Beating Goliath: My Story of Football and Faith

by Art Briles, Don Yaeger

Growing up in Rule, Texas, Art Briles learned at a young age the importance of hard work and faith from his parents. Soon that faith would be tested. On their way to see him play in a college football game, Briles' parents and aunt died in a car crash. This event shaped Briles into the man he is today. His father, Dennis, left him with a series of lessons. He taught his son that the world doesn't just hand you things, you have to earn them. And he taught him the influence that faith could have in his life. Briles put these lessons to work as a football coach, where he established his reputation for turning struggling teams into winners, from high school to the staff at Texas Tech to head coach at the University of Houston. Hired to coach Baylor in 2007, he was faced with a familiar task. Within three years, Briles led the Bears to their first bowl game in 15 years. Today, he instills those same lessons into his young players, helping them find a reason to excel. There are plenty of excuses for failure but Briles surrounds himself with people who are fearless when it comes to chasing success. That is one of the many lessons he imparts to his readers, with chapters that * God and the Teaching of Dennis Briles
* Finding Your Passion
* You Can Change Attitude, Not Talent
* Passing in the Land of Earl Campbell
* Everybody is a Captain Filled with dramatic football stories and lessons learned, this book will inspire and entertain.

Genres: Sports, Biography, Football

272 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2014

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has some very good messages, and it's fun to read about Texas football, but the writing is shallow. Some things that could be interesting are skimmed right over. For example, Briles mentions a "great story" about Andrew Luck playing football in Texas. Luck managed to eat up the clock and win the game. How did he accomplish this? I don't know, because Briles doesn't tell us.

Also, every so often, the first person narration stops for long passages quoting people about what it's like to know and work with Briles. It leaves the book feeling padded and disjointed.

[Erin Oeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a personal conversation with Art Briles. He walks the reader through his path from player to high school coach to college and now to Baylor, overcoming tragedy and losses along the way. Reading this book is like being the recipient of a pep talk. It almost seems as if you are in the locker room, and Briles is firing you up to head out for a big game. I came away encouraged, inspired, and ready to push forward through the daily grind of life. Good read.

[Evan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty shallow writing, but he does talk about good coaching ideas at times, and there were some great takeaways. One thing I didn't like is there are a lot of quotes from other people instead of mostly his writing. Didn't enjoy the stories as much, I mostly liked the general coaching ideas. I'm not affiliated or a fan of Baylor football, but I admire him as a coach.

[BT Philips · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a very well written biography from Art Briles. Of all things, I enjoyed getting to learn more about him than I already knew. My grandpa is a Baylor alumnus, and I went to one of Baylor's football games at their new McLane Stadium, so it was good for me to read this book.

[Jared Kloeker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Art Briles story I’m going from assistant coaching to high school to head coach at Stephenville and coaching at college. The desire to always be creative and push the envelope in new things. Do not just want to become the best but stay the best. It wasn’t a bad read, it was a little repetitive at times. If you run an athletic program or are in leadership and his style matches yours, then you would like this book.