| A Football Life | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Created by | NFL Films NFL Network |
| Narrated by | Josh Charles[1] |
| Theme music composer | David Robidoux[2] |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 10 |
| No. of episodes | 116 |
| Original release | |
| Network | NFL Network |
| Release | September 15, 2011 (2011-09-15) – present |
A Football Life is an American documentary series of 127 episodes, developed byNFL Films and aired onNFL Network that documents the lives of selectNational Football League (NFL) players, coaches, owners, and teams. Friends, teammates, family members and other players and coaches associated with the subjects are interviewed.[3]
The name of the series originated in a quote fromSteve Sabol of NFL Films:[4]
For a company that prides itself on telling good stories, this is one hell of a story.Dad makes theHall of Fame. Son's going to be his presenter. Son gets a brain tumor. Now the story is, Is the son going to be there? Will the son make it? Who knows? I could be around until theSuper Bowl in New York [2014]. But I've had a lot of time to think ...So they talk about heaven, and I don't know what is waiting for me up there. But I can tell you this: Nothing will happen up there that can duplicate my life down here. That life cannot be better than the one I've lived down here, the football life. It's been perfect.
Originating as an NFL Network special on the career ofBill Parcells in November 2010,[5] it premiered as an episodic series on September 15, 2011, with the first part ofBill Belichick's documentary.[6] Unlike most episodes, the episode on Belichick was a two-hour documentary, and focused specifically on the2009 season; Belichick agreed to be wired for sound for the entire season.[7] The documentary was viewed by about 657,000 viewers, the most-watched documentary in NFL Network's history, and was the second-most watched program in Boston at the time with 151,000 viewers, trailing behind aBoston Red Sox game.[8]
Season Two began on September 12, 2012, withThe Faces ofTebow.[9]
The series was nominated for anEmmy Award for "Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthology"[10] and "Outstanding Promotional Announcement – Episodic" for Belichick's episode[11] in 2012.[12]
Season One was eventually released on DVD.[13]
Source:[14]
| No. | Subject | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Belichick | September 15, 2011 |
| 2 | September 22, 2011 | |
| 3 | Reggie White &Jerome Brown | September 29, 2011 |
| 4 | Kurt Warner | October 6, 2011 |
| 5 | Walter Payton | October 13, 2011 |
| 6 | Ed Sabol | October 20, 2011 |
| 7 | Mike Ditka | October 27, 2011 |
| 8 | Tom Landry | November 3, 2011 |
| 9 | Al Davis | November 11, 2011 |
| No. | Subject | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Tebow | September 12, 2012 |
| 2 | Ray Lewis | September 19, 2012 |
| 3 | Tom Coughlin | September 26, 2012 |
| 4 | Cleveland '95 | October 3, 2012 |
| 5 | The Fearsome Foursome | October 10, 2012 |
| 6 | Steve McNair | October 17, 2012 |
| 7 | Eddie DeBartolo | October 24, 2012 |
| 8 | Chris Spielman | October 31, 2012 |
| 9 | Jimmy Johnson | November 7, 2012 |
| 10 | John Riggins | November 21, 2012 |
| 11 | Barry Sanders | December 5, 2012 |
| 12 | Marcus Allen | December 12, 2012 |
| 13 | The Immaculate Reception | December 19, 2012 |
| No. | Subject | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LaDainian Tomlinson | September 3, 2013 |
| 2 | Don Shula | September 10, 2013 |
| 3 | Darrelle Revis | September 17, 2013 |
| 4 | Derrick Thomas | September 24, 2013 |
| 5 | Steve Sabol | October 1, 2013 |
| 6 | Matt Millen | October 8, 2013 |
| 7 | Michael Strahan | October 15, 2013 |
| 8 | Pat Summerall | October 22, 2013 |
| 9 | Warren Sapp | October 29, 2013 |
| 10 | Randall Cunningham | November 5, 2013 |
| 11 | Cris Carter | November 12, 2013 |
| 12 | The Forward Pass | November 19, 2013 |
| 13 | Steve Gleason | November 26, 2013 |
| 14 | The Great Wall of Dallas | December 3, 2013 |
| 15 | Houston '93 | December 10, 2013 |
| 16 | Marty Schottenheimer | December 17, 2013 |
| 17 | Vince Lombardi | December 24, 2013 |
| 18 | December 31, 2013 | |
| 19 | Tiki &Ronde Barber | January 7, 2014 |
| 20 | Bill Parcells | January 14, 2014 |
| 21 | Jerry Smith | January 21, 2014 |
| 22 | Jerry Rice | January 28, 2014 |
Season Four was announced for September 10, 2014.[21][22]
| No. | Subject | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mean Joe" Greene | September 12, 2014 |
| 2 | Brandon Marshall | September 19, 2014 |
| 3 | Sean Taylor | September 26, 2014 |
| 4 | Warren Moon | October 3, 2014 |
| 5 | Eric Dickerson | October 10, 2014 |
| 6 | Doug Flutie | October 17, 2014 |
| 7 | Terrell Davis | October 24, 2014 |
| 8 | Ricky Williams | October 31, 2014 |
| 9 | Earl Campbell | November 7, 2014 |
| 10 | The Perfect Backfield (Csonka,Kiick &Morris) | November 14, 2014 |
| 11 | Lyle Alzado | November 21, 2014 |
| 12 | Dick Butkus &Gale Sayers | November 28, 2014 |
| 13 | Roger Staubach | December 5, 2014 |
| 14 | Keenan McCardell &Jimmy Smith | December 19, 2014 |
| 15 | 2006 Rose Bowl | January 2, 2015 |
| 16 | Bill Walsh | January 23, 2015 |
| 17 | Joe Namath | January 30, 2015 |
Season Five began on September 18 at 9 pm, and it had 13 new episodes includingTerrell Owens,Dick Vermeil,Paul Brown, and more.[23]
| No. | Subject | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christian Okoye | September 18, 2015 |
| 2 | Dexter Manley | September 25, 2015 |
| 3 | Jerome Bettis | October 2, 2015 |
| 4 | Terrell Owens | October 9, 2015 |
| 5 | Alan Page | October 16, 2015 |
| 6 | Steve Largent | October 23, 2015 |
| 7 | Dick Vermeil | October 30, 2015 |
| 8 | Paul Brown | November 6, 2015 |
| 9 | Mike Singletary | November 13, 2015 |
| 10 | Charles Haley | November 19, 2015 |
| 11 | Bruce Arians | December 11, 2015 |
| 12 | Marshall Faulk | December 18, 2015 |
| 13 | Ken Stabler | December 25, 2015 |
Season Six premiered Friday, September 16 at 9:00 PM ET and aired 13 new episodes starting with the story of Pro Football Hall of Fame running backCurtis Martin, and includingBrett Favre,Chuck Noll, andJim Brown.[24]
Two mini-episodes were released on the NFL's official YouTube channel. In contrast to the television series, these two episodes feature fictional characters Rod Tidwell and Frank Cushman from the movieJerry Maguire, withCuba Gooding, Jr. andJerry O'Connell reprising their roles. The Tidwell episode used footage from the film, while Cushman's used edited footage ofBrian Griese from the NFL Films archives.
