A Football Life

“A Football Life” is a documentary series created by NFL Films and broadcast on the NFL Network, focusing on the personal and professional stories of selected players, coaches, owners, and teams from the National Football League. The series includes interviews with friends, teammates, family, and other players and coaches connected to the featured individuals.

The series title was inspired by a quote from Steve Sabol of NFL Films.

Initially, it began as a special on the NFL Network highlighting Bill Parcells’ career in November 2010. It officially launched as a series on September 15, 2011, starting with the first installment of a documentary on Bill Belichick. This episode attracted approximately 657,000 viewers, making it the most-watched documentary in the history of the NFL Network. In Boston, it was the second most-watched program at the time, with 151,000 viewers, just behind a Boston Red Sox game. The first season was later made available on DVD.

The second season kicked off on September 12, 2012, with an episode titled “The Faces of Tebow.”

In 2012, the series received Emmy Award nominations for “Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthology” and “Outstanding Promotional Announcement – Episodic” for the episode featuring Belichick.