Product Description
The NFL has never been hotter--witness the $21.4 billion it will rake in on the TV-rights deals now in place (not to mention its own network), the proliferation of football news and information and the game's booming popularity among sports fans, including the 23 millioin who read SPORTS ILLUSTRATED every week. These 320 pages capture, in breathtaking words and pictures, the essence of America's game: the players and performances, the crucial moments and classic matchups, the enduring dynastics and unique characters that have made pro football the new national pastime. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Awsome
This is a remarkable book with lots of pictures.Great for hardcore football fans.Geaux Saints

Great gift idea
Got this as a present for my husband.The book has lots of great photos and interesting information on many players throughout football history. Great for any NFL fan.

Great gift
Bought this for my brother as a Christmas gift. He and I are both into sports, so when I received it, I thought it was so great I wanted one for myself. Lots of information, great file photos.

Sports Illustrated:The Football Book
My son loves this book.He saw it elsewhere but I got a better deal for it from Amazon.I am very happy with this purchase.

Value for the money
This made a great gift! This book is quite large - filled with wonderful photos - and packed with information all things football.It is rather large to take to bed to relax with, in my opinion, but is better suited to view/read sitting in your lounger. I'd buy this book for anyone that loves football....truly value for the money. Great coffee table book. ... Read more

Product Description
A Social History of Indian Football covers the period 1850-2004. It considers soccer as a derivative sport, creatively and imaginatively adapted to suit modern Indian socio-cultural needs - designed to fulfil political imperatives and satisfy economic aspirations. The book is concerned with the appropriation, assimilation and subversion of sporting ideals in colonial and post-colonial India for nationalist needs.

The book assesses the role of soccer in colonial Indian life, to delineate the inter-relationship between those who patronised, promoted, played and viewed the game, to analyse the impact of the colonial context on the games evolution and development and shed light on the diverse nature of trysts with the sport across the country. Throughout this book, soccer is the lens that illuminates India's colonial and post-colonial encounter.

This volume was previously published as a special issue of the journal Soccer and Society. ... Read more

Product Description
The names are oh, so familiar to fans of college football. Johnny Rodgers. Dave Rimington. Mike Rozier. Tommie Frazier. Eric Crouch. Grant Wistrom. Those names and countless others have given Nebraska football an unmatched tradition and legacy of greatness and made football Saturdays high holy days in the Cornhusker State.

In this book, we’ve attempted to distill that tradition of greatness into words and pictures. It’s a daunting task. Few programs inspire the loyalty and passion that Nebraska football exacts from its fans, and with good reason. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

THE MOST DOMINANT TEAM OF THE 80'S & 90'S
Things have been pretty tough for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in recent years.In 2004 they suffered their first losing season in over 40 years, breaking the nation's longest streak in that area.But it would be hard to argue with anyone who claimed that Nebraska was the most dominant team of the 80's and 90's, compiling an eye-popping record of 211 wins against just 36 losses, averaging less than one loss per year in those two decades.Of course the man at the helm for all but the last two seasons of the 90's was the great Tom Osborne.Nebraska Football is of course the subject of this latest offering from Triumph Books and Athlon Sports in their Game Day series, dedicated to the greatest program in college football.

On thing that really makes Nebraska unique is that they don't have the benefit of professional sports or even another large university in their state to compete with.In Nebraska, the Cornhuskers are it and it is one of the great atmospheres in all of sports.The book follows the same formula as the rest in the series, beginning with a look at the Traditions and pageantry of NU football, including their famous red sea of fans, garbed in crimson, and the blackshirt defense as it has become known.I for one never knew the story and origin behind the blackshirt defense until I read this book.

Nebraska's great players reads like who's who of college football greats: Tommie Frazier, Turner Gill, Eric Crouch, Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, Grant Wistrom, Will Shields, and many more. When it comes to coaches, two names stand out, and what a pair they are!Bob Devaney took over in 1962 after Nebraska had finished 3-6-1 the previous year.NU would not have another losing season for over 40 years!Devaney went 101-20-2 and winning 8 conference titles, and two national championships.He turned the team over to Tom Osborne who would do even better with a record of 255-49-3 and three national championships.From 1994-1997, Osborne's teams lost only two games.

Relive some of NU's greatest games including the 1971 "Game of the Century" showdown with rival Oklahoma, won by the Huskers 35 - 31, the 1995 Orange Bowl win over Miami, and the miraculous overtime win over Missouri in 1997 that preserved an unbeaten season.You'll thrill to many more great moments and rivalries in this thrilling look at Nebraska football.

