On the gridiron, Gale Sayers allowed his remarkable running ability to speak for him. After leaving pro football, he found he had more to say. His enduring message to young athletes was to respect the game, give back to the community, and prepare for the future. Those were the principles he lived by his entire life, and they make Sayers: My Life and Times a compelling and essential sports memoir.

Sayers, who grew up in modest surroundings in Omaha, Nebraska was the son of a car polisher and mechanic. After fielding 75 college scholarship offers, he selected Kansas, where he became an All-American halfback before being selected in the first round of the 1965 draft by the Chicago Bears. Later, he became the youngest man ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, at age 34. A knee injury in 1968 cut short his spectacular career, which included an NFL record 6-touchdown effort against the San Francisco 49ers. The story of Sayers' friendship with former Bears teammate Brian Piccolo was immortalized in the 1971 made-for-TV movie "Brian's Song," which starred James Caan as Piccolo and Billy Dee Williams as Sayers.

Now available for the first time in paperback, Sayers' reflections and personal lessons are as enduring as ever.