NFL veteran Matthew Mulligan beat the odds with his outstanding career of nine years as a blocking tight end. Matt’s high school didn’t offer football, so how did this small-town kid end up playing in the NFL for nearly a decade? His journey inspires people of all ages and a variety of backgrounds. Maybe you’ve thought of picking up a new hobby or going on a new adventure. Matt’s story will encourage readers to have the courage to try something new.
AUTHOR BIOS:
Matthew Mulligan is a former NFL player. Matt is credited with playing nine seasons in the NFL and signing contracts with Miami, Tennessee, New York (Jets), St. Louis, Green Bay, New England, Chicago, Arizona, Buffalo, and Detroit.He played in eighty-nine games for ten teams, including thirty-one starts. He played in ten playoff games and his teams made it to the AFC Championship Game three times.Along with being a fierce blocker, he caught eighteen passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. In 2013, Patriots fans were thrilled when he squeezed a TD pass from Tom Brady. He is currently Strength and Conditioning Coach at his training facility Northern Maine Strength.Matt resides in Northern Maine with his wife, Stephanie, and their three children.
Stephanie Mulligan grew up in a beautiful village in western Maine and graduated from the University of Maine at Orono with her B.S. in Elementary Education and a concentration in English. She founded the publishing company McSea Books after teaching middle school. She is also the author of How to Catch a Keeper and How to Tap a Maple. Stephanie lives in Maine with her husband and their darling children. Find out more at stephmulligan.com.
ILLUSTRATOR BIO:
Rick Parker was an artist for Marvel Comics from 1978–1996. He is also the artist of MTV’s Beavis and Butt-Head comic book, the introductory pages of Tales from the Crypt, The Pekar Project, and illustrated graphic novel parodies of popular young adult fiction and films, including Breaking Down, The Hunger Pains, and others for Papercutz Publishing. His artwork has appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, Time, U.S. News & World Report, Life, and countless books by Marvel Comics. His magnum opus, a graphic novel memoir about being drafted into the US Army at the height of the Vietnam War, will be published by Abrams Comicarts in 2022. Rick is married to Maine native Lisa Trusiani, an award-winning children’s book author, and they have lived in the Portland area for the last ten years.
“A motivating, personal account of an NFL star.” -Kirkus Review
