Few journalists can lay claim to as exciting and colorful a career as Don Yaeger.

In the two decades since he accepted his first newspaper job in Texas, the breadth of his assignments has been astounding. He has traveled the world in pursuit of stories as diverse as:

• Walking into Afghanistan with the mujahadeen as they fought the Soviets
• Going into Baghdad with the victorious Iraqi soccer team as the battle between insurgents and the US Military waged around them
• Visiting China in pursuit of underworld characters counterfeiting American golf clubs
• Heading to Damascus to find the last living terrorist from the 1972 Olympics
• Living with football legend Walter Payton and his family as Payton was dying
• Roaming around Europe and the Middle East interviewing Iraqi athletes tortured by Saddam Hussein’s son Uday, chairman of the Iraqi Olympic Committee
• Traveling with candidates from both parties during Presidential campaigns
• Chronicling the high-profile Duke Lacrosse Scandal

A 1984 graduate of Ball State University with degrees in both journalism and history, Yaeger began his career as a reporter for the San Antonio Light where he rose through the ranks to pen investigative features for the daily. He later moved on to the Dallas Morning News. Following his stint in Dallas, Yaeger worked as a political editor for the Florida Times-Union.

After four years, he dedicated himself to the pursuit of writing books. Yaeger’s first book, Undue Process: The NCAA’s Injustice For All, was published by Sagamore Publishers in 1990. He has since gone on to write 16 other sports-related books (four of them New York Times bestsellers) including the highly-publicized Times bestseller Under The Tarnished Dome: How Notre Dame Betrayed Its Ideals For Football Glory and 1998’s Sports Book of The Year Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL. In spring 2000, Don published Sole Influence about the influence of shoe companies on athletes and that fall Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton was published by Random House. Penguin Books published Don’s third New York Times best-seller, Ya Gotta Believe, about the battle baseball legend Tug McGraw fought against cancer. His 13th book, It’s Not About The Truth, published by Simon & Schuster, chronicled the story of the Duke lacrosse rape hoax that shocked the country. It became a Times best-seller in its first week of publication and is now in production for a major movie release. In 2008, Don released two books, The Senior – the story of Mike Flynt, who refused to live with regret and returned to play his senior year of college football at age 59 – and Running for My Life – the heart wrenching autobiography of one of the NFL’s greatest running backs, Warrick Dunn. Both books received critical acclaim.

After several years of freelancing for Sports Illustrated, Don joined the magazine’s staff full-time in July 1996. Two years later he was promoted to Associate Editor, where his work was to cover not only sporting events but the legal issues, controversial happenings and wrongdoings which affect the world of sports.

Yaeger and his co-author William Nack were finalists for the prestigious National Magazine Award in the public interest category for their cover story “Who’s Coaching Your Kid?: The frightening truth about child molestation in youth sports.” This important piece triggered follow-up reports by programs such as Dateline, 20/20 and The Oprah Winfrey Show. It also resulted in changes to the law in several states and many youth sports organizations, including Little League of America, changed rules to require background checks of coaches and volunteers.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Yaeger has traveled extensively. The Dominican Republic, Honduras, Japan and Great Britain can be counted among the countries in which he has resided. Currently living in Tallahassee, FL, Yaeger spends much of his time sharing the lessons he’s learned throughout his career with audiences across the country. He is also an entrepreneur and recognized business leader. He owns a political consulting business and a public relations firm.