At long last, we have the final cover in for The Professor and…I LOVE IT!  I think the cover really captures the flavor of the book, as the football goalposts in the background represent Tom McMurtrie’s past while the silhouetted image of Tom reaching out is representative of Tom’s journey to redemption in this story.  Also, the four fingers held up is symbolic of both football and life, as The Professor is truly about a legendary man beginning the twilight, or fourth quarter, of his life.  As Bocephus Haynes tells Tom near the beginning of the book:  “It’s like that break between the third and fourth quarters in a football game. When the teams switch sides of the field and TV goes to commercial, and everyone on both sides of the field makes a four with their hands…That’s where you are… You’ve got one quarter to play, and you have to decide what to do.”

I love that imagery, and I’m so pleased that the cover embodies so much about Tom.  I also really like the way the designers put Winston Groom’s terrific blurb on the top.  Finally, the tag line, “Sometimes winning means everything…” beneath the silhouetted and shadowy figure of Tom foreshadows that Tom’s journey will be fraught with danger.

I really couldn’t have dreamed this cover any better!