mr Sayers only wrote 1 small chapter on his friendship with Brian Piccolo - I anticipated much more so perhaps I was disappointed in this regard. Gale Sayers was a boyhood idol of mine and I did enjoy the read, I suppose I just overexpected.
March 18, 2022
I read this book when I was in Jr. high so I can’t recollect if it was well written or not, I just remember how I felt reading it. I gave it 5 stars because as soon as I saw the cover of this book all these years later …. I remember everything.
January 3, 2022
I re-read this after watching the movie. The story depicts the relationship between Brian Piccalo and Gayle Sayers. It weaves in quite a bit of the sport that overshadows at times the plot. Overall it is worth reading and admiring who these to extremely talented athletes came together in friendship and support. Have tissue ready.
October 4, 2020
When Gale Sayers passed away, I found myself thinking "I should really read his book, 'I Am Third,' because I'm sad at his passing." I say this because at two different times in my life, I had a copy of the book (one a mass-market paperback from the early Seventies, the other a hardcover edition from the same time period) that I'd bought at different used book stores or thrift stores. But then I realized that I'd parted with both editions over the years, never getting around to reading it. So my apologies to Mr. Sayers, whose great book was something that I wished I'd read earlier. But I've read it now, and enjoyed it thoroughly.
I appreciate the structure of the book, which begins with the traumatic knee injury that forced Sayers to eventually retire (though at the time of the book's publication, I don't think he'd announced his retirement yet). We then get a long chapter dealing with Brian Piccolo, Sayers' white teammate and the inspiration for the film "Brian's Song." I was actually surprised at how briefly the story of "Pick" is in the book, because the movie was inspired by this book. But "I Am Third" is more than just the synopsis for "Brian's Song"; it's a deeper, richer look at a man who overcame adversity to excel at sports at a time when a Black man had few options in this country (it's fair to suggest that little has changed since then, despite the window-dressing we have tried to give to racial issues in our current climate).
Sayers is an engaging narrator of his life story, which he pulls no punches in discussing (in many ways, this book reminds me of Jerry West's memoir "West By West," in terms of its brutally frank honesty in some subjects). His parents' travails meant that Sayers, born in Kansas to a community of loved ones, ended up growing up in the ghetto of Omaha, Nebraska, and that his best years as a high school or college athlete were rendered moot by a white player being selected as the all-state MVP over him. Sayers used his abilities on the field to land a job with the Chicago Bears, and he became a football legend over the course of a career that was cut short due to injuries. Along the way, he set or smashed records and became a beloved figure (in no small part due to his book being used as the basis for "Brian's Song," which Sayers in a 2000 introduction for the reissue credits with helping the book become a success). Sayers is honest about his first marriage as well, which, while documented in the book in the present tense, was coming apart (he and his wife Linda would divorce amicably soon after the publication of "I Am Third"). He comes off as a far more complicated and interesting figure than he would if he were limited by his athletic skills.
Sports memoirs aren't often thought of as "Literature" because frankly they often aren't. The hand of a talented ghost-writer or co-author is never far from many athletes who strive to tell their own story, and many hold that as a handicap for the book itself. What's more, the level of honesty we say we want from prominent people when they tell their stories is often missing from sports memoirs. But Gale Sayers lays out his life in and out of football with such grace and dignity that you can't help but be taken in by his prose. "I Am Third" is a moving tale of a man who fought his way to success and the struggles he endured along the way.
I appreciate the structure of the book, which begins with the traumatic knee injury that forced Sayers to eventually retire (though at the time of the book's publication, I don't think he'd announced his retirement yet). We then get a long chapter dealing with Brian Piccolo, Sayers' white teammate and the inspiration for the film "Brian's Song." I was actually surprised at how briefly the story of "Pick" is in the book, because the movie was inspired by this book. But "I Am Third" is more than just the synopsis for "Brian's Song"; it's a deeper, richer look at a man who overcame adversity to excel at sports at a time when a Black man had few options in this country (it's fair to suggest that little has changed since then, despite the window-dressing we have tried to give to racial issues in our current climate).
