New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - Article Brees' appearance brings excitement, tears of joy

HOUMA — Dee Penn opened the book, took one look at the quasi illegible signature inside and began to cry Monday morning outside Books-A-Million in Houma.

Months earlier, she felt her deceased son's presence for the first time while watching cornerback Tracy Porter return an interception for a touchdown to clinch the New Orleans Saints first-ever Super Bowl victory. On Monday, quarterback Drew Brees' squiggly lines, which formed a “D” and “B,” made her think again of her son, Jon, who passed away two years ago.

“I wish I was giving (this book) to my son,” the 56-year-old White Castle resident said. She had three books signed, having spent the previous day in line — her birthday — to secure a ticket for the signing session.

Penn and hundreds of Saints diehards came from across south Louisiana, and even Colorado, to Books-A-Million on Martin Luther King Boulevard to get Brees' signature on his newly released biography “Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity.” The book chronicles, among other things, his journey from being a pro quarterback with a potentially career-ending shoulder injury to winning this past season's Super Bowl MVP.

His story of perseverance amid tough odds, as well as the Saints' rise from perennial cellar dwellers to NFL champions, inspired fans to wake early Sunday and Monday to get the quarterback's treasured mark on their book, they said. An opportunity to see him up close also served as a motivating force.

1
2
3
NEXT PAGE
Buzz up!