Stay in the Game

If you want to make an impact, you need to play every down. Every Game. Every Season.

For ten seasons, Matt Forté was one of the NFL’s premier running backs. During his tenure with the Chicago Bears and the New York Jets, Matt made two Pro Bowl appearances and racked up more career rushes, receptions, and yards from scrimmage than any other football player in the league, a feat made possible in part, because—as an every-down back—Matt never left the field.

No matter the down or distance, Matt always stayed in the game, running, catching, and blocking his way into the record books.

Now, in Stay in the Game, Matt shares the highs and lows of his storied career—from the first time he put on pads at age 7 in Slidell, Louisiana, his college days at Tulane University, and his decade of dominance in the NFL, to the difficult decision to hang up his cleats at age 32, and the work he is currently doing to mentor professional athletes and stop gun violence on the streets of Chicago.

Along the way, Matt gives readers a rare insider’s perspective on:

what it takes to make it as an athlete at the collegiate and professional level what it’s like to go through the recruiting process, the combine, and draft day his most memorable plays, games, teammates, and coaches the faith that helped get him through, and what every athlete needs to know about life after professional sports A thoroughly compelling and inspiring read, Stay in the Game is a testament to the perseverance and grit it takes to succeed, endure, and make a lasting impact both in the NFL and in life.

1. Opening Credits
2. Foreword by Lovie Smith
3. Prologue
4. Chapter 1: Growing Up a Forté
5. Chapter 2: Sense of Purpose
6. Chapter 3: Following My Passion
7. Chapter 4: All It Takes Is One
8. Chapter 5: Starting All Over
9. Chapter 6: The Katrina Season
10. Chapter 7: A Season of Transitions
11. Chapter 8: Uncommon Work, Uncommon Results
12. Chapter 9: Answering the Questions
13. Chapter 10: A New Beginning
14. Chapter 11: Welcome to NFL
15. Chapter 12: Thrown for a Loss
16. Chapter 13: One Step from a Super Bowl
17. Chapter 14: Taking Care of Business
18. Chapter 15: Big Decisions
19. Chapter 16: The Season Everything Changed
20. Chapter 17: Culture Matters
21. Chapter 18: A Feeling of Finality
22. Chapter 19: New York, New York
23. Chapter 20: "Is It Worth It?"
24. Chapter 21: The End of the Season
25. Chapter 22: Still in the Game
26. Epilogue
27. Acknowledgments
28. Closing Credits