That being said, the insanity is a collective lunacy. Back when I agreed to write Gunslinger for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, my friend Jon Wertheim, the excellent Sports Illustrated writer, said, “Are you doing it with Susan?”
“Yup,” I said.
“She’s the absolute best,” he replied.
This was no lie. Susan Canavan is everything you’d want in an editor, which is to say she was supportive, inventive, smart, and quirky.
In Michael J. Lewis I’m gifted with the best proofreader in the business, and Casey Angle is the Bubba Franks of fact-checkers. David Black, my agent, has had a tough run these past two years, but his resiliency and doggedness are beyond inspiring. Jack Cassidy was a terrific new edition to the squad, Jeff Ash has my vote for mayor of Green Bay, and Melissa Dobson is the 8:30 p.m. goddess of the red pen. I can’t say enough about Stanley Herz, my Yugoslavian spell-checker, Frank Zaccheo, purveyor of freaks, and Brant Beaupre, friend, website designer, and former Burger King superstar. The endless late-night struggles were made bearable by chats and reassurances with a collective of wonderful friends, including Elizabeth Newman, Gary Miller, Jeanne Beaupre, Matthew Walker, Bev Oden, Mirin Fader, Paul Ercolino, Russ Edmondson, Andrew Dallos, Donna Massaro, Amy Bass, Nick Mirto, Davis Webb, Amy Fabry, Patrick McShan, Russ Bengtson, Carrie Ferguson, John Degl, Jeff Bidwell, Daniel Paisner, Nick Greenizan, Gary Rind, Mike Brandyberry, Matt Butler, Robert O’Neill, Yaron Weitzman, Steven (Bionic) Azrak, and Paul, my son’s doll, who speaks in a deep voice and stares at me quite awkwardly. Throughout my travels to Mississippi and Green Bay, I was repeatedly assisted by intelligent, eager people thrilled to help. They included E. W. Suarez of the Biloxi Public Library, Ty Stewart at Southern Miss, Zachary Stipe of the Florida State sports information staff, Mary Jane Herber of the Brown County Central Library, Philip Klein from Klein Investigations and Consulting, E. J. Borghetti, the media relations director at the University of Pittsburgh, Holly Borga of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, Christopher Dunaway from Tulane University, and Matty Goldman of MLB Daily Dish. Big props to Ashley Brouwer for her John Jefferson hunt, Maggie Mahoney for steakhouse tips, Alexandra Makal for being Milwaukee’s finest bartender, Justin Duplain for the tutoring, and Wanda Cooper for being Wanda Cooper. In Noel Besuzzi, I found both an unparalleled photographer and a wonderful spirit.
I wound up interviewing 573 people for this book, and while it’s too high a number to thank folks individually, I hope this work meets your expectations and standards. Special happy emojis to William Browning, Lori Nickel, Sean Jensen, Peter King, Greg Bedard, Greg Bishop, Rich Cimini, Jenny Xu, Kyle Cousineau, Adam Czech, A.J. Daulerio, Rob Demovsky, Pete Dougherty, Sam Farmer, Roy Firestone, Lisa Guerrero, Al Michaels, Brenda Heathcock, Al Jones, David Maraniss, Jeremy Schaap, Adam Schefter, Steve Serby, Tom Silverstein, Dylan Tomlinson, Billy Watkins, Judd Zulgad, Charles Burton, Drew Malley, Joe Sweeney, Craig Nall, Ryan Grant, Na’il Diggs, Mark Brunell, John Teerlinck, LeRoy Butler, Mike Tannenbaum, Leon Washington, Artis Hicks, and Brad Childress for going above and beyond. Oh, and nothing but genuine love and admiration for Dylan Favre, Xavier Favre, and Brianna McLeod—the prides of Martin, Tennessee.
I’d like to thank a family filled with people who never want to hear another word about Brett Favre. Jordan and Isaiah Williams are my sons from another father, Leah Guggenheimer smells like teen spirit, Laura and Rodney Cole always encourage an extra helping of dessert, and Norma Shapiro, my wife’s 96-year-old grandmother, is a daily ode to the power of positive thinking. Congrats to Jessica Guggenheimer and Chris Berman on the wedding—nothing says “I love you, honey!” like 500 copies of a Brett Favre biography (preferably purchased during the first week of availability).
My parents, Stan and Joan Pearlman, know nothing about football (a repeated quote from my mother: “I keep trying to tell my friends who you’re writing about. Is his name Brent Ferry or Brent Favor?”) and everything about support. My daughter Casey Marta is blessed with the flutter of a butterfly and the smile of an angel (she and 33 will be quite happy together), and my son Emmett is the king of Lynn Cain and ’80s NFL highlight videos. When a 9-year-old Jewish kid longs for Billy Sims’s 1981 Afro, you know he’s special. There is no more noble human than Richard Guggenheimer, my father-in-law.
