Case Keenum - Playing for More

Copyright 2018 by Case Keenum

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-5359-3979-9

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Author is represented by the literary agency of The Fedd Agency, Inc. Post Office Box 341973, Austin, TX 78734.

Cover photography by Micah Kandross

Dewey Decimal Classification: B

Subject Heading: KEENUM, CASE / FOOTBALL PLAYERSBIOGRAPHY / CHRISTIAN LIFE

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Also used: New International Version, NIV copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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For everyone who ever believed in me

Acknowledgments

I ts amazing to sit here and look back at what God has done in my life. Thinking about the first thirty years of my life, and the twists and turns that have brought me here, is incredible. To see it come out on paper has been so rewarding. I really cant believe that this book has come together so quickly. Its been an amazing experience.

I remember sitting at dinner in Minneapolis in February with my wife Kimberly, marketing agent Dusty Stanfield, and friend Andrew Perloff. At some point during dinner it came up that we should write a book. I remember laughing at the notion and saying it sounded like a great dream one day but not thinking much more about it. Now Im sitting here writing acknowledgments. Crazy.

I really cant thank those people who were at that dinner enough. Dusty has helped orchestrate this thing from the beginning. I cant thank you enough for your friendship and support throughout my career. Jeff, Graylan, and everyone at SSG, thanks for always believing in me and being a voice of reason through all the ups and downs of life in the NFL. Andrew, I know for a fact this would not have happened with any other writer. It has been a true privilege to work on this together and get to know each other so much better in the process. You are very talented and it has been so much fun going through this with you.

The best thing in my life is Christ. After Him, I have no idea where I would be without you, Kimberly. You are my favorite person in the whole world. Youve supported, encouraged, and challenged me our entire relationship, and I know I would not be the man I am today if it were not for you. It has been so much fun living life with you and now we wrote a book together!

To my publishers at LifeWay, and literary agent Esther Feddorkevich, yall are seriously all-stars. From the second we all sat down together, I could tell it was a great fit.

I honestly have so many people to thank. My family has been my rock. Dad, I notice Im becoming more and more like you every day, whether I like it or not. Thank you for showing me what a real man is. Mom, you are the sweetest, hardest-working person I know. I am a mommas boy at heart and there is not a day that goes by that I dont feel loved and encouraged by you. Lauren and Allison, my wonderful sisters, thank you for putting up with my shenanigans and loving me regardless of this crazy journey. Cant wait to see what life has in store for yall. Lauren and Justin, I really cant thank you enough for helping me with the book. Youre so gifted in so many ways! To my in-laws, the Caddells, you guys have been awesome to me from day one. To our entire family, I love you and thank you for all your support and love through so many ups and downs.

For every coach Ive ever had, thank you. Each and every one of you has been like a father to me. I have learned so much from you and will carry it with me for all of my life. You believed in me and instilled confidence in me and kept me going when things got tough.

To all my teammates, past and present, it has been an honor to sweat, bleed, and fight alongside each of you. Football is the best game there is, and the bonds we form playing this great game last a lifetime.

So many people have poured into my lifeits emotional just thinking about them all. All my pastors and chaplains, thanks for being my spiritual leaders.

Mikado, my guy, thanks for always being at my side. Your friendship means the world to me.

Jon and Tracy Sullivan, thank you for opening your home and your hearts to us when we needed it so much and teaching us what a disciple really is!

To all my friends and everyone who has shared this life with us, thank you for your love and support.

Foreword

I met Case Keenum for the first time in 2011, when he was a senior in college. I had heard about this great young quarterback who was setting all kinds of records at the University of Houston but I hadnt really gotten a chance to see him play. So I was anxious to spend some time with him and get to know him. It didnt take me long to come to the conclusion that he was the type of person you wanted to lead your football team. He had the sort of outgoing personality that made him easy to talk to, and it was combined with a quiet confidence that people rally around. In fact, my short conversation with Case reminded me of one Id had a decade earlier with a college quarterback named Drew Brees. After visiting with Case for ten minutes I just knew he was a natural leader and I felt that he would have the same type of success in the National Football League that Drew has enjoyed.

Six years later my eleven-year-old son, Justin, got the chance to meet Case during the week leading up to Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis. Cases Minnesota Vikings had come up short in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he had led them on a magical season, including a miraculous last-second playoff win over the New Orleans Saints. Justins first impression of Case was the same as mine had been. He could tell right away there was something uncommon about Case.

Thats the vibe that most people get when they spend any time with Case Keenum. Its hard to describe, but he definitely has the It Factor that you look for in a quarterback, or in any leader for that matter. Its the ability to help other people be better. The ability to rally people around you and have them believe that somehow you will lead them to great things. They feel that if they stay with you and continue to believe, you can lead them to victory, even in the toughest of circumstances.

Thats the feeling you get when youre around Case for any length of time. Hes been a leader and a winner all his life and hes demonstrated those qualities since he was a young athlete. And hes done it that not just during the record-breaking performances and the championship seasons, but in the disappointing times as well. He kept the same upbeat attitude when he wasnt highly recruited coming out of high school and when he got injured. When he wasnt drafted coming out of college, he didnt get down but just became more determined to prove the experts wrong. He signed a contract with his hometown Houston Texans but didnt experience the immediate success that he had in college. The first two years of his NFL career provided nothing but disappointments. Through it all, though, he never lost his desire or his belief in his abilities.

Where does that type of attitude come from? In Playing for More youll learn that attitude came from many sources. It came from a very supportive family and a dad who taught him not only how to play quarterback but how to work hard and sacrifice to be the best he could be. It came from some excellent coaches who helped him develop as a player. But, more than anything, I believe youll see that the driving force in Case Keenums life is his relationship with Jesus Christ.