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Sep 14, 2004

"In the beginning, I was a writer because that's what I enjoyed and that's how I earned a living. Now I write because I want to speak into people's lives and try to make a difference in this world." --Jeffrey Marx

Season of Life

Friends say Jeffrey Marx has always seemed oddly blessed. In 1985 Mr. Marx was 22 and in his first newspaper job, he heard about strange goings-on in the University of Kentucky basketball program; he wrote articles that exposed cash payoffs to players, and won the Pulitzer Prize for it. In 1997 he plunked down $1 for a chance to heave a basketball down toward a basket 69 feet away. Make the shot, win $25,000, he was told. He made the shot. Last year, after being turned down by a half-dozen publishers, Mr. Marx self-published a book about a former professional football player turned minister who teaches high school football players how to be men of substance. Last week, that book, "Season of Life" was ranked at No. 10 on the NY Times nonfiction best-seller list.