Popular book 'The Energy Bus' has several teams thinking positive, avoiding 'energy vampires'

FILE - In this Aug. 30, 2014, file photo, Georgia head coach Mark Richt calls out from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Clemson in Athens, Ga. Georgia's Richt, Tennessee's Butch Jones, Washington's Chris Petersen and Clemson's Dabo Swinney are among the coaches who have adopted "The Energy Bus," a book that extols the power of positive thinking and warns to stay away from "energy vampires." (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2014, file photo, Tennessee head coach Butch Jones, second from left, runs onto the field with his team before an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. Tennessee's Jones, Washington's Chris Petersen, Georgia's Mark Richt and Clemson's Dabo Swinney are among the coaches who have adopted "The Energy Bus," a book that extols the power of positive thinking and warns to stay away from "energy vampires." (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File) (The Associated Press)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – More and more football teams are having players study a particular self-help book along with their playbooks.

Tennessee coach Butch Jones and Washington coach Chris Petersen each had players read "The Energy Bus: Ten Rules To Fuel Your Life, Work And Team With Positive Energy" during the offseason. They joined a fraternity that also includes Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith, Georgia coach Mark Richt and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney among others.

The book's popularity among coaches has surprised its author, Jon Gordon, a former Cornell lacrosse player who says he didn't have sports in mind when he wrote it. Now he's regularly speaking to teams and exchanging text messages with coaches. Gordon says he "never imagined the book would be used by all these teams like it is."