Brian Westbrook was frequently told he was too small to play professional football. That’s before he became a star running back with the Eagles and a record breaker at Villanova, writes Isabella DiAmre for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

While a Wildcat, Westbrook held the all-time NCAA record with 9,512 all-purpose yards.

 “Unfortunately, a lot of times in sports, there is a disadvantage because of your size,” Westbrook said. “Coaches, scouts and people that are judging you, they’re putting you in a box, thinking you can only be this because of your size.”

In 2020, he co-authored The Mouse Who Played Football with CBS 3 sports anchor Lesley Van Arsdall, seeing an opportunity to share what he had gone through.

The book, released Aug. 1, takes readers through Westbrook’s career. The main character is a young mouse named Brian who is continually told, “Too small. Tough little fella, but I’m not sure he has what it takes.”

Brian capitalizes on his size making him more successful by speeding past and leaping over the larger players.

For Westbrook, his smaller size meant he could play longer by doing a lot of things that traditional running backs never did.

Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer about Brian Westbrook and “the Mouse Who Played Football.”

Philly Pressbox Radio takes a look at Brian Westbrook’s new children’s book.