I’ve now been married 14 years, and if I’d known an engagement ring could also snag a fantastic proofreader and life/career adviser, I’d have proposed much earlier. Without Catherine Pearlman, I’m a lonely sack of crap talking to myself in the corner of a Starbucks.
Instead, I’m a happy sack of crap talking to myself in the corner of a Starbucks.
I couldn’t ask for more.
Lastly, I’d like to thank Brett Favre—who didn’t speak for this project, but who provided me with enough oohs and aahs to fill 1,000 pages. To his credit, Brett sent me a lengthy text explaining why he decided not to talk, and was perfectly cordial and polite during the process. I’ve never felt it a man or woman’s obligation to cooperate with an author, and Favre is no exception.
Ultimately, it matters not. His legacy is secure.
He’s the Gunslinger.
Notes
1. Beginning
6 in 1970 guided the school to the state baseball championship: Doug Barber, “Favre’s Father Dies; Family Urges QB to Play Tonight,” Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger, December 22, 2003.
7 “He’s a big one, Bonita”: Brett Favre, with Chris Havel, Favre: For the Record (New York: Doubleday, 1997), p. 89.
2. Childhood
9 Perhaps the nervousness had to do with an incident: Bonita Favre, “A Mother’s Story,” in Brett Favre and Bonita Favre, with Chris Havel, Favre (New York: Rugged Land, 2004), p. 191.
“Irv was up on the roof one day doing some stuff at the house”: Gary D’Amato, “Favre Was Toughened by Brothers, Dad,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 10, 2005.
“When Mom went into town to go shopping”: Favre: For the Record, pp. 86–87.
10 “The roads used to have numbers down there”: Curt Brown, “Out of Nowhere,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, December 20, 1992.
The family owned four dogs—a collie named Fluffy: Favre: For the Record, p. 85.
“Alligators don’t eat a dog right away”: Brett Favre, interview by Kevin Cook, Playboy, November 1, 1997.
“It got so dark [in the house] you couldn’t see”: Ibid.
11 “He went out one morning, all bundled up”: Steve Cameron, Brett Favre: Huck Finn Grows Up (Indianapolis, Ind.: Masters Press, 1997), p. 61.
“Our family was always familiar with alligators”: Brett Favre interview, Playboy.
12 “I wish I had a nickel”: John Glennon, in The Brett Favre Story: From the Kiln to Green Bay; the Story of America’s Quaterback as Told by Family, Friends, and the Hometown Sportswriters Who Know Him Best, edited by Kate Magandy (Biloxi, Miss.: Sun-Herald, 2008), p. 25.
Once, Brett accidentally shot Scott in the face: Favre: For the Record, p. 85.
13 It could be a stick from the yard. Or a belt or black rubber hose: Brett Favre interview, Playboy.
14 “You could go out there and say it was just a game; that second place”: Irv Favre, “Competitiveness,” in Brett Favre and Bonita Favre, Favre, pp. 177–80.
16 “Jeff had to run through us”: Favre: For the Record, p. 95.
When Brett Favre was a year old: Ibid., pp. 94–95.
Along with coaching the teams at Hancock North Central: John Bialas, “Joe Graham 119 Takes Second Step,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, August 5, 1975.
Big Irv served as the manager: Mike Woten, in The Brett Favre Story, ed. Magandy, p. 118.
17 “Jeff came to me at the age of three”: Bonita Favre, “A Mother’s Story,” p. 193.
“I saw the catcher adjusting his cup”: Brett Favre interview, Playboy.
But many white families greeted the inevitability: Joan Howard and Robert Howard, Many Faces of Change: Kiln, Mississippi (Spartanburg, S.C.: Reprint Company, 197
6), p. 23.
18 In one game, he struck out 15 hitters: Cameron, Brett Favre: Huck Finn Grows Up, p. 61.
19 “I’m sitting there in full uniform”: Favre: For the Record, pp. 99–101.
3. High School
22 “He was big and could run”: Irv Favre, “Competitiveness,” p. 180.
28 “[Irvin] Favre’s Hawks lost most of their skill players”: Brenda Heathcock, “Three Local Bouts to Open High School Football Season,” Sea Coast Echo (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), September 6, 1984.
His season could be summed up: Brenda Heathcock, “Hawks Shut Down Vancleave,” Sea Coast Echo (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), October 21, 1984.
“I’ve been told that I first met Brett”: Deanna Favre, with Angela Hunt, Don’t Bet Against Me!: Beating the Odds Against Breast Cancer and in Life (Carol Stream, Ill: Tyndale, 2007), p. 12.