Sayers is an engaging narrator of his life story, which he pulls no punches in discussing (in many ways, this book reminds me of Jerry West's memoir "West By West," in terms of its brutally frank honesty in some subjects). His parents' travails meant that Sayers, born in Kansas to a community of loved ones, ended up growing up in the ghetto of Omaha, Nebraska, and that his best years as a high school or college athlete were rendered moot by a white player being selected as the all-state MVP over him. Sayers used his abilities on the field to land a job with the Chicago Bears, and he became a football legend over the course of a career that was cut short due to injuries. Along the way, he set or smashed records and became a beloved figure (in no small part due to his book being used as the basis for "Brian's Song," which Sayers in a 2000 introduction for the reissue credits with helping the book become a success). Sayers is honest about his first marriage as well, which, while documented in the book in the present tense, was coming apart (he and his wife Linda would divorce amicably soon after the publication of "I Am Third"). He comes off as a far more complicated and interesting figure than he would if he were limited by his athletic skills.
Sports memoirs aren't often thought of as "Literature" because frankly they often aren't. The hand of a talented ghost-writer or co-author is never far from many athletes who strive to tell their own story, and many hold that as a handicap for the book itself. What's more, the level of honesty we say we want from prominent people when they tell their stories is often missing from sports memoirs. But Gale Sayers lays out his life in and out of football with such grace and dignity that you can't help but be taken in by his prose. "I Am Third" is a moving tale of a man who fought his way to success and the struggles he endured along the way.
October 11, 2013
I wanted to read it because I love the movie "Brian's Song" Just a chapter was really about Brian and his friendship with him. The rest was about his football career.
August 5, 2024
THE BOOK THAT WAS THE BASIS FOR THE "BRIAN'S SONG" MOVIES
Gale Eugene Sayers (born 1943) was a famous running back for the Chicago Bears for seven seasons. In 1977, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and is still the youngest inductee in the Hall's history. His friendship with teammate Brian Piccolo (1943-1970; primarily recorded in the chapter 'Pick' in this book) was the basis for the inspirational 1971 TV movie 'Brian's Song,' as well as the 2001 remake. Piccolo's story is told in the book Brian Piccolo: A Short Season.' This book was first published in 1970, and republished many times since the first 1971 film. The book's title is from Sayers' motto, "The Lord is first, my friends are second, and I am third."
He wrote, "Brian Piccolo and I began rooming together in 1967 and we became close friends. It's easy to make a big deal out of the fact that he was white and I'm black and to wonder how we got along. But there was nothing to it... The best thing about our relationship as it developed was that we could kid each other all the time about race, do our thing in perfect ease... Like, before that 1969 exhibition game... a writer came into our room to interview me, and Pick really laid it on. 'How do you get along?' the writer asked. Pick said, 'We're O.K., as long as he doesn't use the bathroom.'" (Pg. 63)
He recalls, "I think [Pick] actually helped me open up because he was such a happy-go-lucky guy. He always had a joke or two in him... He was really a comfort to me during the 1969 exhibition season and into the regular season, especially those early games when the writers had written me off. He was one of the few guys who seemed to have confidence in me, who built up my morale.... Because of my injury and my mental state afterward, I got to know Pick even better and became closer to him than almost anybody else on the team. And then when he became ill, it seemed that our friendship deepened and we got to understand each other even better. And that's when I found out what a beautiful person he really was..." (Pg. 67-70)
When George Halas asked Gale to talk to the players and dedicate a game to Piccolo, he said, "'I think each of us should dedicate ourselves to try to give our maximum efforts to win this ball game and give the game ball to Pick. We can all sign it and take it up to him...' About this time I was getting pretty choked up..." (Pg 72-73) He adds, "Brian's attitude after [his] operation was so phenomenal it made me feel all the worse about how I acted after my knee surgery. The day after I was operated on Pick and Bobby Joe Green came to see me... I just lay there and said nothing... and here was Brian Piccolo, after probably the most critical moment in his whole life, in fine spirits, cool and hopeful and so positive about things. He really helped lift YOUR spirits." (Pg. 75-76)
After his famous "Most Courageous Player" acceptance speech ("He has the heart of a giant... I accept [this award] for Brian Piccolo... I love Brian Piccolo and I'd like all of you to love him, too. Tonight, when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him..."), Piccolo told him, "'Magic, you're too much. If you were here now I'd kiss you.' I said, 'Yeah, well I'm glad I'm not there.' ... We left feeling better about him because he kept us in a lighthearted mood. He cheered US up. I'm glad of that last memory of Pick, since I was not to see him again." (Pg. 78-79)
There is SO much more in this book; anyone who wants to read one of the truly great "inspirational sports stories" of all time, needs to read this book.
