Bob Lilly signs copies of his book at Borders in Fort Worth

by Todd E. Jones of College Football Top Ten

Photo by Laura Seewoester

DFW's youngest Lilly fan, Baron Bradstreet.

Former Dallas Cowboy and NFL Hall of Famer Bob Lilly showed up to an eager crowd Thursday night at Borders in Fort Worth to sign copies of his book A Cowboy’s Life: A Memoir. With over 250 people standing in line, Lilly walked in moments before he was scheduled to sign copies of his book and the crowd spontaneously applauded.

Lilly was a “true gentleman” as he handled each request with grace showing respect for his fans according to Borders manager Jackie Goodman. “He really respects his fans and had a lot of patience with some of the requests,” she said. The store began forming the line for the event about 6:30 p.m. beginning in the Travel section and winding it’s way through the Fort Worth store’s Cooking section. Customers were treated to samples of Peppermint Mocha Trio from the store’s Seattle’s Best Café while they waited.

Customers such as Jay Langhammer waited patiently to have Lilly to sign copies of his book. Langhammer, a Fort Worth area sports writer, waited over an hour to get his copy signed. Lilly also signed additional memorabilia for customers. Customers brought items such as helmets, footballs, and jerseys for the Cowboy great to sign. In spite of the huge line, Lilly met every request, staying past 10:00 p.m.

Lilly’s attitude at the signing earned adoration from store employees. “[He] couldn’t have been nicer or more patient with people,” said bookseller Lee Cochenour. Store manager Janet Martin added, “He’s just been fantastic. Very personable.”

Lilly’s signing was huge hit for the store. “It’s the biggest signing we’ve had at this store,” according to supervisor Larry Harrison. Customers came from all over the metroplex to get their copy of the book signed. The store even received requests to get the book signed for customers from other states. Many customers had multiple copies for Lilly to sign and most of the customers bought their copies the night of the signing boosting sales for the store.