A Football Life (2011)
A Football Life is a documentary series developed by NFL Films and aired on NFL Network that documents the lives of select National Football League players, coaches, owners, and teams. Friends, teammates, family members and other players and coaches associated with the subjects are interviewed. The name of the series originated in a quote from Steve Sabol of NFL Films: Originating as an NFL Network special on the career of Bill Parcells in November 2010, it premiered as an episodic series on September 15, 2011, with the first part of Bill Belichick's documentary. The documentary was viewed by about 657,000 viewers, the most-watched documentary in NFL Network's history, and was the second-most watched program in Boston at the time with 151,000 viewers, trailing behind a Boston Red Sox game. Season One was eventually released on DVD. Season Two began on September 12, 2012, with The Faces of Tebow. The series was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthology" and "Outstanding Promotional Announcement – Episodic" for Belichick's episode in 2012.
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Episode 1 - Carson Palmer
Release Date: 2018-09-14The golden boy with the golden arm won the Heisman Trophy at USC and was the first overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft. In the NFL, he endured two torn ACLs, two trades, and one very public disagreement with an owner. But he still managed a 15-year career, and currently ranks 12th all-time in passing yards and touchdown passes.
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Episode 2 - Lawrence Taylor
Release Date: 2018-09-21L.T. has been in the spotlight from the moment he stepped into the NFL, and as destructive as he was on the field as one of the best defensive players of all time, he may have been more destructive to himself off the field. Through three decades of interviews, Taylor gives raw, unfiltered, honest answers about the highest and lowest points in a triumphant and tumultuous football life.
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Episode 3 - Tony Romo
Release Date: 2018-09-28The story of how a perfectionist with a love for sports went from small-town Wisconsin to become the face of America's Team for nearly a decade.
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Episode 4 - Willie McGinest
Release Date: 2018-10-05He played for a high school known for producing NFL players. At USC he became an All American. And he helped turn the New England Patriots into a dynasty. Willie McGinest is no stranger to success, but his journey to the top of the football world had anything but a smooth start.
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Episode 5 - Brian Dawkins
Release Date: 2018-10-12He was known as Weapon X on the field, but he was a gentle family man off it. A Football Life: Brian Dawkins looks at the two sides of Dawkins, from the beginnings of his superstar career, through his battles with depression, all the way to the Hall of Fame.
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Episode 6 - Dwight Clark
Release Date: 2018-10-19The story of the former 49ers wide receiver who thought he wouldn't make the team, but went on to make "The Catch," arguably the single greatest reception in NFL history. The play propelled San Francisco to a decade of dominance in the 1980s that saw the team win four Super Bowl titles. Stricken with ALS in his later years, Clark died on June 4, 2018.
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Episode 7 - Bill Cowher
Release Date: 2018-10-26He grew up in a Pittsburgh suburb, and as the Steelers head coach he won eight division titles and a Super Bowl championship. He'll always be known for his Western Pennsylvania roots and blue-collar toughness, but Bill Cowher now has a new home, and a softer side.
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Episode 8 - Mike Holmgren
Release Date: 2018-11-02He led two franchises to the Super Bowl and did something no coach had done in Green Bay since Vince Lombardi--win a title. He's also considered one of the great quarterback whisperers of all time, having coached Hall of Famers Joe Montana, Steve Young and Brett Favre.
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Episode 9 - Cris Collinsworth
Release Date: 2018-11-09First, he transformed from a gangly, rail-thin, 6-foot-5 Florida high school sprint champion to a star receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals. After football, he evolved from an HBO feature reporter/funnyman to the most respected and decorated analyst in sports broadcasting.
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Episode 10 - Doug Williams
Release Date: 2018-11-16He grew up without running water in rural Louisiana. He played quarterback in an era when few African Americans did, overcoming prejudice and hardship to become a Heisman candidate, a first round draft pick, and ultimately, a Super Bowl MVP.
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Episode 11 - Thurman Thomas
Release Date: 2018-11-23The Thurmanator led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage four straight seasons and scored a touchdown in four straight Super Bowls. Yet throughout his life, his best trait was being able to take his biggest disappointments and turn them into motivation for his greatest triumphs.