Gale Eugene Sayers (born 1943) was a famous running back for the Chicago Bears for seven seasons. In 1977, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and is still the youngest inductee in the Hall's history. His friendship with teammate Brian Piccolo (1943-1970; primarily recorded in the chapter 'Pick' in this book) was the basis for the inspirational 1971 TV movie 'Brian's Song,' as well as the 2001 remake. Piccolo's story is told in the book Brian Piccolo: A Short Season.' This book was first published in 1970, and republished many times since the first 1971 film. The book's title is from Sayers' motto, "The Lord is first, my friends are second, and I am third."
He wrote, "Brian Piccolo and I began rooming together in 1967 and we became close friends. It's easy to make a big deal out of the fact that he was white and I'm black and to wonder how we got along. But there was nothing to it... The best thing about our relationship as it developed was that we could kid each other all the time about race, do our thing in perfect ease... Like, before that 1969 exhibition game... a writer came into our room to interview me, and Pick really laid it on. 'How do you get along?' the writer asked. Pick said, 'We're O.K., as long as he doesn't use the bathroom.'" (Pg. 63)
He recalls, "I think [Pick] actually helped me open up because he was such a happy-go-lucky guy. He always had a joke or two in him... He was really a comfort to me during the 1969 exhibition season and into the regular season, especially those early games when the writers had written me off. He was one of the few guys who seemed to have confidence in me, who built up my morale.... Because of my injury and my mental state afterward, I got to know Pick even better and became closer to him than almost anybody else on the team. And then when he became ill, it seemed that our friendship deepened and we got to understand each other even better. And that's when I found out what a beautiful person he really was..." (Pg. 67-70)
When George Halas asked Gale to talk to the players and dedicate a game to Piccolo, he said, "'I think each of us should dedicate ourselves to try to give our maximum efforts to win this ball game and give the game ball to Pick. We can all sign it and take it up to him...' About this time I was getting pretty choked up..." (Pg 72-73) He adds, "Brian's attitude after [his] operation was so phenomenal it made me feel all the worse about how I acted after my knee surgery. The day after I was operated on Pick and Bobby Joe Green came to see me... I just lay there and said nothing... and here was Brian Piccolo, after probably the most critical moment in his whole life, in fine spirits, cool and hopeful and so positive about things. He really helped lift YOUR spirits." (Pg. 75-76)
After his famous "Most Courageous Player" acceptance speech ("He has the heart of a giant... I accept [this award] for Brian Piccolo... I love Brian Piccolo and I'd like all of you to love him, too. Tonight, when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him..."), Piccolo told him, "'Magic, you're too much. If you were here now I'd kiss you.' I said, 'Yeah, well I'm glad I'm not there.' ... We left feeling better about him because he kept us in a lighthearted mood. He cheered US up. I'm glad of that last memory of Pick, since I was not to see him again." (Pg. 78-79)
There is SO much more in this book; anyone who wants to read one of the truly great "inspirational sports stories" of all time, needs to read this book.