As with all of Triumph's books it sparkles with fantastic black & white and color photography and is personalized by reflections from former players and coaches.Even if you're not a fan of NU, you can't help but respect them.

Reviewed by Tim Janson
... Read more

Product Description
In The University of Notre Dame Football VaultTM The History of the Fighting Irish, John Heisler introduces readers to the legendary history of one of America s most admired and talked-about college football programs. From its humble beginnings on a muddy South Bend field in 1887 to the powerhouse teams of today, Fighting Irish fans will once again experience the glory days of coaching greats Knute Rockne, Elmer Layden, and Ara Parseghian. Just like the pages of a family scrapbook, The University of Notre Dame Football VaultTM is stuffed with rarely-seen snapshots, images, and photos all intermixed with a variety of intriguing replica memorabilia. Reproductions include a 1924 ticket to Notre Dame's first bowl game, handwritten Rockne play diagrams from the 1930's, a bumper sticker from the 1973 National Championship, and a ticket to the 1997 Notre Dame Stadium Rededication Game. Never before has the history of the Fighting Irish been told in such a vivid, graphic, and entertaining format. Illustrated; Hardcover; 144 pages ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

poor quality
I wouldn't recommend this book. the ephemera will interest some fans but they focused on this trivia at the expense of production quality, which is lousy. My copy started to come apart a week after I got it.Several pages are falling out and the printing is second rate. This is not a $50 book!

Notredame
Bought this vault for my husband who is a huge Notredame fan.The book is filled with endless facts and history about the team and its fun to read because of all the inserts it has from tickets to newspaper clippings, all sorts of fun stuff.

Not quite as expected.
The spine of the book was loose, detracting from its quality.Not bad enough to go through the hassle to return, but somewhat disappointing.

Every ND Fan Needs!
Product arrived on time and was exactly as described. My ND fan absolutely loved it!!!

UND Football Vault
I purchased this collection for my Father In-Law, a devout ND fan, for Christmas.It was highly recommended by the Notre Dame Alumni site and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who might be interested! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

Use it as kindling!!!
The book starts out with inaccurate statistics. This has to be on the part of the authors. It is easy to find the winningest teams of all time the list should be accurate. Coverage of the selected teams is poor. For 15 years of research this is garbage. The selection of teams is poor. The top teams are included as they should be. Some of the teams included should rarely be mentioned in the discussion of college football; while some of the of the teams that have been at the heart of the college football discussions over the last ten years are excluded. If you need kindling here you go. If you are interested in college football DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!

college football fans, buy this book
If you are a college football fan, this is a must have.This book has stats and scores and standings so in a way it is similar to the ESPN College Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Game(which I own and reviewed) but what sets this book apart from that one, and what makes it far more itneresting, are the game (for major games for every week during the season, plus bowls) and season recaps.Essentially the game recaps are the same as what you would read in the newspaper the day after the game, and the season recaps give a one page description of the stories and trends in each of the seasons from 1953 to 2006.

The second half of the book lists the 70 (arguably) most notable college football playing schools since 1953 with scores and school records, as well as starting lineups for each school for these years.This section isn't any better than the similar section in the ESPN book, a lot of the info here is the same but this book does have the above mentioned starting lineups.

The product information describes this book as getting "to the heart of college football competition" and being a "fun read".I agree whole heartedly with those statements.If you want one book to cover college football history, this is the book to get.If you read the reviews and the ESPN College Football Encyclopedia seems a better fit for you, I still recomend buying this book alongside that one.

A must-have reference that trounces ESPN
Fifty Years of College Football is a little-known giant of a book that blows away the competition like the ESPN College Football Encyclopedia.Fifty Years even has a bonus...it actually chronicles 54 football seasons of all the important college teams, and does it in an amazingly detailed style.It supplies information on the top 70 football programs that can be found in very few books of this type.

For example, ESPN'sbook offers scores of games but otherwise all but ignores the exciting action that took place on the field.For its part, Fifty Years chronicles every important moment in more than 7,000 important college games.ESPN spoons up inconsistent "teams of the century" for each school while Fifty Years taps each major school's best 54 players, arranged as a squad ready to take on the world.Very cool!

ESPN provides a chart of each team's season leader in stats while Fifty Years lists each starting player and many reserves on offense and defense and supplies all the important stats in each season during the modern era since the early 1950s.

Boyles and Guido make football history come alive, and their amazing effort is massive, and an incredible bargain.

50 Years of College Football
This is the best college football history book I have found.It covers every week since 1953.It has the starting line up of the top 70 college teams for all those years.
It has a year by year wrap up of awards, bowls and polls.It has the All-American teams.You'll never find a book on college football that has the complete history this book contains.
The book settles a lot of arguments.
I purchased this book for many of my friends
The book is well put together and the information is easy to find.

