Recommended Reading: The Water Boy

Here is a very interesting and entertaining book regarding the life of Bobby Ackles. Unfortunately, Ackles died on July 6, 2008 of a heart attack and will be missed by many. He was a true sports business legend.

Description

When Bobby Ackles became the B.C. Lions original water boy, he probably never dreamed that he would lead the team to a Grey Cup victory over 50 years later. From his earliest days with the team to becoming its general manager and now president, Ackles has demonstrated a commitment and dedication to football in the CFL, NFL and XFL.

After leaving the Lions in 1986, Ackles joined the Dallas Cowboys as Vice-President and served six seasons with them before moving onto the Phoenix Cardinals and later the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2000, Ackles was named Vice- President and General Manager of the XFL s Las Vegas Outlaws. With this achievement, Ackles became the first and only man to hold executive positions in all three football leagues.

Finally, in 2002, Ackles returned to the home of his first football triumph, and brought the struggling B.C. Lions back to the top of the CFL by 2006. In this engaging personal memoir, Ackles takes the reader through the growing and changing world of football, both from a Canadian and an American perspective, where he lays down the differences between the two sport cultures, and reveals the dynamics of creating a winning team. It s the story of his passion and his drive, and his rise from a humble beginning to becoming one of football s most respected executives.