NFL Great Matt Birk Launches "All-Pro Wisdom"

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Super Bowl Champion Matt Birk has teamed up with leadership guru Rich Chapman to publish "All-Pro Wisdom: The 7 Choices That Lead to Greatness." Featuring exclusive interviews with a host of All-Pro players who speak of their own experiences with the seven choices, "All-Pro Wisdom" conveys the powerful message that greatness is for every person.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140127/PH52663-a )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140127/PH52663-b )

The book is available on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com

Birk and Chapman take their readers on a very personal journey that asks them key questions, helps them focus on the fundamentals, and equips them to reach their peak performance in the larger game of life. "Whether you are a young athlete looking to take your game to a new level, a business professional seeking to make your mark in the workplace, or a searching soul hoping for a mid-course correction, this book will bring you focus and encouragement," said Birk, who speaks at business conferences, organizational meetings and community events. See sample speaking clips.

A two-time All-Pro NFL center and Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2011, Birk gives practical instructions on how to gain confidence, live with passion, develop stability, bring focus to your life, overcome self-limitations, and become your very best. "Our approach is to ask seven simple questions that lead to meaningful conversations about the development of the inner person. It creates a framework for thought and action to set your life on a trajectory for greatness," says Chapman, himself an NCAA All-American and successful management consultant.

"This is not a book about football. It is a book about choices. Choices made by remarkable men who play the game of football," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in his foreword to the book. "You may not be an All-Pro football player, but you can choose to live an All-Pro life."

The book is a "light touch on heavy topics" which makes it easy to read, understand and translate into each reader's life.

To download a free chapter of "All-Pro Wisdom" go to www.allprowisdom.com

Upcoming Minnesota Book Signings

Wednesday, Feb 5, 
Mall of America, Sears Courtyard
: 5:00 p.m.  –  7:00 p.m.
, 60 E. Broadway, Bloomington, MN 55425

Thursday, Feb. 6
, Barnes and Noble: 11:30 a.m.  –  1:30 p.m. 
801 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN (612) 371-4443

Friday, Feb. 7
, O'Gara's
: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
 164 Snelling Ave N, St Paul, MN 55104 (651) 644-3333

Author Bios

Matt Birk

Matt Birk grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota and attended Catholic elementary at Nativity and Cretin-Derham Hall high school. He was a Cub Scout, a member of the National Honor Society, and played "pretty much every sport there was to play." After high school, Matt attended Harvard University and earned a degree in Economics. While playing for the Harvard Crimson, he received several football honors, including All-Ivy League and Division I-AA All-American.

Matt was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 1998 draft. Appearing in 228 career games, including 18 playoff contests, Matt spent 11 seasons with Minnesota and 4 more with the Baltimore Ravens. He was named the 2011 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for his off-the-field service, as well as his playing excellence.

Matt has a passion for children and education, and has focused a great deal of his energy on promoting literacy among the youth in his communities. In 2002, he created the H.I.K.E. Foundation (Hope, Inspiration, Knowledge, Education) in Minnesota. It has grown greatly since then and its initiatives reached over 100,000 children in the Baltimore area in 2012.

After a 15-year career in the NFL and a Super Bowl XLVII win with the Baltimore Ravens, the six-time Pro Bowl Center announced his retirement in February 2013. Matt, his wife Adrianna, and their six children now reside in Naples, Florida.

Rich Chapman

Rich's remarkable twenty-year success story as a business leader in the Financial Services sector began as a commercial banker. In 1985 he joined a start up executive benefits consulting firm, ultimately serving as CEO of what became the nation's largest distributor of executive benefit programs and corporate owned life insurance. Rich mobilized and developed a team of industry professionals, culminating with the endorsement of the American Bankers Association and the thrill of ringing the bell to open trading on the New York Stock Exchange when his firm, Clark Consulting, successfully completed a public offering in 1998. Throughout his career he has been a prominent speaker and advocate for the community banking industry.

After leaving Clark, Rich acquired and then served as Managing Director for Renaissance Bank Advisors, an asset management and third party administration company. Rich directed the successful launch of The Prairie Club in 2010, a destination golf venture in the Sandhills of Nebraska. His stated life purpose is "to mobilize, equip, mentor, and inspire organizational leaders."

Rich graduated with honors from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with a double major in Mathematics and Business Administration. Rich was named to the NCAA Silver Anniversary All-America Basketball Team, an award given in recognition of outstanding career achievement in addition to undergraduate athletic and academic success. He is the only Division II athlete to have ever received this award. Rich and his wife Jayme have four children and reside in St. Paul, MN.

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SOURCE Matt Birk and Rich Chapman