Great resource
This thing is a behemoth. Over 1300 pages and a lot of it is in small type. So, what is 50 Years of College Football? Authors Bob Boyles have compiled something that has to be the most inclusive review of the last 50 years of college football available. It just as easily could have been called "The College Football Dictionary" as that's what it resembles.

It provides a review of 70 teams over the years 1953 to 2006. Each review contains basic school information, andcareer, season, and game statistical leaders - typical of stuff you'd find in a school's media guide. The reviews include won-loss records, coaching records, and bowl records, the scores of all games - stuff that isn't hard to find if you're a powerhouse school, but may be difficult if you're trying to find information on someone lesser known. The season's starting lineups and statistical leaders are also included - that is information that can be very hard to find, especially if you're interested in going back all the way to 1953.

The yearly reviews start with an entertaining and informative overview of each year, highlighting events on and off the field. As an example, the 1961 review relates how the Ohio State faculty voted down a Rose Bowl bid, resulting in the Columbus Dispatch printing each voting faculty member's name, address, and amount of reimbursed out-of-state travel they'd had over the past year. We're told that Woody Hayes was pivotal in quelling potential student riots. (Ah, the good old days!)

The preseason rankings are provided, and a recap of games played between ranked teams and many rivals are reviewed, which comes to more than 7,500 game recaps total. These don't include every game ever played, but obviously a huge number of them, including a "Game of the Year" for each season. .Each year concludes with a listing of conference standings, bowl game reviews, All-America teams, Heisman Trophy voting along with other major award winners. As if that weren't enough (but wait, there's more!), you also get the first eight rounds of each season's NFL draft.

There is a freakish amount of information in 50 Years of College Football, almost too much. At a cost under $20 (see the Amazon price above), it's pretty affordable as a historical reference. It's handy for bloggers like me to go back and find something interesting to write about and it should be in the hands of any college fans that likes to "one-up" their friends. Hmmmm.... wouldn't that be just about all of us? ... Read more

Product Description
Wearing borrowed uniforms, practicing on obscure college campuses, and led by a former Marine Corps W.W. II fighter ace as commissioner, the American Football League (AFL) debuted in the Fall of 1960 to challenge the monopoly of the well-established National Football League. Within ten years it had won two Super Bowls and had forced a merger with its rival, splitting the NFL into the National and American Football Conferences. Here Rappoport recounts the startling success of an upstart league that prevailed against long odds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Stories About the AFL in The Little League That Could
My house is a football house, but mostly an AFC football house. I'm a long time Patriots fan and Mrs. Doug bleeds KC Chiefs red. With a little knowledge of football history you would know that the AFC is comprised mostly of the teams from upstart American Football League that started playing in the 1960s.

Ken Rappoport weaves stories told by the players, owners, and coaches from the days of the American Football League in The Little League That Could: A History of the American Football League

It all began when Lamar Hunt watched the 1958 NFL title game between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts. He envisioned that football was the best sport for television and that it would become big because of television.

He wanted in.

He tried convincing the NFL to grant him an expansion franchise. He tried buying the Cardinals (then located in Chicago). Neither route to NFL ownership worked.

Unable to get in, he decided to start his own league. He first teamed up with Bud Adams who he had met while Adams while also trying, unsuccessfully, to buy the Cardinals. The other big money owner was Barron Hilton, scion of the hotel family (and eventually grandfather to Paris). Those three brought along five other franchises, including the underfunded Billy Sullivan and my beloved Boston Patriots.

I was expecting the book to be an encyclopedia retelling of the history of the AFL. It's not. It's told by the participants in the league. I had the feeling that I was sitting in a bar with these great personalities telling me their stories of glory. Rappoport does a great job capturing those stories and weaving them together into a coherent narrative.

The AFL survived the battle with the NFL because it was putting good football on the field and on television. They were successfully recruiting players away and driving up the cost of player contracts. The NFL underestimated the AFL and let quality players go to the little league, assuming it would collapse and the players would come back to the NFL. After initially underestimating the AFL, the NFL owners gave up the battle and agreed to merge the leagues.

The book is a great combination of the business side of the game and the playing side of the game. There are some great stories in the book. If you're a football fan or a sports history buff you will enjoy reading this book.

The publisher was kind enough to send me a copy of the book to review.

Well worth the sports fan's time...
As a member of the younger generation of football fans--22 years old--I missed the glory days of pre-1990s Cowboys football.The difference isn't trivial; the highly commercialized sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll era that was the mid-to-late-1990s changed football from its purer forms.Right?

