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Inside the NFL's First Family: My Life of Football, Faith, and Fatherhood
From the man who has played in more NFL games than any non-kicker in the football league’s history comes a memoir about the Matthews family and how eight people over three generations have achieved success in the NFL—more than any other family in sports history.
No family has qualified more of its members for the demands and rewards of the National Football League than the Matthews clan—eight and counting over three generations. They include Bruce’s father Clay, an original NFL San Francisco 49er; his brother Clay Jr., a four-time All-Pro for the Cleveland Browns; and nephew Clay III, a Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers. Bruce Matthews may be the best of them all, a fourteen-time Pro Bowler with the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans, holder of the all-time consecutive starts record for offensive linemen, and inductee in the NFL Hall of Fame.
The enduring success of the Matthews family is no accident. Their competitive nature, passion for excellence, never-quit attitude, compassion for the disadvantaged, and love for each other has propelled them to the peak of their abilities and professions. For Bruce, the foundation of it all is his faith in God. Inside the NFL’s First Family shows how the highs and lows of Bruce’s NFL career and expanding responsibilities as a husband and father taught him the lasting significance of his commitment to Christ. This book is a fascinating peek behind the curtain of professional football, featuring the insider stories that every fan craves. It also shows how Bruce and his family successfully dealt with challenges such as depression, cancer, and Down Syndrome. Yet Inside the NFL’s First Family offers readers even more—the principles and beliefs that have enabled the Matthewses to excel in football and in life.
No family has qualified more of its members for the demands and rewards of the National Football League than the Matthews clan—eight and counting over three generations. They include Bruce’s father Clay, an original NFL San Francisco 49er; his brother Clay Jr., a four-time All-Pro for the Cleveland Browns; and nephew Clay III, a Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers. Bruce Matthews may be the best of them all, a fourteen-time Pro Bowler with the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans, holder of the all-time consecutive starts record for offensive linemen, and inductee in the NFL Hall of Fame.
The enduring success of the Matthews family is no accident. Their competitive nature, passion for excellence, never-quit attitude, compassion for the disadvantaged, and love for each other has propelled them to the peak of their abilities and professions. For Bruce, the foundation of it all is his faith in God. Inside the NFL’s First Family shows how the highs and lows of Bruce’s NFL career and expanding responsibilities as a husband and father taught him the lasting significance of his commitment to Christ. This book is a fascinating peek behind the curtain of professional football, featuring the insider stories that every fan craves. It also shows how Bruce and his family successfully dealt with challenges such as depression, cancer, and Down Syndrome. Yet Inside the NFL’s First Family offers readers even more—the principles and beliefs that have enabled the Matthewses to excel in football and in life.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published January 10, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 8, 2018
I really enjoyed this. This book would make a great gift for the Football lovers in your family.
January 22, 2017
Full disclosure, Bruce Matthews and I have been friends since our freshman year together at USC. This is a terrific book that takes a look at not only the accomplishments on and off the field of a great football player, father, husband, friend, etc.....it also takes a look at the influences in his life who helped shape the man and great role model he has become for so many others. Bruce makes himself vulnerable (I'm sure that wasn't an easy thing for him to do) while sharing the development of his Christian faith openly. A terrific story I think everybody should read.
June 15, 2020
Being a huge Clay Matthew III fan, I was very excited to read this book, even though I understood that he is not the main topic . His uncle, Bruce Matthews, describes his families lineage in football that started with his father. The book read quickly but that is to be expected. Bruce talks about his time on the Oilers/Titans along with his changing relationship with his faith , balance between his football and growing family and his deep relationship with his brother, Clay Matthews II. The discussion of mental health is prevalent in this book, which is much appreciated. Although his family had small excerpt quotes along the way, I was hoping for much more. Topics were not talked about in depths, they were barley touched on as the book we along. I believe this is a solid primer for the Matthew's legacy but there is room for a few more, insightful books.
May 12, 2017
Pretty much exactly what it says on the cover, Bruce Matthews' unflinching and unvarnished recounting of his life, centering around his family - the hardy and resolute Matthews clan - his journey of faith (a refreshing contrast to so many drugs and chaos sports stories), football, and his kids. I enjoyed this straightforward narrative and storytelling style.
January 19, 2019
Great book. I would give it 5 stars but it starts a little slow. The middle and end of the book are very inspiring. Bruce Matthews is a very inspiring family man. Fun to follow some of his football memories as I recall growing up watching some of the games he talks about.
November 8, 2022
This was a good book a fresh straight story about their life without drugs and some of the other things that you read about Pro athletes. They have there same ups and downs as other people and how they work through them. Pretty much what the titled said.
June 17, 2018
Excellent
This book is full of spiritual lessons. Family stories. Reads easy. I appreciate his honest and was moved by his loyalty to his family.
This book is full of spiritual lessons. Family stories. Reads easy. I appreciate his honest and was moved by his loyalty to his family.
February 24, 2017
What a great read... Great role model with real life experiences, a very humble man...
December 30, 2016
INSIDE THE NFL'S FIRST FAMILY by Bruce Matthews a memoir of Bruce Matthew's career, with strong connections to family, religion, the drive to overcome. Bruce Matthews is a NFL Hall of Famer with a family full of successful NFL ex and current players. He realizes the uniqueness of this and tries to analyze why that is as well as discussing his own career.
The writing in INSIDE THE NFL'S FIRST FAMILY is very conversational and easy to follow, but still felt very real and heartfelt. It is clear very quickly that Bruce respects the game of football and what it has done for him. He is proud and at the same time humble when discussing his career and spends more time reliving the feelings from his playing days than the successes he had. Family is very important to him; he speaks highly of his father and well about his brother as well. He is in the NFL Hall of Fame, and yet he writes about his brother as if his brother was always the better player and explains some of his favorite NFL games were those when he played against his brother's teams. He also spends time talking about his own family, how proud he is of his boys and there is an especially touching chapter about his daughter which had me tearing up.
A delight to read, INSIDE THE NFL'S FIRST FAMILY left me smiling Bruce Matthew's life. He is blessed, not only because of what he accomplished, but what has been given to him and yet, he seems to take nothing for granted and seems to enjoy life day to day, not ride the laurels of what got him there. I would recommend this book to football fans, but also to a reader looking for the story of a man finding his way in life and searching for the best way to live and inspire others.
Thank you to Howard Books, Bruce Matthews, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The writing in INSIDE THE NFL'S FIRST FAMILY is very conversational and easy to follow, but still felt very real and heartfelt. It is clear very quickly that Bruce respects the game of football and what it has done for him. He is proud and at the same time humble when discussing his career and spends more time reliving the feelings from his playing days than the successes he had. Family is very important to him; he speaks highly of his father and well about his brother as well. He is in the NFL Hall of Fame, and yet he writes about his brother as if his brother was always the better player and explains some of his favorite NFL games were those when he played against his brother's teams. He also spends time talking about his own family, how proud he is of his boys and there is an especially touching chapter about his daughter which had me tearing up.
A delight to read, INSIDE THE NFL'S FIRST FAMILY left me smiling Bruce Matthew's life. He is blessed, not only because of what he accomplished, but what has been given to him and yet, he seems to take nothing for granted and seems to enjoy life day to day, not ride the laurels of what got him there. I would recommend this book to football fans, but also to a reader looking for the story of a man finding his way in life and searching for the best way to live and inspire others.
Thank you to Howard Books, Bruce Matthews, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
April 22, 2017
A pretty formulaic Christian sports bio, though Matthews effectively describes his growth in grace and godliness without resorting to the typical "I can do all things..." blather.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews