The Long Snapper: A Second Chance, a Super Bowl, a Lesson for Life

By Jeffrey Marx

Book Overview

"Jeffrey Marx has done it again, only better than ever... Thoughtful and inspiring, The Long Snapper is a quite simply a joy to behold." -- Chicago Sun-Times

From seventh-grade Bible teacher to Super Bowl champion: the extraordinary true story of one man's improbable second chance at greatness.

When the New England Patriots called Brian Kinchen in December 2003, he was thirty-eight years old, three years removed from professional football, and settled into life as a husband, father of four, and middle school Bible teacher. Then Bill Belichick came calling. Seven short weeks later, Kinchen snapped the ball on Adam Vinatieri's legendary game-winning field goal in Super Bowl XXXVIII, one of the most dramatic finishes in NFL history.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Marx brings readers inside the Patriots' dynasty era and Kinchen's story--as much about faith and family as it is about football--with nail-biting detail, delivering an intimate portrait of an athlete who found meaning beyond the game.

For the hundreds of thousands of readers who made Marx's Season of Life a beloved classic, and for anyone drawn to second-chance stories, The Long Snapper is an essential read, a gripping, against-all-odds story that asks: What does it mean to live with purpose? And what happens when life gives you one more chance to find out?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061691380
• ISBN13: 9780061691386
• Release Date: August 2011
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

football fantasy

as an LSU and Saints fan, it was fun reading about this Christian man's well deserved twist of fate!!!

This was a heartwarming memoir of courage, faith and how Brian Kinchen listened to his heart and God

Brian Kinchen had been one of the best long snappers in the business, but frankly in an occupation like that a cheerleader would be more noticeable. He just did his job, did it well and walked off the field confident in his ability. His confidence also extended to his family, his faith in God and later in his young students at Parkview Baptist. He'd played in the NFL for the Browns, the Dolphins . . . both great teams until he ended up as an expendable player. He thought he had it licked when the Packers called him, but all too quickly his luck ran out when they unceremoniously dumped him when they decided they would make do with two tight ends. "Coach wants to see you. Bring your playbook." It was back to Louisiana for Brian because anyone who heard those words was a goner. He was devastated, but just kept on trying. Rejection after rejection after rejection can break a man, but Brian somehow decided against repeatedly punishing his ego and decided that he would return to school and become a teacher. It was said that "the more things you can do the better chance you have of sticking around," but that only seemed to work early on in his career. With a wife and four kids he needed to be steady, to make and living and teaching would give him stability. Kinchen never figured he was going to end up being a long snapper, but teaching wasn't in his field of vision either, but he knew God does things for a reason and if he was meant to be a teacher, he'd be a good one. Things were going well, but when he got a call out of the blue from Scott Pioli, a former Cleveland Browns teammate, telling him that New England wanted him to try out for them, he was uptight. He was too old, way too old to go through the heartbreak of rejection again. His wife Lori was encouraging and when he asked his classroom they were behind him. Brian stepped on that plane knowing "God created opportunity." Lori would take over his classroom until he returned. There was only room for one long snapper on the New England Patriots. Would Brian be able to show Him what he was made of after all these years? Could an old dude cut the mustard and more importantly, as one of his students asked, "Does God want him here or does God want him there?" This was a heartwarming memoir of courage, faith and how Brian Kinchen listened to his heart and God. The reader need not be a football fan to enjoy this memoir, however there is enough "football" to satisfy those who do, save the die hard fan. I couldn't find anything I didn't like about this well rounded memoir and just kept on rooting for the underdog page after page. It was one of those books that say to the reader "you can do it" without laying out page after page of instructions and devotional quotes. Brian Kincher, his family and his classroom are just waiting in the pages of this book to tell you that you can do it too!

Inspiring Book

"The Long Snapper" is a captivating novel that any sports fan should read, especially young athletes with aspirations of playing professionally. It will inspire, motivate, and uplift the reader. This story makes dreams like playing professional ball, and excelling at it, seem very plausible and possible. The life story of Brian Kinchen is one that will warm your heart, beautifully retold my Jeffrey Marx. A must read.

Good Human Interest book regarding a Professional Athlete

Jefferey Marx's book is an excellent story regarding a professional athlete who had moved on in his life, but was able to give it one last shot at his profession and made it to the Super Bowl. Enjoyable reading!

Fun, Exciting Read of an Incredible Journey by an Authentic, Principled Man

This book rocks! It's a lot of fun! Imagine getting a call from a former employer and being asked to do a critically important job you haven't done in many years. Imagine further that a billion people will be watching you as you do that job. This story is fast-paced, much like you'd imagine it was in real life. It elicits emotions of joy, anguish, humility, and triumph -- triumph that's both personal and related to the success of the team. It recounts the journey of a long-standing professional football player, Brian Kinchen. And while, admittedly, I didn't know of Brian Kinchen beforehand, he's now one of my favorite football players. He's obviously honest with himself and others and had the courage to be authentic within the obviously superficial world of professional football. It allowed a glimpse into how football players feel -- football players at any level. This, I know a bit about as a former college football player and former college football coach myself. Given this perspective, it was super cool to get inside the heart and mind of Brian. It showed how even professional athletes are human. How they, too, have moments of doubt and shame. How they, too, are vulnerable and have times when the support of teammates, friends, and loved ones is critical. Ultimately, much like in Mr. Marx's book, Season of Life, this story brings the reader into focus on what's really important in life: relationships and serving others. And like with Season of Life, I highly, highly recommend this book! Another note: I'm a Trainer with an organization founded out of Stanford University called the Positive Coaching Alliance (www.positivecoach.org). I also work with a group that puts on the Character Combine (www.charactercombine.com). I share this because I'm shamelessly a "character-guy", thus I eat up stories like this; and while there are a few other character-based stories out there, Mr. Marx's story-telling is exceptional. Good thing too because this is an exceptional story! I also share this because another reviewer commented on the religious references in the book. Now, while I do not share Brian's faith I certainly respect it. It is part of him thus part of the story. And I certainly appreciate the practices that he employed to take care of himself when he was struggling. Such practices (e.g., breathing, meditating, contemplating) are under-appreciated and under-utilized in our society, particularly among men, so it was great to see how Brian quieted his negative self-talk and took steps to take care of himself. Had he not this story might have had a very different ending... Read the book. You'll be glad you did.