Evidently, and according to Ken Rappoport, not so much.Though some aspects of the 1990s machine are different, the commercial nature of football really began with the high-flying American Football League of the 1960s.Between the wars for contracts and the open-field dynamic centered around gunslinging Brett Favre-types, the eventual second half of the National Football League was far ahead of its times.A fascinating account with first-hand sources and the triple bird's-eye, management's-eye and on-the-field narrative elements blended nicely, The Little League That Could is well worth the sport's fan's time and effort (and dollars).It is a different tale from the typical sports book, covering an era from all angles and aspects.

There is but one flaw and it is worth here briefly mentioning: the book contains what are called "sidebars" and they are placed in the middle of the chapters but there isn't a sufficient break to make their placement within the book easy to reconcile.In other words, they take up full pages, and are placed in the middle of the narrative--in the middle of sentences, in the middle of paragraphs and sections that need to be read together--and instead of taking the much easier and obvious route of placing them at those natural breaks (end of thoughts or even chapters), their placement makes the book more difficult than it has to be.Slightly.When does one read the sidebars?


As should be noted, that flaw is fairly minor.So check it out!

More about the business than the game
I would describe this book more as a business history about the American Football League than as a traditional sports book.The author does a very good job of describing why this league survived while all the other leagues that attempted to compete with the NFL (including three prior AFLs) failed.

On-the-field action is described mainly in enough detail to support the history of the league's development.There is plenty of biographical data, mainly in the form of a couple of sidebars that punctuate each chapter.There are many anecdotes that help make the book a fun read.

There are no photos and no statistics, aside from those that may be quoted in the narrative.For that you'd have to go to a book like "Remember the AFL", for which this book makes a good pairing with. ... Read more

Product Description
In Pigskin, Robert W. Peterson presents a lively and informative overview of the early years of pro football--from the late 1880s to the beginning of the television era. He describes the colorful beginnings of the pro game and its outstanding teams and profiles some of the most famous players of the era. Peterson also takes us back to the roots of the pro game, showing how professionalism began when some stars for Yale, Harvard, and Princeton took money for their services to alma mater.

After the NFL formed in 1920, pro football's popularity grew gradually but steadily. It burst into national prominence with the Chicago Bears-Washington Redskins championship game of 1940. As one sportswriter put it: "The weather was perfect. So were the Bears." The final score was 73-0. Peterson shows how, after World War II, the newly-created All America Football Conference challenged the NFL, which never viewed the new teams as much of a threat. That is, not until 1950 when the two leagues merged, bringing about the Cleveland Browns-Philadelphia Eagles game in which the Browns buried the Eagles 35-10.

An elegy to a time when, for many players, the game was at least as important as the money it brought them, Pigskin takes readers up to the 1958 championship game when the Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants in overtime. By that time, the great popularity of the game had moved from newspapers and radio to television, and pro football had finally arrived as a major sport.Amazon.com Review
While baseball's pastoral pace never lets us forget its past,football's martial-like essence seems forever fixed in thepresent. Yet, borne on the broad backs of men like Pudge Heffelfinger,Jim Thorpe, George Halas, Red Grange, Sammy Baugh, and BroncoNagurski, football's history is filled with a legend, color, andpersonality as intriguing and all-American as that usually ascribed tobaseball. Like a good offensive guard, Pigskin does yeoman-likework in the trenches, opening the right holes for football'sbarnstorming, step-child past to rush through. Thoroughly researchedand authoritatively written, it helps resuscitate a sporting era--fromthe late 19th century to the dawn of saturation TV--when the passionfor playing the game was far more alluring than all those soullessnumbers on the business end of the dollar sign. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great history of the early years of football
Does a really good job of covering it from the turn of the century through till the 1958 Colts-Giants championship game.

A really interesting read if you're into the history of football and the rule and tactic changes over the years.

Review of Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football
Pigskin is a history of professional football from its origins in the late 1800's through the 1950's.It details the state of professional football early in the century when football was really dominated by colleges, particularly the Ivy League schools.At that time professional football was more like semi-pro ball, and was relatively disorganized with club teams going on barnstorming tours.The book does a good job of chronicling how professional football evolved, becoming more and more organized and structured over time up to the creation of a professional league with Jim Thorpe, the most famous athlete of the time, as president and player.Once World War II came about professional football, while not in its heyday, was finally taking over college football in fan interest but the war was rough on professional sports as many of the greatest athletes went into the service.After the war football continued to grow in fan interest and really hit it big with the invention of television."The Greatest Game Ever Played" - the 1958 overtime championship game where the Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants 23-17, which was televised and watched by millions, launched the NFL into the mainstream and it hasn't slowed down since.

