Touchdown Tony-Running With a Purpose: A Review

This is the true story of the Star Running Back featured in the Movie Woodlawn.  This autobiography written by Tony Nathan it truly inspiring.

When Tony Nathan got his hands on the football, he was like Superman putting on his cape. This unassuming young man knew instinctively how to handle the football—and he knew how to run.

So, when Chaplain Hank Erwin came to Woodlawn High School in the midst of the Jesus Movement, he saw something special in this talented running back, and he saw a way to inspire the racially divided city of Birmingham with something that transcended the color of a man’s skin,

“When you play for yourself, you can be great.” Erwin told Tony, “But when you play for a purpose higher than yourself, God can make you a superstar.”

In this powerful memoir, Tony shares how his renewed faith helped him summon the courage to “run with purpose.” And when the city of Birmingham embraced Tony as their football hero, it opened its heart to the possibility of racial healing.

Inspirational and uplifting, Touchdown Tony is not only a behind-the-scenes look at a great football player’s life and career, it is also a story of redemption and one man’s hope to change the future.

Tony Nathan was the Woodlawn High School star running back in the legendary game of 1974 in Birmingham, Alabama. The Parade All American athlete went on to play for Paul “Bear” Bryant and win a national championship with the University of Alabama. He played for the Miami Dolphins in the NFL and was the starting running back in Super Bowl XVII and XIX. He was inducted into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame and made his return to the NFL as a running backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens. He is currently the bailiff for former teammate Judge Edward Newman in Miami-Dade County Court.

It is a fascinating story if you like football and it is fascinating story if you like a story of a person who lived a life with a purpose.

Tony learned a good work ethic from his parents. “My family learned to make the most of what we had.” The following quote from the book sums up nicely who Tony became and why:

There’s no doubt in my mind that the work ethic I witnessed in my mom and dad made me a success at Woodlawn High School, the University of Alabama, and the National Football League. From an early age, my parents taught me to do my job, do it well, and not make excuses. More important, my parents taught me to respect people and treat them the way I wanted to be treated. I had no idea how valuable these lessons would be once I started attending Woodlawn High School in Birmingham.

Birmingham was the battleground for the civil rights struggle. It was a dark time in America’s history. And there was an international spotlight on my hometown. But I was too young to understand the magnitude of what was happening around me. I didn’t realize or appreciate the sacrifices others were making to ensure that people who looked like me would have better lives in the future. And I certainly didn’t know that someday I’d have a small part in making things better

If you have not seen the movie Woodlawn, I would recommend that you watch it and then read this book Touchdown Tony isbn 978-1-5011-1851-7. If your local bookstore does not have it, you can order it online from various venues including Amazon.com.