Book Review: Growing Up Colt:: A Father, a Son, a Life in Football

Growing Up Colt: A Father, a Son, a Life in Football by Colt McCoy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


If I was walking down the bookstore or library isle, this would probably not be one of the first books that I would pick, so why did I read it? Well, an easy answer would be that I love books, but in reality I discovered the Goodreads Firstreads Giveaways, and this book was listed and so I entered and actually won the book. YEAH! There is nothing in the world I like more than a free book.



So I thought it ight be good, and I do enjoy football, and I knew who Colt McCoy was, but I hadn't watched him too much at Texas, but I remember the Chris Simms/Major Applewhite years. Of course I was having my own babies during the Vince Young years and don't remember them much, so I was tempted by the book. And the fact that he wrote it with his father was interesting, I wanted to know what it was about.



I probably wasn't five pages into the book, when I read my favorite line. "Prepare your children for the path, not the path for your children", so any parents today want to go ahead and clear the path for their children, to fill in the potholes and pick up the rocks, but if you clear the path for them, what happens when you are not there, they have no idea how to handle the bumps in the path.  I firmly believe this too, if you teach a child how to handle the holes and rocks, then they will always know what to do for the rest of their lives when things come up. I have shared this passage from the book almost daily since I first read it.



At this point, I am ready to pass the book on for my son to read, and although he doesn't play football anymore (bad Pop Warner experience), I still find that there are a great many things that he can benefit from reading.  I also plan to pass the book on to my daughter, and although she is a dancer instead of a football player, I find that the lessons Colt learned and talks about are general enough, they can be applied to dance just as well. The value of working hard, eating right, getting enough sleep and putting God first will always produce results, no matter the sport.



I have to admit that I was surprised by the book. I don't think I ever realized Colt's faith while he was playing football at Texas, but then again I live in Indiana, where basketball is king and football is a sidelight. We don't get to see too much football the way they play it in Texas around here.



I recommend this book to anyone who is raising children! I think you will find some basic truths that our parents and grandparents all knew, but for some reason have fallen out of fashion with todays parents. It will remind you why the ways of our parents and grandparents worked, and why they had far less trouble with children than we have today.



Yea, I gave this book 5 stars, and I don't do that often, but the message is so important to kids today, and i can't see how anyone could over look what is being said, but i know there will be those out there that "poo" the faith aspect of the book, ans that right there probably answers the question as to why so many people are lost and looking for answers, a lack of faith and belief in God in our  society.



I loved the book and can't wait to hear what my children think as I pas it on to them to read and learn from, and I only hope that I can raise children with a strong faith and work ethic in this world today.



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