Eric Dickerson Turns Career Struggles into Lessons for Young Players

 

In this exciting episode, Eric Dickerson, legendary NFL Running Back Hall of Famer speaks to Game Changers host Katie Steinberg about the recent publication of his memoir, Watch My Smoke, The Eric Dickerson Story. Dickerson played in the NFL for 11 seasons with the LA Rams, Indianapolis Colts, LA Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons.

The conversation opens with a look into what drove Dickerson to write a memoir of his life. He shared that the idea started around 2007 when a writer friend of his told him he was a great storyteller and should share the story of his life. He decided to give it a go and they spent time with Dickerson sharing stories and his friend taking notes. Unfortunately, his friend passed away before they made any significant progress, and the book was indefinitely put on hold.

Eventually, after years of poking and prodding from friends and relatives, Dickerson decided to give the memoir another life and in Jan. 2022 the book was released to the public. The biggest challenge was finding a book writer.

The first writers sent samples but “it just didn’t sound like me, at all. I mean, it’s not the way I would talk. I won’t forget one was like I said something like golly or gee whizz. I was like, oh man please, I would never say that. I’d say ah shit, right!” shared Dickerson. He finally found the perfect writer, Greg Hanlon, who was able to share his inspiring story in his voice.

“I just did the audiobook a couple of weeks ago and it sounds exactly like me. I mean, I’m proud of it.  the audiobook itself was very difficult to do but the book itself sounds just me and it tells my story. And one thing people know about me… I keep it one hundred, I mean I’m straight up, I’m no-nonsense, even to myself. I’m not the guy that won’t call myself out on something. I call myself out on things to” shared Dickerson.

Listen in to hear more no-nonsense from Dickerson as he discusses the memoir that shares the story of his life including what it was like to be a black man in the NFL, and how his mom told him two things when he left Texas “Don’t go out there and embarrass yourself and don’t go out there and embarrass me.” Dickerson shared that he has always “just tried to make his mother proud.” There can be little doubt that he has accomplished this goal among many others.

More Stories Like This:

Outlining the Future of the Harlem Globetrotters While Honoring its Roots

The Latest Gaming Merger Firmly Establishes Dallas as an Esports Hub

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

human-centered
How Human-Centered Design Led to a Startup Accelerator for Education: A Conversation with Transcend Network’s Co-founder Michael Narea
June 20, 2025

The convergence of human-centered design and education innovation is reshaping how edtech ventures emerge and scale. As AI enables hyper-efficiency and bootstrapped entrepreneurship becomes more viable, the real differentiator is empathy—founders who listen deeply to users before building solutions. A McKinsey study of 300 public companies found that design-led organizations significantly outperformed their peers, with…

Read More
care navigation
AI-Powered Care Navigation Reduces Healthcare Spend and Improves Patient Access
June 20, 2025

The U.S. healthcare system is strained by rising costs, uneven quality, and fragmented care navigation. Employers are bearing the brunt, spending more without always securing better care for their teams. According to the RAND Corporation, one effective strategy is to “change their network and benefit designs to encourage patients to use lower‑priced, higher‑value providers…

Read More
edge computing
Building the Wireless Future: Low-Power IoT, Edge Computing, and the End of the Gs
June 19, 2025

As the global race to 6G heats up, telecom providers, governments, and tech companies are investing billions to advance the next generation of hyperconnected infrastructure. European operators urge regulators to release more spectrum to stay competitive, while U.S. programs like the USDA’s ReConnect have funneled over $1 billion into rural fiber backhaul. Meanwhile, companies like…

Read More
healthcare operations
Healthcare Operations Improve with AI That Unites Data, Automation, and Ethics
June 18, 2025

Generative AI has captured the public imagination, but its most transformative use cases may lie far from flashy consumer tools. In healthcare operations, where complexity, inefficiency, and fragmentation remain persistent challenges, AI is now driving measurable improvements. Research suggests AI-enabled healthcare systems could cut administrative costs by up to $360 billion in the U.S. alone….

Read More