Gale Sayers Signed "I Am Third" Book - This book titled "I Am Third" by Gale Sayers with Al Silverman is signed by Sayers on the title page. Sayers was inspired to write this autobiography by his friendship with Bears teammate Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer in 1970, and it eventually became the basis for the 1971 made-for-TV movie Brian's Song. Sayers had a relatively brief yet highly productive NFL career during seven seasons with the Chicago Bears from 1965 to 1971. In Sayers' rookie NFL season, he set a league record by scoring 22 touchdowns (including a record-tying six in one game) and gained 2,272 all-purpose yards, and was named the NFL's Rookie of the Year. He continued this production through his first five seasons, earning four Pro Bowl appearances and five first-team All-Pro selections.