Horseshoe Hero: One Colt Who’s Still ‘Winning’

Week 11 brought the much-needed bye for the Colts. While most players traveled home to rest and rejuvenate with friends and family before their Week 12 matchup against the 2-8 Carolina Panthers, another player made an exciting announcement. Linebacker and defensive captain Gary Brackett, who was lost to the IR earlier this season with a shoulder injury, announced the upcoming release of his own autobiographical book.

Winning: From Walk-On to Captain in Football and Life will hit the shelves on December 13 and recount Brackett’s inspiring life story and journey up the ranks of collegiate and professional football. The book’s forward was written by former head coach and Colts hero Tony Dungy, who has written several books of his own, including the No.1 New York Times’ Best Seller Quiet Strength.

A Super Bowl Champion, Brackett has found much success in the National Football League, but the nine-year veteran overcame many obstacles to get there. Brackett was a walk-on at Rutgers University, and even after being named the team’s defensive MVP his senior year, he did not receive a phone call on draft day in 2003. The Colts picked him up as an undrafted free agent, and he served as a backup for two years until he became a starter in 2005. A year later he was named defensive captain.

Brackett lost his mother, father, and brother within 16 months of each other, but those personal tragedies did not get the best of him. Instead, they inspired him. Brackett has consistently performed at a high level for the Colts, and he has acted as a leader both on and off the field. He founded his IMPACT Foundation in 2007 to help underprivileged children, and his work with the organization earned him the Arthur S. Arkush Humanitarian Award in 2009.

Brackett himself is an inspiration, and I’m looking forward to reading his memoir. Winning can be purchased on Brackett’s new commercial website for $24.95, and all pre-orders even come autographed. With the Colts struggling this season, it will be nice to recall the golden years and the successes of a team that won the Super Bowl in 2007. Here’s hoping those days return soon!