Overall this book has a lot of good information and is well organized.The drawback is that the writing style is not very exiting so it makes this monograph a bit on the boring side.For those only mildly interested in the history of professional football, I would not recommend it.

Fascinating book about the early history of Pro Football
This was a book that surprised me when I read it because it has so much great information about the early days of pro football. The struggles of football at the professional level to become a "respected" game was one of the surprises in the book along with the fact that, for example, the "draw play" that is used today was discovered completely by accident years ago (read the book to find out why). The book is a great look back at the early years of the game, the subtle changes to the game over the first few decades and the changes that brought the game to the status it has today in our society. This is a great read about the early history of football in our nation.

Solid Pro Football History
What I most like about this book is the author's dedication to historical accuracy.It was apparent that the author weighed the reliability of different accounts of what happened in order to give a true picture of pro football's past.Often this meant discarding some of the more colorful but dubious stories frequently repeated in other books.

I was impressed with the sources used for the book.Sources included research of the Professional Researchers Association, other respected books and authors, and original interviews of star and more ordinary former players as well as coaches.

The book spans the era of pro football from the late 1800's to the 1958 NFL championship game.Roughly the first third of the book is devoted to the pre-NFL days of pro football prior to 1920.There are 16 pages of photos.The quality of these photos- even considering that they are old- is not good, unlike the cover photo, which is very good.

I did not find the book difficult to read.This is a book I would recommend to anyone of high school age or older who wants a good foundation on the history of pro football.This book delivers a solid, straight-forward account of how pro football developed.

Pigskin lacks the moves to score a touchdown
While this book contains lots of interesting historical facts and little known tidbits of information on pro football's rise in America, it is written in such a way as to have readers wishing the sport had died at birth.
As I said above, there is very good information on the sport here, but once I read the particular nugget I don't need it given to me again on the next page, or the next, or the next. The author is very repetative and some of the chapters go on forever with really no new facts given.
The second thing you might notice is that the author likes to play with seldom used "big words" from the English language. Not a problem if used in moderation, but here they are so frequent as to disrupt the flow of the story and makes the book difficult to read.
The final penalty here is the bad editing. There are either numerous mispellings, or he is using words I never learned in school. There are also several spots in the book where [] appear around letters or whole words. I'm not sure what those are there for, but someone must have thought they needed to be there I guess. Alo, many of the chapters are badly arranged, bits of story seemingly thrown in wherever there was room.
In conclusion I found this book hard to read and only finished it because i'm a die-hard football fan. Makes a good read if you're an insomniac though. ... Read more

Product Description
Unable to buy into an existing team and rebuffed by National Football League owners who had no desire to expand, 27-year-old Lamar Hunt, the son of Texas billionaire H.L. Hunt, formed the American Football League in 1959. He placed his team in Dallas, called them the Texans, and invited other young entrepreneurs to join him. The seven men who did called themselves members of the "Foolish Club," but on September 9, 1960, the AFL made its regular season debut and went on to change the face of football forever.

Unlike the NFL, the American Football League featured wide open offenses and innovative coaching strategies, capturing a new generation of fans dedicated to the league and its players. The AFL aggressively pursued college stars—Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon in its inaugural season and Joe Namath in 1965. The eight teams signed a collective television agreement that split the money equally among the franchises, thus providing far more stability and balance than earlier start-up leagues. Based on interviews with owners, coaches, players, scouts, broadcasters and writers from the era, this is a colorful account of the AFL and its place in sports history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A must read for ALL football fans
I couldn't put this book down! A must for anyone who remembers the American Football League or you have any interest in the history of pro-football. Little know details are included about the signing of players, negotiation of tv contracts and the merger with the NFL. I also enjoyed reading about a number of games and actually could remember seeing the events as they happened as I listened to Curt Gowdy, Charlie Jones and Paul Christman describe the action!
Having been a fan of the AFL from it's inception and the refreshing type of football played in the league, I enjoyed hearing the names of the men and players who were the foundation of this league. I only wish the book contained more details. I highly recommend this book.

A Great AFL Book
Great stories about the AFL. A must if you are a fan of this football league.

Good Read!
I am enjoying reading Ed Gruver's book on the history of the AFL. I was familar with his earlier writing because I had read his book on the 1967 Ice Bowl. He packs a lot of information about the behind-the-scenes activities.
The only improvements I would suggest is (1)larger type [the print is a little too small], and (2) more pictures in the book from the American Football League archives.