January 31, 2023
The book “I am Third” an inspiration for Brian’s song written in first person by Al Silverman and Hall of Famer former bears running back legend Gale Sayers. He starts off by saying that him and brain roomed together in ’67 they were not friends a first but they grew to become great friends they Brian was hoping to start in the season he ended becoming the back up but before he could starts a few games Ronnie Bull came in and tore up his knee and Brian ended up in the back of the line up in the 3rd string, and that’s where the name of the book “I Am third” came from, Brain had sadly passed away in June of 1970 from embryonal cell carcinoma, Brian was carried out in his casket by his best friend Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus, Ralph Kurek, Mike Pyle, and randy Jackson. The beginning of gales football career he had been the most dominate running back in the league at that point he had been the NFL leading rusher and scorer for two straight season and the all-pro team for 4 years straight Until Gale had gotten tackled and his foot got stuck in the ground his knee had bent the wrong way and he had torn is knee from the front to the back Gale had surgery that night Gale goes “ Knife me doctor” a few days later Gale had been released from the hospital he was on crutches for a month and then he had been able to walk. Gale had returned in a game against the Washington redskins the first play back he busted off and ran the opening kickoff back for 69-yard in his return Gale runs back to the sideline and says “ My knee fells as good as new” unfortunately The Chicago Bears had lost that game to the redskins 13-7, The papers the next morning were buzzing about Gale return and his big kickoff return. Gale was invited to the professional football writer’s annual dinner where gale talked about Brian and how he wished he were here with him, Gale says “when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him. Gale had retired a few years after Brian passed away, Gale had suffered a stretched ligament in his left knee and was forced to undergo surgery again, that would force gale to retire at the age of twenty-nine. Gale had only played six season and he had later made the Hall of Fame, and in September of 2020 Gale passed away from Dementia.
September 26, 2020
It was on my “to read” stack, this yellowed and neglected 1970 paperback that was undoubtedly a gift from my mom, and I thought I was just going to read the chapter that inspired the movie “Brian’s Song”. But then Gale Sayers died on Wednesday, and I read the book straight through. Indeed, the chapter about his relationship with Brian Piccolo is amazing, and one of the most honestly moving stories anyone will ever read. Piccolo called Sayers “Magic” and Sayers called him Pick, and they were the first integrated roommates in Chicago Bears history. That in itself is a story. But the the cancer that so swiftly took Pick’s life is, of course, the story, and if you can read Gale Sayers’ speech to the football writers accepting his George S. Halas Award on behalf of Brian Piccolo and not cry, you’d be the first. The rest of the book is good, if a little stiff, but Sayers was 27 years old at the time, and for sports bios of that era it was pretty candid and expository. He died at 77, and his wife said he had dementia, sadly a common denominator for many ex-football players. But I was fortunate to see him play a few times, and it was like his love of the game radiated from him. It does in this autobiography as well.
August 30, 2022
Historically significant autobiography from a man in the midst of a career crisis. The insight it provides into American life in the 1960s is incredible. The life of a football superstar was not what it is today, as Gale worked offseason jobs at Sears Roebuck and Paine, Webber, Jackson & Curtis. Gale and Linda are so open and honest with their thoughts, impressions and feelings that others might not have the courage to share. Beyond a deeper understanding of his famous friendship with Brian Piccolo, you'll read Gale's take on what he observed about George Halas, Dick Butkus, Ed O'Bradovich and other Bears legends. There's also a chapter about Gale's admiration for Jesse Jackson as the Reverend expands the reach of Operation Breadbasket. I learned that Mayor Daley appointed Gale Sayers to a park commissioner role in Chicago. Gale sunk his teeth in, determined to make public parks safer and more accessible. Chicago history, American history, sports history - this book is enlightening. Gale Sayers was a man with perspective and intellect. Worth a read for football fans and non-fans alike.
November 22, 2020
A good autobiography relating a small portion of Gale's life. It was fascinating to learn of Gale's work ethic. It saddened me somewhat to recognize i never got to see him play, but at least highlight videos can still be found.
It was good to learn about Gale's upbringing and his developing love for all sports--and how all those diverse loves were really just about how it was all making him a better football player. It was also nice to see his college story and how he succeeded in college football.
His relationship with his girlfriend/eventual wife was also fun to discover. It perhaps was not a surprise to learn how football, especially during the season, consumed Gale's life.
Next, it is always distressing to be reminded of the racial disparity faced by minorities is Gale's time. It is a definite reminder, though, of what those players/people had to face.
