Freddie Steinmark: Faith, Family, Football
Book cover, depicts Freddie Steinmark on the sideline of the Cotton Bowl January 1, 1970
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| Authors | Bower Yousse and Thomas J. Cryan |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Biography |
| Publisher | University of Texas Press |
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Publication date
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1 September 2015 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 287 |
| ISBN | |
Freddie Steinmark: Faith, Family, Football is a 2015 non-fiction biography written by Bower Yousse and Thomas J. Cryan, and is the exploration of University of Texas football player Freddie Joe Steinmark’s brief life. This is the first book written with complete access to the Steinmark family and their archives, by Freddie’s close friend Bower Yousse and colleague Thomas J. Cryan. The book is an insider’s account of Freddie’s life and the challenges he faced. This book takes the reader through Freddie’s world of family, faith, and athletics, his tenure as a patient, and eventually his role as a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society, during which time he inspired President Nixon to promote and sign into law the National Cancer Act of 1971, and begin the US’s “War on Cancer.”
Freddie Steinmark was starting safety for the undefeated University of Texas Longhorns in 1969. In the "Game of the Century" a come-from-behind victory against Arkansas that ensured Texas the national championship, Steinmark played with pain in his left leg. Two days after the game, X-rays showed a possible tumor, and four days after that, a biopsy and surgery to amputate his leg revealed a cancerous growth so large that is seemed a miracle Steinmark could walk, let alone play football.
An undersized player, Steinmark had quickly become a fan favorite at Texas. What he endured during the Longhorns' 1969 season, and what he encountered afterward, captivated not only Texans but the country at large. Americans watched closely as Steinmark confronted life’s ultimate challenge, and his openness during his battle against savage odds helped reframe the national conversation surrounding cancer and the ongoing race for a cure.
Freddie Steinmark, Faith, Family, Football addresses several aspects of living, including the application of one's practice of faith to the everyday tasks of life, in Steinmark's case, his Catholic faith, as exemplified by the discipline, commitment, and perseverance of praying the rosary daily, and in turn applying these elements to the classroom and the practice field; and then relying on that faith when facing one's mortality, in Steinmark's story, as a young man.
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