Pinball: The Making of a Canadian Hero

by Perry Lefko

In 2004, Michael "Pinball" Clemons became the first black coach in the history of the CFL to hoist the Grey Cup in victory, the culmination of an experience that began when he came to Canada in 1989 as an unheralded American football player deemed too small to make it in the National Football League. Not only did Clemons make it big—literally and figuratively—in the Canadian Football League in a career that spanned 11½ seasons, but he cultivated a reputation as an enduring Canadian figure. In between dazzling people with his on-field exploits that resulted in winning the Most Valuable Player in the Canadian Football League in 1990, he became a Most Valuable Person off the field, too, giving generously of his time to charity and causes. His motivational speaking abilities at countless events have wowed his listeners. And throughout this period, Clemons began to realize that he wanted to make Canada his full-time home, embracing the country that, in turn, has embraced him. The book will focus on how it all came to be and how Mike Clemons’ special qualities contributed to making him an enduring Canadian personality, well known beyond the city of Toronto where he became the most popular athlete. It will describe his tremendous natural leadership skills and important inspirational messages to Canadians.

Genres: Sports

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2005

Reviews

[Al Kruzins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this a long time ago so I'm trying to rate it from memory. Not as good as Pinball's autobiography, and a little superfluous if you've read Pinball's book. Though as a journalist I always enjoyed Lefko's newspaper work, his deficiencies as a writer come to the fore in a more protracted form such as this. Decent, but not essential. If you're interested in Pinball, All Heart, his autobiography, is a better bet.