Before there was Eli and Payton Manning, there was Tony and Bo Eason. 

When he was nine years old, Bo Eason knew that he wanted to be a professional football player.  He took a crayon and paper and devised a plan to accomplish his dream.  As a kid, Bo practiced tirelessly to perfect his skills.  But, after graduating high school, he was passed over by every college in the country and told that he was too small to play.   

Through hard work and determination, he was the first safety chosen in the 1984 NFL Draft and went on to play five years with the Houston Oilers.  However, Bo was always overshadowed by his older brother, Tony Eason, the star quarterback for the New England Patriots that help lead the team to win the Super Bowl in 1986. 

RUNT OF THE LITTER is the acclaimed one-man show that chronicles volatile family dynamics as well as triumph despite great odds.  Always considered too small to play football, former Houston Oiler Bo Eason developed-then never deviated-from a 20-year plan to go pro.  But his plan didn't include a more talented older brother whose success would forever eclipse his own.

The piece isn't just about playing football or working hard to accomplish dreams, but it provides an honest and powerful look into the brutal world of professional football where the average lifespan of a NFL player is 55 years. 

RUNT debuted in New York in 2002 and returned in 2007.  Now, mid-way through its national tour, RUNT OF THE LITTER makes its North Texas debut at McKinney Performing Arts Center. 

After the performance, author and former NFL broadcaster, Mark Oristano will moderate a question and answer session with Eason.  Oristano is the author of "A Sportscaster's Guide to Watching Football" and a 35-year veteran sportscaster whose assignments have included work on the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers radio networks.  

Perfect for both sports and theater fans, RUNT OF THE LITTER plays at McKinney Performing Arts Center on Friday, January 8 and Saturday, January 9 at 8pm in MPAC's Courtroom Theater.  Reserved tickets range from $21-31 are available through MPAC’s Emerson Ticket Office by phone at 214-544-4630 or on-line at www.mckinneyperformingartscenter.org. 

"One of the most powerful plays about sports in the last decade.... closer to Death of a Salesman than it is to Rocky...a tale of modern gladiators, obsession, testosterone, and revenge." - The New York Times