29 “Realizing that I wasn’t going to get any relief”: Ibid., p. 13.
30 “At one point Brett’s hand brushed against mine”: Ibid., pp. 13–15.
Their first official date was a dance in nearby Dedeaux: Rachel A. Koestler-Grack, Football Superstars: Brett Favre (New York: Checkmark, 2008), p. 31.
“Deanna and I talked nonstop every night”: Favre: For the Record, pp. 106–7.
Their dates weren’t typical dates: Deanna Favre, Don’t Bet Against Me!, pp. 16–19.
32 “I did all kinds of things I wasn’t supposed to”: Steve Cameron, “You Just Had to Know Favre’s Mom and Dad,” Merced (Calif.) Sun-Star, September 24, 2007.
34 “He’d write letters to his own players”: Favre: For the Record, p. 101.
The Hawks gained 342 yards of total offense in a 32–7 crushing of St. Stanislaus: Brenda Heathcock, “High-Powered Hawk Offense Pounds Rocks,” Sea Coast Echo (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), October 6, 1985.
then scored six touchdowns on 350 total yards: Brenda Heathcock, “Hawks Sting St. Martin Yellow Jackets, 39–6,” Sea Coast Echo (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), October 13, 1985.
“I remember after one game”: Doug Barber, in The Brett Favre Story, ed. Magandy, p. 16.
In one game, he rifled a touchdown pass to Tommy Lull: Favre: For the Record, p. 103.
35 In a 14–6 Hawks loss at Stone County High: Randy Ponder, “Cats Down Hawks, 14–6,” Sea Coast Echo (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), September 22, 1985.
“I guess we didn’t want it bad enough”: Brenda Heathcock, “Long Beach Grabs Win from Hancock,” Sea Coast Echo (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), October 20, 1985.
The most egregious setback came on November 20: Brenda Heathcock, “Strong Play by Hawks in Second Quarter Comes Up Short, 24–22,” Sea Coast Echo (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), November 21, 1985.
As he walked off the field: Cassie King, “Birth of Daughter Induces Beebe to Play,” Washington Post, November 9, 1996.
4. Varsity Blues
36 On page 110 of his very own autobiography: Favre: For the Record, p. 110.
37 Pearl River College’s starting quarterback: Amy Webb, “Favre Alone Among River’s Returning Offensive Starters,” Sea Coast Echo (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), August 14, 1986.
“You watch,” he’d say: Favre: For the Record, p. 107.
three years of high school with perfect attendance: Richard J. Brenner, Deion Sanders & Brett Favre (Syosset, NY: East End Publishing, 1996), p. 52.
Granted, in the Sea Coast Echo football preview: Brenda Heathcock, “Hawks List No. 1 Goal: District 4A Championship,” Sea Coast Echo (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), September 4, 1986.
38 Burton compiled touchdown runs of 43, 58, and 55 yards: Brenda Heathcock, “Hancock Wins Opener, 20–7,” Sea Coast Echo (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), September 5, 1986.
He completed two, for zero yards: Sonya T. Rath, “Hawks’ Burton Runs Over Eagles,” Picayune (Miss.) Item, September 5, 1986.
The Picayune Item, another local newspaper: Keith Clingan, “Carriere Showdown Caps First Friday,” Picayune (Miss.) Item, September 5, 1986.
40 During his senior year, a classmate: Favre: For the Record, p. 105.
McHale had been hired by Keith Daniels: Mark McHale, with Brett Favre and Tim Stephens, 10 to 4 (Macon, GA: Indigo Publishing, 2007), pp. 9–20.
42 He started out throwing: Ibid., p. 20.
43 On the first play of the second quarter: Brenda Heathcock, “Hawks Score in Final Seconds, Defeat Long Beach in Thriller,” Sea Coast Echo (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), October 19, 1986.
“Don’t worry, big brother”: Cameron, Brett Favre: Huck Finn Grows Up, p. 78.
44 “He assured me”: McHale, 10 to 4, p. 22.
But Burton slipped through a seam: Brenda Heathcock, “Hawks Come Back to Defeat District Rival,” Sea Coast Echo (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), October 26, 1986.
45 “Did you get a chance to look at the tapes?”: McHale, 10 to 4, p. 29.
46 Mickey Joseph from Marrero, Louisiana: “The Top 100 College Football Prospects,” Los Angeles Times, February 10, 1987.
5. College-Bound
50 “I think Coach Carmody thought”: McHale, 10 to 4, p. 53.
Favre kept things simple: Chuck Culpepper, “Trip to the Favre Side Seemed a Super Idea,” Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, January 27, 1997.
