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 lives of selected NFL players, coaches, owners, and teams. The series features interviews with friends, teammates, family members, and other players and coaches connected to the subjects.

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

Initially, it began as a special on NFL Network about Bill Parcells’ career in November 2010. It officially launched as a series on September 15, 2011, with the first episode dedicated to Bill Belichick. This episode attracted approximately 657,000 viewers, making it the most-watched documentary in NFL Network’s history and the second-most viewed program in Boston 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 premiered 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 on Belichick.