Sign-In
Cart
The Smart Jock
Paperback
Publisher Price: $27.99
Publisher: Tier 1 Publishing
Published: Sep 30 2026
Pages: 146
Weight: 0.60
Height: 0.40 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
For generations, athletes have been unfairly labeled with one of the most damaging stereotypes in sports: the dumb jock.
The Smart Jocks challenges that stereotype.
In this inspiring collection of real-life stories, former college football player and NFL athlete Gerard Ross takes readers beyond the helmets, stadiums, highlight reels, and statistics to reveal another side of the game-the classroom, the books, the degrees, and the determination to prepare for life after football.
Through the journeys of nine former college and NFL players, The Smart Jocks explores athletes who refused to believe that success on the field had to come at the expense of success in the classroom. They attended respected universities, pursued challenging academic paths, overcame difficult circumstances, built successful careers, and demonstrated that intelligence and athletic ability can exist side by side.
Featuring stories connected to athletes such as Myron Rolle, Richard Sherman, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh Dobbs, Andrew Luck, John Urschel, Marshawn Lynch, Justin Herbert, and Steve Young, the book examines the discipline, preparation, perseverance, and mindset that helped them succeed beyond football.
Ross also shares pieces of his own journey-from a young athlete dreaming about professional sports to playing defensive back at Florida State University, earning academic honors, and eventually reaching the NFL. Along the way, he learned an important lesson: the dream of professional sports is worth chasing, but education prepares you for everything that comes after the game.
The Smart Jocks is more than a football book. It is a message to student-athletes who have ever been underestimated, stereotyped, or told they have to choose between being an athlete and being a student.
You can compete. You can learn. You can lead. You can prepare for your future.
Because being a great athlete may open doors-but becoming a Smart Jock can prepare you for a lifetime.
Also from
Ross, Gerard
Also in
Football
The Playbook: The Hidden Forces Shaping Winners and Losers in the Modern NFL
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Hardcover
Why Can't This Team Just Find a Quarterback?: And Other Thoughts on Life in Browns Town
Pluto, Terry
Paperback
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream
Bissinger, H. G.
Paperback
We Did Not Care: How the Seattle Seahawks Silenced All Doubts and Became Champions
Nemhauser, Brian
Paperback
It's a Numbers Game! Football: The Math Behind the Perfect Punt, the Game-Changing Interception, and So Much More!
National Geographic Kids
Zweig, Eric
Hardcover
Just Give Me a Chance to Fail: The Life of NFL Hall of Fame Linebacker Sam Mills
Domowitch, Paul
Hardcover
Lambeau Ladies: The Boundary-Breaking Women Behind Lombardi's Packers
Kostelnik Biskupic, Laura
Biskupic, Katherine
Paperback
So You Think You Know Football?: The Armchair Ref's Guide to the Official Rules
Austro, Ben
Paperback
Unthinkable to Unstoppable: How Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers Stunned College Football
Niziolek, Mike
Osterman, Zach
Hardcover
The Spurrier Effect: How One Coach Transformed Gamecock Football
Miller, Kevin
Silvia, Brent
Hardcover
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Firsts: The Players, Moments, and Records That Were First in Team History
Bourret, Timothy
Heisler, John
Paperback
Carlisle vs. Army: Jim Thorpe, Dwight Eisenhower, Pop Warner, and the Forgotten Story of Football'sgreatest Battle
Anderson, Lars
Paperback
Bart's Heart: A Journey of Family, Friendship, Football and Faith
Lee, David T.
Burrell, Bart
Paperback
Remember This Titan: The Bill Yoast Story: Lessons Learned from a Celebrated Coach's Journey As Told to Steve Sullivan
Sullivan, Steve
Paperback
Smarter about Sports: My Life Navigating Athletes, Agents, Media, and the Business of the NFL
Brandt, Andrew
Hardcover
Da Bears!: How the 1985 Monsters of the Midway Became the Greatest Team in NFL History
Delsohn, Steve
Paperback
Take Your Eye Off the Ball 2.0: How to Watch Football by Knowing Where to Look
Kirwan, Pat
Seigerman, David
Paperback
Lambeau: The Epic Life of Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau, the Man Who Invented the Green Bay Packers
Gould, Herb
Paperback
Vintage Browns: A Warm Look Back at the Cleveland Browns of the 1970s, '80s, '90s and More
Pluto, Terry
Paperback
Buckeye Brotherhood: How Ohio State Navigated a New World to Win a National Championship
Rabinowitz, Bill
Paperback
Strike Season: The True Story of a Team That Played on When the Coaches Walked Out
Eck, Michael
Hardcover
Dixieland Delight: A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference
Travis, Clay
Paperback
Bam!: John Madden, the NFL Explosion, and the Video Game That Changed Sports
Howard-Cooper, Scott
Hardcover
Weird Moments in Cleveland Sports: Bottlegate, Bedbugs, and Burying the Pennant
Guerrieri, Vince
Paperback
That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory
Eisenberg, John
Paperback
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream
Bissinger, H. G.