Well Oiled
Despite the myths, the true origin of the AFL---and of the new professional alignment of football in general, to use author Gruver's own data-was Texas, home of nouveau riche oil men like Sid Richardson, Clint Murchison, and H.L. Hunt. To understand the actual dynamics that led to both the AFL and the Dallas Cowboys, for that matter, one is well advised to read Caro's "Master of the Senate," in which Texas oil men in league with Senator Lyndon Johnson successfully manipulate pricing of oil and natural gas to amass unimaginable fortunes. Caro's description of Texas oil men-some of whom also funded Joe McCarthy's reign of terror-takes some of the awe and innocence from Gruver's account of the AFL's inception.

In 1959, when some of these oil men inquired after the NFL albatross Chicago Cardinals, venerable Bert Bell and the NFL did not wish to do business with them. Popular history [and Gruver] have it backwards: that the old conservative owners of the Redskins, Steelers, and Giants, among others, resented the modern upstarts, and only eventually accepted the idea of the Dallas Cowboys when absolutely forced to. In truth, any of the southwesterners were so conservative as to make Art Rooney look like Arlo Guthrie. The fact is that Bell, no fool, realized that the antitrust wolf was prowling around the NFL hen house, and recognition of franchises in Dallas and Minnesota was a small price to pay to make him go away. One can only imagine Bell's private disgust at being hoisted on his own petard, watching Texas oil interests, of all groups, threaten antitrust action.

The NFL expansion of 1961, modest as it was, left a string of frustrated suitors. In the long view of things, the fact that the late 1950's football entrepreneurs were fabulously rich established once and for all that whatever new league emerged would not be a dog-and-pony show. Prospective bidders for franchises would have to impress no less than the Hunt family with their solvency. With the notable exception of the Harry Wismer-New York Titans fiasco [later more than corrected by the Sonny Werblin consortium] the new AFL had more problems impressing critics than bankers. In its opening day clothes, the original AFL was a curious geographic imbalance, not surprisingly, tilted to the southwest. Boston and New York were courted for TV revenue, and those with long memories recalled that Buffalo had supported its 1940's pro team quite well.

But the banner teams-Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Denver-were two and three time zones west. From a television programming perspective, the new AFL mined a golden lode: a premier game in the Eastern Time Zone 4:00 P.M. slot where the NFL was generally signing off. Lamar Hunt, who for years had observed the ferocity of fan interest in Texas high school football, was able to convince ABC and then NBC, two networks eager to break CBS's stranglehold on pro football, that Americans would watch just about anybody play football if the time was right. It would be Nielsen ratings and popular opinion, not money, that would break or make the AFL.

Gruver's research of the business origins of the league is superficial. He relies on the popular misconceptions that have endured for over four decades, and adds little new by way of corporate analysis. Where he finds his comfort zone-not surprisingly for a professional sportswriter-is in his description of league play itself. There is a major implication here: the AFL, unlike other sports experiments, would not fold for lack of cash. Hunt, Hilton, Adams, Wilson, Werblin et. al. were not going to fold like cheap suitcases. If the league failed, it would be the brand of football on the field that brought it down.

Gruver's work is replete with descriptions of team characteristics, playing facilities, coaches and the like. Because of contractual problems-or the absence of major league sports in the new AFL cities-the playing conditions are a story unto themselves. Fully half of the home fields appear to have been either below sea level or had previous lives as toxic waste sites. In some cities the only available playing sites were literally salvaged from the wrecking ball: in New York the Polo Grounds, or the infamous "Rock Pile" in Buffalo. Interestingly, with the exception of a Sid Gillman, one is struck in the early days by an absence of great coaches [or somehow we have overlooked the genius of Frank Filchock and Buster Ramsey over the years.] By the end of the work, one is compelled to admit that the coach who most brought respectability to the league, love him or hate him, was Hank Stram, with Weeb Ewbank a close second. That Stram also appears to be one of the primary sources is not surprising,

The strength of this work is in Gruver's recognition that the players made the league. Those who are old enough to remember the AFL will be happy to relive memories with Gino Cappelletti, Wray Carlton, Mike Garrett, Don Maynard, Paul Lowe, Ernie Ladd, Billy Shaw, Lionel Taylor, Babe Parilli, Jim Otto, Jerry Mays, Charlie Hennigan, Buck Buchanan, Larry Grantham, Daryle Lamonica, and Keith Lincoln, to name some. Gruver follows a chronological sequence and monitors the division races throughout the text. The memorable games are recalled, often using text from the actual broadcast. Thus we get Merle Harmon's and Sam DeLuca's raw impressions of the infamous Heidi game-by radio, of course, due to NBC's never to be forgotten cutaway to Klara and Goat Peter.