“The defensive staff observed the players in the morning”: McHale, 10 to 4, p. 56.
51 Whereas Favre was clocked at 5.0 seconds in the 40-yard dash: Don Hudson, “Unknown Favre Soaring for Golden Eagles,” Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger, September 2, 1987.
“Michael fit what they were trying to do”: McHale, 10 to 4, p. 59.
“No,” White replied. “Let’s not do that just yet”: Ibid., p. 57.
52 “When I first came here, I was depressed”: Chuck Bennett, in Sports Collectors Digest, Favre: The Total Package, ed. Paul Kennedy (Iola, Wis.: Krause Publications: 2008), p. 16.
53 “He split my hands open a couple of times”: Ibid.
54 McHale later wrote of what transpired: McHale, 10 to 4, pp. 62–64.
55 “detailed organization and the ability to sustain long hours of hard work”: University of Southern Mississippi, 1987 football media guide, p. 7.
“Coach, I don’t know how he can be ready”: McHale, 10 to 4, p. 65.
56 In particular, much scrutiny was heaped upon Young: Doug Barber, “Golden Eagles Engage Alabama in a Turf War,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, September 4, 1987.
57 “Freshman Brett Favre of Hancock North Central”: Ibid.
“I thought Ailrick did a good job”: Doug Barber, “Young Washed by Tide,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, September 7, 1987.
58 “It was exciting to be on the sideline”: Doug Barber, “USM Likes Favre on Offense,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, September 15, 1987.
Because Vann Hall had three separate: Sports Collectors Digest, Favre: The Total Package, p. 16.
“Sometimes the coaches would ask me to try and calm [Brett] down a little”: “Shoot, I’ll Tell Ya’ll a Story ’Bout Brett,” MSNBC.com, January 24, 1997.
59 After a couple of weeks, though, Favre tired of Anderson: Favre: For the Record, p. 116.
60 “Six bucks a case”: Ibid., p. 114.
61 “We sat there and just got drunk, drunk, drunk”: Gary D’Amato, “Favre Caught On Quickly in College,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 17, 2005.
“We,” coach Mack Brown said at the time, “have firepower”: Doug Barber, “USM Prepares for Tulane Aerial Attack,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, September 18, 1987.
62 “[Tulane] had scouted us well against Alabama and they were shutting us down”: Sports Collectors Digest, Favre: The Total Package, p. 16.
“All I could think of was how much trouble our quarterbacks”: McHale, 10 to 4, p. 71.
63 “He went over to the wall and bent over and ralphed”: D’Amato, “Favre Caught On Quickly.”
64 On first and 10 from the Southern Miss 21: Doug Barber, “Favre Leads USM Rally,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, September 20, 1987.
65 “My problem,” Favre recalled: McHale, 10 to 4, p. 74.
6
. The Man
68 The plays White introduced were relatively simple: Koestler-Grack, Football Superstars: Brett Favre, p. 43.
Then, on the morning of September 23, 1987: “Favre Earns Starting Job for USM Against Texas A&M,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, September 23, 1987.
69 “Did Southern leave its receivers in Hattiesburg?”: Dick Lightsey, “Dropped Passes Was USM Disease,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, September 27, 1987.
“Favre ran 40 yards under duress”: Doug Barber, “Favre Proves He Is No Fluke,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, September 28, 1987.
71 Barber, the Sun-Herald’s excellent beat writer, called it “a nuking”: Doug Barber, “USM Levels Louisville,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, October 4, 1987.
When the Golden Eagles took a 24–0 first-quarter lead: Ibid.
The next week Southern Miss hosted No. 6 Florida State: Doug Barber, “No. 6 FSU Humiliates Eagles, 61–10,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, October 11, 1987.
72 “We got to a point where I could see we had stagnated”: Doug Barber, “Young’s Heroics Revive Southern,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, October 18, 1987.
73 She had been experiencing slight vaginal bleeding: Deanna Farve, Don’t Bet Against Me!, p. 21.
74 “I just blurted it out”: Favre: For the Record, p. 119.
75 At age 40, the new head coach had been something of a surprising hire: Bobby Hall, “Hallman Making a Splash,” Memphis (Tenn.) Commercial Appeal, October 28, 1988.
78 “USM is a football team that’s fun to watch”: Chuck Abadie, “It’s Time USM Get Recognized,” Hattiesburg (Miss.) American, October 16, 1988.
79 The Tigers boasted college football’s top-ranked defense: Charles Goldberg, “Auburn to Honor 1988 Team Saturday Night,” Auburntigers.com, September 5, 2013.
Before 73,787 die-hards: “No. 9 Auburn Tuned Up for the Southeastern Conference,” United Press International, November 5, 1988.
Gunslinger Page 49