Contents:

It's also written very well in terms of structure, clever turns of phrase, and the balance between detail and movement. I tip my hat to Dat, Rusty Burson, and even to Darren Woodson, who contributed a very eloquent and insightful foreword. I believe that Dat's sense of humor pretty goofy , decency, candor, and passion really came through consistently throughout the book.

After finishing it, I felt glad to have rooted for such an admirable and giving individual with such an interesting tale to tell. Now I'm really curious what he's going to do with the rest of his wonderful life. I bought this book for my son who was born in Vietnam. I wanted to expose him to positive, motivating role models. Dat Nguyen first piqued my curiosity when, circa , I picked up one of those sports publications which had just put out their college football preview issue.

An Asian football player who not only is a member of a major college football power the Aggies were in the midst of a pretty good run in the late 90's , but who is featured in a sports magazine? I had to know more.

Asian athletes are typically dismissed as not big or tall or brawny enough to play major American sports like football and basketball, and instead are more typically associated with less physical sports and personalities such as Michael Chang in tennis and Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan in ice skating. Asians who play American football are exceedingly rare, and the handful that exist seem to be relegated to the "smaller" positions on the field such as defensive back and wide receiver.

Detalhes do produto

None other than Bill Parcells had glowing praise for him "He's just too good of a player - he just makes too many plays - he could play on ANY of my defenses. Nguyen is quite insular and does not typically seek the media spotlight, so relatively little was known about his story until this book came out. Once you read it, however, the awesome obstacles he had to overcome give me an even deeper respect for the man beyond even his football exploits. Nguyen was born in a refugee camp in Arkansas, after his family father, mother, and three siblings all made a harrowing escape from South Vietnam just as the ARVN was collapsing and Communist forces were closing in.

Nguyen's mother was pregnant with him at the time. When the family finally got out of the refugee camp and settled along the coast in Rockport, TX, the virulent racism of the time led to much unrest and even an incident where a man was killed. Nguyen's youth soccer team won the league championship, but the Vietnamese players on his team were shunned by the white parents of the other players. It was widely believed that Vietnamese could well excel in soccer, but they could never play a "real" American sport like football.

Well - Dat proved them wrong. He chose the Aggies because that is where he felt most comfortable, but almost immediately fell out of favor with the coaches because he had allowed his work ethic to slip and showed up in camp fat and out of shape. He was on the verge of losing his scholarship, when he met up with a walk-on safety named Rich Coady, who became his workout partner. The following year, Nguyen showed up in excellent shape, and quickly earned a spot in the starting lineup.

When Nguyen was drafted by the Cowboys, he certainly wasn't going to let the lax work ethic that had nearly cost him his scholarship dog him again as a pro. When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here. The sports story is well told, lively, and interesting. Dat Nguyen has that story to tell. A good football book with the added bonus of a little social history.

For fans of stories in which the human spirit and a deep religious faith triumph over obstacles and adversity, the book is an inspiration. Born in a refugee camp in Arkansas, he grew up in Rockport, Texas, and played his entire high school, college, and seven-year pro career in the Lone Star State. He and his wife, Vanessa, are coauthors of Reveille: Would you like to tell us about a lower price?

If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? Learn more about Amazon Prime.

AvaliaÃ§Ã£o de clientes.
.
Editorial Reviews.
See a Problem?.
Die Vier: Eine Intrige (German Edition).

Read more Read less. Sponsored products related to this item What's this?

Dat: Tackling Life and the NFL

Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Broken by grief and abuse. Cult life is all Josh has ever known. But despair will not win. One way or another, Josh will find freedom. We are all your mothers. Isn't that better than just having one?

The Three Principles of Outstanding Golf: Uncover the principles which lie behind your best, most enjoyable, most consistent golf. Play to your potential and get the most from your game. Journey Through the Minor Leagues: Take a journey with the Hoppin's through the minor leagues of professional baseball, filled with stories and photos from across the US and Canada.

A futile lie secured Linda the nanny position. Will Madame forgive her? Will love conquer all? You'll have a hard time putting this true story down. Mental Training in Traditional Martial Arts. The powerful methods of mental training developed over centuries of martial arts can enrich relationships, health, business, education and much more.

A young woman's journey of self-discovery and how she survived the Na A different kind of military memoir and naval history where women, warships, scandal and a diary-honest psychological journey all take center stage. Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. There was a problem filtering reviews right now.

Please try again later. I've been following Dat's career since his college days, not because I'm an Aggie, but because I'm Asian American who also happens to be a lifelong Cowboys fan. Watching him play and seeing him accumulate tackles has been thrilling. But as he notes in this book, he has never granted many interviews, so I've always wanted to know more about his life story, his family, and how he came to be an exceptional football player. So for me, this book really delivers.

The story is really quite an incredible tale of courage, determination, tragedies, and triumphs big and small. His autobiography and I suppose all autobiographies are like this is rife with exceptionalism; whether in terms of himself or the United States. But there is a certain winning personality at the heart of this book; a genuine person free of any pretense who is determined to present himself as he is. That makes the book. Miguel Mata rated it really liked it Mar 02, John Alford rated it liked it Nov 05, Pete rated it liked it Jan 27, Whitney Zwieg rated it it was amazing Jan 01, Elizabeth Serna rated it it was amazing Jun 29, Doan Le rated it liked it Mar 13, Rusty Burson rated it it was amazing Jul 12, Helen added it Sep 20, Edward Garcia marked it as to-read Jul 12, Therese added it Jun 02, Jesus added it Nov 19, Kerry added it Mar 08, Gwen added it Apr 14, Al Karsten marked it as to-read May 20, BookDB marked it as to-read Sep 29, Jake marked it as to-read Jul 14,