Overview

The inspiring story of an extraordinary man who was told all his life he was too small to play linebacker. But his indomitable desire and undeniable talents would make him among the best to ever play, transforming three pro football franchises and taking him all the way to the Hall of Fame Sam Mills was an underdog his whole life, but would not let anything stop him. All he asked for was ""a chance to fail."" Born into a large working-class family in the projects of North Jersey, Mills fell in love with football on the hardscrabble empty lots where he played tackle games with his friends. He was almost always the shortest player, but as he began to play the game competitively, it became clear he could move faster than any other linebacker--and hit harder than anyone else on the field. Despite his on-field success and chiseled physique, Mills faced hurdles at every level because of his stature: his first high school coach initially wouldn't play him, no major college would recruit him, and the NFL wouldn't draft him--or even take him on as an undrafted free agent. But his irrepressible passion for the game would not be denied, driving him to blaze a unique career path. Veteran journalist and Hall of Fame Selector Paul Domowitch brings Mills' extraordinary life and the fast-evolving era he played into vivid focus. From his humble origins to his emergence as an all-star champion in the startup USFL, to becoming the centerpiece of the legendary Dome Patrol defense that transformed the NFL's laughingstock New Orleans Saints into a contender, to his pinnacle as the All Pro leader of the expansion Carolina Panthers, where his foundational contributions are commemorated today in a retired jersey and a statue outside the stadium. Along the way Domowitch brings to life the details of the players, coaches, and teams on whom Mills left his mark before his tragic death from cancer--and his role in radically transforming the linebacker position in the pro game's fast-evolving era of the 1980s and -90s that led to today's pass-focused NFL. Gripping, insightful, and uplifting, Just Give Me a Chance to Fail is a book for every fan of pro football--and anyone who believes success begins with just getting a chance.

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9798994998007

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Reviews

""This is a powerful book. It's easily the most inspirational sports book I've ever read. The life of the great Sam Mills is the kind of life you want to lead, and the kind of life you want to teach your children to live. Paul Domowitch is one of America's most respected football writers, and this is a book you will keep on your shelf to come back to over and over."" --Sal Paolantonio, ESPN National Correspondent ""I knew Sam Mills, and I'm so glad Paul Domowitch--a student of the game who is one of the best football writers of the modern era--is memorializing the football player and the man. This is not just a terrific football book. Every underdog player in every sport should read this to understand that greatness is possible in every walk of life if you really work to achieve it."" --Peter King, National Sports Media Association (NSMA) Hall of Fame writer and author of The Game ""Sam Mills did not have the size or pedigree to play pro football, yet he played for 15 seasons. Today he has a bust in the Hall of Fame and a statue outside Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. His story, skillfully told by author Paul Domowitch, is truly an inspiration."" --Ray Didinger, Pro Football Hall of Fame sportswriter and author of Finished Business: My Fifty Years of Headlines, Heroes, and Heartaches ""Thanks to Paul Domowitch's in-depth reporting and gifted storytelling, football fans -- and anyone who loves an underdog story -- can follow Sam Mills' remarkable journey from a government housing project in New Jersey to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Domowitch delivers a hit in the first biography written of Mills.'' --Joe Person, The Athletic

Author Information

Paul Domowitch was a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer for nearly forty years, covering the USFL's Stars, the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, and the game of professional football during a transformative period in its history. He has been a Pro Football Hall of Fame Selector since 2002. He lives in New Jersey with his family.

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