Hardcover
From Bulldog to Bengal: The Joe Burrow Story Through the Eyes of His Hometown
Smathers, Sam
Burson, Scott
Paperback
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little
Zagorski, Joe
Paperback
Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History
Murphy, Cait N.
Paperback
The Best of Philly Sports: Amazing Moments and Stories in Philadelphia Sports History
Decamara, Joe
Hardcover
Hail to the Redskins: Gibbs, the Diesel, the Hogs, and the Glory Days of D.C.'s Football Dynasty
Lazarus, Adam
Paperback
The Everyone's a Coach: Five Business Secrets for High-Performance Coaching
Shula, Don
Blanchard, Ken
Paperback
Brain Games - To Go - Facts & Fun: Football: Info, Stats, Puzzles, Quizzes & More
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Men of Troy: The Epic Afternoons, Wild Nights, and Enduring Legacy of Pete Carroll's Usc Trojans
Burke, Monte
Hardcover
A Home on the Field: How One Championship Team Inspires Hope for the Revival of Small Town America
Cuadros, Paul
Paperback
A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History
Fleming, David
Hardcover
Unbreakable: How I Turned My Depression and Anxiety Into Motivation and You Can Too
Glazer, Jay
Paperback
A Football Symphony: Four Championship Seasons of Curtis Viking Football
Lucey, Bob
Lichty, Don T.
Paperback
12 as One: Mike Macdonald, the Seattle Seahawks and the Making of a Super Bowl Champion
Dugar, Michael-Shawn
Hardcover
Still Growing, Still Learning, Still Me: A Journey of Protest, Healing, and Personal Transformation
Stills, Kenny
Hardcover
Coaching Positional Play - ''Expansive Football'' Attacking Tactics & Practices
Basile, Pasquale Casà
Paperback
The Great Game: A Tale of Two Footballs and America's Quest to Conquer Global Sport
Martinez, Andrés
Hardcover
Brain Games - Football Goats (Greatest of All Time) Word Search: Players, Coaches, Games, Mascots, & More!
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
Win Forever: Live, Work, and Play Like a Champion
Carroll, Pete
Roth, Yogi
Garin, Kristoffer A.
Paperback
Pep Guardiola Attacking Tactics - Tactical Analysis and Sessions from Manchester City's 4-3-3
Terzis, Athanasios
Paperback
The Lions Finally Roar: The Detroit Lions and the Road to Redemption in the NFL
Morris, Bill
Paperback
Jurgen Klopp - 102 Passing, Counter-pressing Possession Games, Speed & Warm-ups Direct from Klopp's Training Sessions
Soccertutor Com
Paperback
Bo's Lasting Lessons: The Legendary Coach Teaches the Timeless Fundamentals of Leadership
Schembechler, Bo
Paperback
Iron in the Blood: How the Alabama vs. Auburn Rivalry Shaped the Soul of the South
Busbee, Jay
Hardcover
The Eagles of Heart Mountain: A True Story of Football, Incarceration, and Resistance in World War II America
Pearson, Bradford
Paperback
A Love Letter to the American Fullback: The Rise, Reign, and Eternal Legacy of Football's Guardian Warrior
Hughes, Matthew Patrick
Paperback
If These Walls Could Talk: Pittsburgh Steelers: Stories from the Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box
Wexell, Jim
Wolfley, Craig
Paperback
The Complete Book of Football Trivia: Test Your Knowledge with 750 Questions
Holloway, Jerrett
Paperback
Bart's Heart: A Journey of Family, Friendship, Football and Faith
Burrell, Bart
Lee, David T.
Hardcover
Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry
Gendell, David
Paperback
The Unseen Battle: My Journey through the World of CTE with Mike Webster
Vodvarka, James
Hull, Annette C.
Hull, Warren R.
Hardcover
The Sweet Season: A Sportswriter Rediscovers Football, Family, and a Bit of Faith at Minnesota's St. John's University
Murphy, Austin
Paperback
Runs in the Family: An Incredible True Story of Football, Fatherhood, and Belonging
McCullough, Deland
Spain, Sarah
Hardcover
Jail Blazers: How the Portland Trail Blazers Became the Bad Boys of Basketball
Eggers, Kerry
Paperback
Pep Guardiola - Coaching High Pressing Tactics & Sessions Against Different Formations
Terzis, Athanasios
Paperback
Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football
Dent, Jim
Paperback
The Franchise: Seattle Seahawks: A Curated History of the Legion of Boom Era
Dugar, Michael-Shawn
Paperback
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little
Zagorski, Joe
Hardcover