| No. | Subject | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curtis Martin | September 16, 2016 |
| 2 | Rodney Harrison | September 23, 2016 |
| 3 | Chad Johnson | September 30, 2016 |
| 4 | Steve Young | October 7, 2016 |
| 5 | Brett Favre | October 21, 2016[a] |
| 6 | Pat Tillman | October 28, 2016 |
| 7 | Michael Vick | November 4, 2016 |
| 8 | Jim Brown | November 10, 2016 |
| 9 | Steve Smith Sr. | November 18, 2016 |
| 10 | Chuck Noll | November 25, 2016 |
| 11 | Troy Aikman | December 2, 2016 |
| 12 | Charles Woodson | December 9, 2016 |
| 13 | Kevin Greene | December 16, 2016 |
Season Seven ofA Football Life premiered on Friday, September 15 at 9:00 PM ET and subsequently aired 13 episodes beginning with the formerMiami Dolphins quarterbackDan Marino. Other episodes featured formerOakland Raiders coachJohn Madden, formerBuffalo Bills quarterbackJim Kelly,Dallas Cowboys ownerJerry Jones and formerWashington Redskins coach and currentNASCAR ownerJoe Gibbs.[26]
| No. | Subject | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Marino | September 15, 2017 |
| 2 | Emmitt Smith | September 22, 2017 |
| 3 | John Madden | September 29, 2017 |
| 4 | Wes Welker | October 6, 2017 |
| 5 | Sam Mills | October 13, 2017 |
| 6 | Jim Kelly | November 3, 2017 |
| 7 | Larry Fitzgerald | November 10, 2017 |
| 8 | Eddie George | November 17, 2017 |
| 9 | Joe Gibbs | November 25, 2017 |
| 10 | Jerry Jones | December 1, 2017 |
| 11 | Aeneas Williams | December 9, 2017 |
| 12 | John Randle | December 15, 2017 |
| 13 | Lynn Swann &John Stallworth | December 22, 2017 |
Season Eight ofA Football Life premiered on Friday, September 14, 2018 at 9:00 PM ET and subsequently aired 11 episodes. It featuredMike Holmgren,Dwight Clark andThe Catch,Lawrence Taylor,Thurman Thomas,Carson Palmer,Brian Dawkins,Doug Williams,Willie McGinest,Cris Collinsworth,Tony Romo andBill Cowher.[27]
| No. | Subject | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carson Palmer | September 14, 2018 |
| 2 | Lawrence Taylor | September 21, 2018 |
| 3 | Tony Romo | September 28, 2018 |
| 4 | Willie McGinest | October 5, 2018 |
| 5 | Brian Dawkins | October 12, 2018 |
| 6 | Dwight Clark | November 2, 2018 |
| 7 | Bill Cowher | November 9, 2018 |
| 8 | Mike Holmgren | November 16, 2018 |
| 9 | Cris Collinsworth | November 23, 2018 |
| 10 | Doug Williams | December 7, 2018 |
| 11 | Thurman Thomas | December 14, 2018 |
Season Nine premiered on Friday September 13, 2019, and the episodes included Hall of FamersTerry Bradshaw,Tony Gonzalez,Bruce Smith, andRonnie Lott.[28]
| No. | Subject | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terry Bradshaw | September 13, 2019 |
| 2 | Tony Gonzalez | September 20, 2019 |
| 3 | Ronnie Lott | November 1, 2019 |
| 4 | Bruce Smith | November 29, 2019 |
Season Ten premiered on September 17, 2021.[29]
| No. | Subject | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Saban | September 17, 2021 |
| 2 | James Harrison | September 24, 2021 |
| 3 | Calvin Johnson | October 1, 2021 |
| 4 | Drew Pearson | December 3, 2021 |
| 5 | John Lynch | December 24, 2021 |
Season 11 premiered on September 16, 2022.[30]
| No. | Subject | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Theismann | September 16, 2022 |
| 2 | Rod Woodson | September 23, 2022 |
| 3 | Edgerrin James | November 18, 2022 |
| 4 | Julian Edelman | November 25, 2022 |
| 5 | Franco Harris | December 23, 2022 |
| 6 | The 1972 Miami Dolphins | January 13, 2023 |
| 7 | DeMarcus Ware | November 17, 2023 |