What Happened to the Playbook?

Reggie "Truck" Brown left New Jersey in 1978 with a one-way ticket, $50, a suitcase and said he wasn't coming back until he made something of himself. Making it to the pros was what he always wanted to do but coming from a large family, didn't have the money even for Pop Warner - so they played in the streets. Guys would play representing the streets they lived on, like the Bergen Street Blue Bombers, the Hillside Cowboys, the Hunterdon Fingerprints, and the Peshine Undertakers. He started to make a name for himself at Shabazz High School but suffered a back injury and was told he wouldn't able to play sports again for the rest of his life. As Reggie would tell it, "that's what the doctors said - but they forgot to ask me " He headed off to Pasadena City College, went on to the University of Oregon where he realized his dream, drafted as a Running Back by the Atlanta Falcons in 1982. He continued to play with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and retired with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1987. Behind the glitz and glamour, Reggie suffered in silence for years. What he mastered in college was how to be an alcoholic and a drug addict. After the NFL with no more playbook, no guide, no coaches, and no structure things only got worse. Eventually it cost him everything. He struggled and clawed his way back with a determination not to hide but tell the real story of his life as a professional athlete. He was honored to have been inducted into the 2015-2016 Pasadena City College Hall of Fame as the school's all-time Leading Rusher. Since his days in the NFL, he has addressed audiences of over 50,000 people at conferences and corporate events across the U.S. and abroad. One thing he knew he couldn't do working as an employee is leave a legacy. Today as an entrepreneur and CEO of Reggie Brown Productions you're likely to find him speaking with youth, helping them think about life beyond sports and spreading his slogan message that, "every day you wake up is truly a Great Day to be Alive "