Finally, the book is written at a straightforward, easy style so can be read by almost anyone. That general, universal appeal makes for a quick, easy read.
It was good to learn about Gale's upbringing and his developing love for all sports--and how all those diverse loves were really just about how it was all making him a better football player. It was also nice to see his college story and how he succeeded in college football.
His relationship with his girlfriend/eventual wife was also fun to discover. It perhaps was not a surprise to learn how football, especially during the season, consumed Gale's life.
Next, it is always distressing to be reminded of the racial disparity faced by minorities is Gale's time. It is a definite reminder, though, of what those players/people had to face.
Finally, the book is written at a straightforward, easy style so can be read by almost anyone. That general, universal appeal makes for a quick, easy read.
April 1, 2020
This is an autobiography of the great NFL running back Gale Sayers. It is also the inspiration for the heartbreaking and I think very good movie, "Brian's Song." Interestingly only 1 chapter in "I Am Third" actually talks about Brian Picollo. Gale Sayers' story is interesting and he certainly seems to have become a very successful man - way beyond football stardom. I'll also admit that the story seems very honest - sometimes portraying Sayers in unflattering ways. The problem is that I found myself not really liking Gale Sayers very much. The biography stops in 1969 while Sayers was still playing football but a new forward dated in 2001 updates us on 30 more years of Sayers' life. There is also an introduction by Bill Cosby - obviously written before the Cosby scandal came to light.
April 25, 2024
I discovered Sayers by way of Billy Dee Williams, who played him in the first Brian's Song movie. This memoir was written at a very young age, at the end of Sayers' brief NFL career. It's notable for its youthful tone and perspective. Yes, he knows he is a world-class football talent but he's also searching for himself. That search is fascinating, much more than the numerous game reports (which he keeps relatively brief). The occasional alternating viewpoint from his wife and others offers another dimension without detracting from Sayers subtle but uniquely authentic voice. Al Silverman, the ghost-writer, must have been a superlative judge of narrative. Of note: Bill Cosby wrote the original introduction; Sayers added a second one in 2001. Both are fascinating, particularly when juxtaposed.
June 29, 2025
Very interesting to read a story about someone during their peak of fame versus a look back on their life years later.
You can see the hindsight, but it's still young and Gale stays candid.
It's definitely written by him or at least there isn't much help from a ghost writer. He jumps around during reflections of his games, but still a very worthwhile read. He gives you insight on what it means to be a young man thrust into the spotlight, focusing your entire life on being good at one thing and now coming to grips that injuries happen and you have to start looking ahead.
An easy read, no earth shattering inside information, but still an enjoyable read from one of the greatest and largest what-ifs in sports.
You can see the hindsight, but it's still young and Gale stays candid.
It's definitely written by him or at least there isn't much help from a ghost writer. He jumps around during reflections of his games, but still a very worthwhile read. He gives you insight on what it means to be a young man thrust into the spotlight, focusing your entire life on being good at one thing and now coming to grips that injuries happen and you have to start looking ahead.
An easy read, no earth shattering inside information, but still an enjoyable read from one of the greatest and largest what-ifs in sports.
January 27, 2024
I Am Third is a curious book. I was disappointed because I thought that more of the book would be devoted to Sayers' relationship with Brian Piccolo. They used this book to make the movie Brian's Song, one of the best made-for-television movies ever. But Sayer's relationship with Piccolo takes up just one chapter of the book. Other than that, the book was interesting. Sayers's life is worth reading about. He lived in the "Toe" (ghetto) of Omaha Nebraska and managed to use his skills on the football field to become a successful professional football player. It is an admirable story. At time the book felt a little dated but I kept reading. Overall, it was a worthy story to be told but I cannot say it was the most interesting one that I've read lately.
April 16, 2024
Gale Sayers is my football hero, along with teammate Brian Piccolo. I first saw Brian's Song on tv in 1971. And I looked forward to seeing it every few years back in the days of no recording, no streaming. I began teaching the screenplay in 2000 to 7th graders, and taught it for 21 years. I have now read I Am Third for the 2nd time. It is very footballish--lots of info about players and scores and games and records. But the discussion of his time with Brian Piccolo and his efforts to deal with racism, were enlightening. This was my "at school" read, so it took a long time at only 10-15 minutes per day.