Gruver has done well with this effort, probably about as far as a sportswriter could take it. I am of a mind that the two great sports developments of the post World War II era, the AFL and NASCAR, both deserve a masterful scholarly analysis. Gruver's work is a step in the right direction.

Good reading...great memories
A very enjoyable read with great stories about the AFL. The year by year approach works well here and keeps the book flowing. The only problem with the volume is, it's too short! Ed, how about a team by team approach of the AFL with more specifics and greater length? ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

The ultimate photographic tale of Penn State football's history
Penn State football is a cultural staple in central Pennsylvania. Plain blue and white uniforms aside the scenery alone is enough to make a visit to Happy Valley on a Saturday in the fall.

Fans have been making the pilgrimage to State College since 1881, six years before the university was founded. There have been countless images that will last a lifetime in the history of the Penn State football program, and now there is a book that collects them all in one place, fit enough to set on your coffee table.

Penn State Football: The Complete Illustrated History, is just that. In 192 pages Penn State fans will read about the rich traditions and historic games and iconic figures that make up Penn State football. From Rip Engle to Joe Paterno, from John Cappelletti to Ki-Jana carter, from Leroy Scholl to Daryll Clark, every piece of Penn State football is covered in beautiful fashion.

Authored by Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport will assure the most hard core fans will be satisfied with this publication. Wilner has authored 27 previous books on a number of sports events, including Football Feuds: The Greatest College Football Rivalries, a collaboration with Rappoport. Rappoport has written a few Penn State football books before, including Tales from Penn State Football and Penn State Nittany Lions: Where Have You Gone? With such a rich history in writing Penn State books it would be hard to top the work that has already been done, but Penn State Football: The Complete Illustrated History does just that.

Gazing upon the nearly 200 terrific photographs included in the book will take readers back in time to games like the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, the 1982 Sugar Bowl or to a time when Lenny Moore was running up and down old Beaver Field or when defensive end Bruce Clark would charge an unsuspecting quarterback. Many of these photos have rarely, if ever, been seen before. If you can not make it to Beaver Stadium for a tour of the all sports museum, this book may be your second best bet.

For those interested in the extensive history you will be floored by the amount of information that is crammed into the 192 pages by Wilner and Rappoport. Details are not locking in the origins of the program, the original players and the coaches. Believe it or not, Joe Paterno was not always the coach at Penn State. you will learn about players such as W.T. "Mother" Dunn and learn why that was his nickname (spoiler alert: he was seen as the mother of all centers in the game). Readers will also want to soak in original newspaper clippings, such as the headline of "State beats Penn in sensational game on Franklin Field" from 1911, which ended a frustrating 17-game losing streak to the Quakers.

This new book also chronicles Penn State joining the Big Ten, the undefeated seasons, national championships, the greatest players to wear the uniform, the father-son combos to play at Penn State, the recent fall and resurgence of the program up to last season's trip to the Rose Bowl. It does not get much more comprehensive than Penn State Football: The Complete Illustrated History.

This review was previously posted on Examiner.com by Kevin McGuire. ... Read more

Product Description
If you enjoyed Friday Night Lights, this book is a must-read. Remember Why You Play documents the lives, struggles, and triumphs of the players and coaches of Faith Christian School in Grapevine, Texas.
Sports columnist and author David Thomas followed the team for a full season, recording a story that will inspire readers to understand that relationships are more important than winning.
One of the key events was a game that Faith Christian played against the Gainesville State Tornadoes, a school for convicted juvenile offenders. The story of this spectacular game is being made into a movie, titled One Heart, with an anticipated release in November 2010. Reminiscent of Hoosiers and Remember the Titans, this true story makes a strong statement about the impact of compassion and sportsmanship. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

I Don't Remember Why They Play
Remember Why You Play by David Thomas is a book about high school football in Texas and faith. This book would be categorized as a sports biography book. This book is appropriate for Christians, sports fans, and men.

Remember Why You Play is a book that I really wanted to enjoy. The storyline is there, the book is about a high school football program that has great sportsmanship and work ethic, yet they fall short of the championship each year. The book documents the programs football season, weaving the head coaches coaching practices with the games. The story leads up to the final game of the season that showed the spirit of the players. The book is written to show that such a brutal sport can be taught and played with faith and character.The storyline is good, but I could barely finish the book. I did not like the authors writing style, I felt that the story was a bit confusing because of this. When describing the games, the author seems to forget that not everyone may be a former football player or fan. I enjoy football, but do not know all the terminology, this made it difficult for me to follow along. This is a book that has potential, but would maybe need another author to write it. The book had its moments, but overall I did not enjoy it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Tyndale Media Center book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Faith, Football and a Season to Believe

I am the first to say that I am not a big football fan. I watch occasionally and have had favorite players that I like to follow, but when I seen"Remember WhyYou Play"listed at Tyndale to be reviewed, the product description of the book sounded very interesting. It's a book thatI knew my husband would also enjoy reading.

