New book details life of Georgia Tech football great Eddie Lee Ivery
A new biography about the life of former Georgia Tech running back Eddie Lee Ivery has been published.
Author Jerry Gentry writes about Ivery in the book “Deceptive Speed” that tells the story of Ivery’s journey from a home with no plumbing, to becoming a student at Tech, to joining one of the NFL’s storied franchises — where he played for the Green Bay Packers’ former superstar Bart Starr when he was the team’s head coach.
After two injuries to the same knee, the book explores how Ivery willed his way to a nine-year NFL career, became homeless and climbed out of drug addiction. Ivery broke almost every Tech rushing record, including his single-game rushing mark of 356 yards against Air Force in 1978.
In 1979, the Packers picked Ivery in the first round of the NFL draft.
“‘Deceptive Speed’ is a beautifully detailed, unflinchingly reported account of Eddie Lee Ivery’s remarkable journey on and off the football field,” Drew Jubera, award-winning journalist, former staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and author of “Must Win: A Season of Survival for a Town and Its Team,” said.
“Author Jerry Gentry unspools this roller coaster story — from a house without indoor plumbing in small-town Georgia to pro football’s pinnacle in Green Bay to the struggles and redemption that followed — with a sure hand and empathetic eye. Humanity shines through on each page. Both inspirational and cautionary, this is a tale for everyone.”
Added Ben Utt, an eight-year NFL offensive lineman for the Indianapolis Colts: “‘Deceptive Speed,’ a remarkable intimate look at college and professional football, tells a story of pride, struggle and triumph, perseverance, and great comebacks. Jerry Gentry takes us through it all: the gifts, grind, injuries, distractions, fall from grace, rehab and redemption, and a family that never stopped praying for Ivery. Gentry has us rooting for the good guy even when he’s doing bad things.”
Ivery played for the Yellow Jackets from 1975-78 and finished eighth in the 1978 Heisman Trophy vote. His 4,324 all-purpose yards all the fourth-most in a Tech career, his 3,517 career rushing yards are third most and his 1,562 yards in 1978 still stands as a program record.
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