Testimonials

“Ryan Sprague takes you onto the field, into the huddle, and inside the heart and mind of a Florida State football player, offering both the unique perspective of a passionate walk-on and the life-long lessons and unforgettable memories of a national champion.”
– Dave Glenn, Editor/Publisher, ACC Sports Journal, ACCSports.com

“Anyone who played for former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden will tell you he was more than a great motivator and tactician, which helped him become one of the most successful coaches in college football history. They will also tell you that Bowden was a great mentor, role model and father to the thousands of young men who played for him. In GRATEFUL: From Walking-On to Winning it All at Florida State, Ryan Sprague tells Bowden’s story as well as anyone through his own unlikely journey from walk-on to starter on a national championship team. GRATEFUL is a must-read for anyone who loves underdogs and college football.”
– Mark Schlabach, College Football Analyst, ESPN

“Among the many awards and tributes in his office, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden always kept an empty picture frame. It was his dream to someday fill that frame with his first undefeated, national championship team. That dream came true in 1999 and Ryan Sprague was a part of it. Sprague takes us inside one of the great programs in college football history and tells the story of a coaching icon as only a former player can. There is the joy and laughter that winners feel. But there are also sadness and tears, especially when the great man has to leave the stage. Ryan Sprague knows that both are necessary to tell the story. And he tells it very well.”
– Tony Barnhart, CBS Sports

“College football fans, especially Seminole fans, will really enjoy this inside story of one of college football’s greatest championship teams, but the real pleasure for me was the positive messages interlaced among Ryan’s anecdotes. In a time when every week we see a college football player, team or program making headlines on ESPN for all the wrong things, Ryan is clearly the real deal where it matters most: off the field. Ryan’s messages of perseverance, determination, loyalty and of course, gratitude are what really comes across in this memoir.”
– Chris Singer, Founder and Contributer, BookDads.com (you can read the full review here)