October 24, 2020
AS a football fan for as long as my memory goes back, this is a classic I had neglected to read. While it hasn't aged particularly well, it is a testament to the times in which it was written. It is honest and raw and written by someone who admits he wasn't the best at writing. That honesty is worth something, especially today. Gale Sayers didn't sugar coat things when he wrote this 50 years ago. Had it been written today, it would have looked and felt completely different. Therein lies the attraction. If you lvoe football, this is worth your time.
December 20, 2022
Another book that has been on my shelf for a long time and just now picking it up to read.
This was a good insight into the mind of Gale Sayers when he was early in his career with an honesty that may have been lost if he had waited to write it. When you add the passing of time on top of what was written, you get a new perspective of what players in the 60's and 70's went through in the name of playing the sport they loved, taking care of their family, and looking forward to when they wouldn't be able to play.
This was a good insight into the mind of Gale Sayers when he was early in his career with an honesty that may have been lost if he had waited to write it. When you add the passing of time on top of what was written, you get a new perspective of what players in the 60's and 70's went through in the name of playing the sport they loved, taking care of their family, and looking forward to when they wouldn't be able to play.
January 6, 2023
Great book this is the book the inspired the movie Brians Song.I don't care how many times you watch it it still brings tears to my eyes.Gayle Sayers was a really great running back(check out YOUTUBE to see some of his amazing moves)so in 1965 Sayers & Piccolo became room mates it was the 1st time a white player roomed with a black player no one was sure it would work but it did in fact it worked very well.Gayle & Brian became great friends on & off the field, and if you don't know much about these two then read the book I am Third if you can still find it, or watch the movie Brians Song.
March 25, 2024
A pretty solid book, but the title is a little misleading. I am third means God first, others second, I am third. However that theme was barely shown in this book. Sayers himself is not really a religious man, and he only got that phrase from reading off his coaches desk. Basically, “huh that’s a cool concept” but then goes on to write a book about his life, where he rarely puts others second. And never puts God first.
The book itself is interesting, Gale had an incredible football career. But was overall not the most well written book.
The book itself is interesting, Gale had an incredible football career. But was overall not the most well written book.
December 31, 2021
A rather jumbled book, not very clearly expressed. Likely written too early in his life when he still wasn’t sure what his life meant. Highly referential to his first wife whom he divorced about a year after publication. The title is not reflective of the book but just a mere chapter and his Brian Piccolo impact is small as well. What I found most compelling was his college years, his concerns about race, and his desire to become more than just a footballer.
April 12, 2023
This is an autobiography of Gale Sayers through the majority of his football career. The centerpiece of the story is his relationship with his doomed teammate Brian Piccolo, a cancer victim. Underlying his life is his philosophy is his belief that the Lord is first, my family second and I am third. This philosophy helps him through the difficulties in his life. It was a great read for my teenage self.
January 25, 2020
I didn’t get passed page 92. It just wasn’t a show stopper after I read the part that the movie Brian’s Song is based on. I think if I was into football, it would have hooked me more. I love the title I am Third however. Where are your priorities? In this case he was third after God and his family and friends.
October 4, 2020
Read in high school or soon after.
Had seen the movie and was intrigued by what was behind the commitment to life in faith, family & friends.
Certainly an admirable and impressive approach to life.
Had seen the movie and was intrigued by what was behind the commitment to life in faith, family & friends.
Certainly an admirable and impressive approach to life.
August 3, 2021
I found this an enjoyable read. I love college football and stats, and the book has plenty of those. But it also has plenty of heart, too. I enjoyed reading about his University of Kansas days, the relationship with his wife Linda, and how he personally dealt with racial conflict.
September 15, 2024
I read this when I 12 or 13 years ago and it broke my heart. Gale Sayers was such a beautiful human having captured his fellow football "brother's" demise from cancer. I would recommend to any pre-teen or teen!
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