The book follows theFaith Christian Lions from the beginning of the pre season,through to the final gameas we watch a teamthat not onlyshows their Christian life and faith throughout not only theirgamesbut through their education and their livesas we see how their Coach instilledinto the team good sportsmanship , values, and the love of the game.

When David Thomasa sport columnist and writerfollowed the team from FaithChristian for a whole season recordedand told this story in his own words it should bean inspiration to all readersas he takes us through their games and their practices. Having their season wrapped upand secured in the playoffs, the Lions played their lastgame against theGainesville StateTornado's a football team from , a maximum securitycorrectional facility . The basis of this story revolves around that last game of the Lions season and how through this gamethey changed the lives of another team.

Although the beginning of the book dealing with the practice sessions was not as interesting to me, the outlook of the players kept me reading, although I do have to admit to skimming over partsof some chapters due to what seemed like a lot of repeats in their weekly play by play games, but there is alsosome very valuable lessons to be learned in each chapter. That can be missed if one does not reallygo through each chapter. Through their injuries, upsetsand playing together as a teamthis book I feel will be an asset to all young football players. As they read the story of the Lions and yes the Tornados it should instill in them also to become a player and to remember why theylove the game of football.

I would like to thank Tyndale House Publisher for kindly providing a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. No compensation was received by myself and the opinions of this book are strictly my own.

A great book about every day faith played out in everyday life
Remember Why You Play is an excellent book for any Christian who is a sports enthusiast, and any teenage athlete who looking for inspiration for the field.I might have been one of the few people who did not know anything about the game between the Faith Christian Lions and the Gainesville State Tornadoes (I won't reveal it here in case there are others who want to read this book and be surprised). The author does a good job in building up to the moment, even going back to the prior season. The book has a great layout with each chapter covering each game/major moment. You get a good feel and intimate knowledge of the coaches and players as you journey with them up to this memorial event.

As I was reading this book, it stood out to me why our public school system is failing - the removal of God. There are so many great lessons Coach Hogan shares with his team that just would not be allowed in a public classroom. It is a reminder to me that we are all created by God and have a God-given purpose in this life - to know Him as our Saviour and glorify Him with our life.

Overall, this is an excellent book and well worth the read.

This book was given to me free by Tyndale House Publishing.

Wow - get this book
Football is a sport that I don't know much about, so I was surprised when this book caught and held my interest.It is a true story about the Faith Christian high school football team, from Gainesville, Texas and what they did to cause a ripple effect of change in their community.

The coach of this team always stressed Christian behavior and ethics.He and the assistant coaches lived out in their lives what they expected from each player on the team.They demanded excellence in preparation and participation, but also excellence in the area of relationships with others.I was reminded of the verse that says we should love the Lord with all our heart and soul and also love our neighbor as ourself.

David Thomas followed this team through a winning season, watching their actions as well as their words. Each game had lots of highlights and as I read I could see the players growing in their walk with Christ as well as in their walk with one another.

Often as I read, I wished that I had a person in my life that would hold me accountable like he held the members on the team accountable.I also wished that I could afford to purchase one of these books for every member of the youth group at my church as well as the youth leaders and parents.

It's a powerful book. The last chapter is about a game that should not have mattered to anyone.The team played Gainesville State School, which is a maximum security correctional facility.Some life changing things took place at that game.I won't tell you what happened. You really need a copy of this book for yourself!

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Great Book - every one should read
Everyone should read this book and then buy several more to give to others.The story is great, enjoyable to read, and inspiring.Gives parents and coaches and kids a lot to think about. ... Read more

Product Description
The University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest public universities in the United States and consistently ranks among the finest institutions of higher education on the planet. It has one of the nation's largest library systems, world class art museums, and a Gutenberg Bible. It is the largest employer in Austin and one of the largest in the state, generating $6 billion in business activity annually, all of which is well and good. But as much or more than anything, UT is about one thing: Longhorn football. In a state where football--Pop Warner to pro--ranks somewhere among God, country, and pecan pie, UT football is a religion all its own. For Bobby Hawthorne and millions of other fans, services mean Longhorn football games, where a steer named Bevo presides over a congregation of diehard orange-bloods, where the world's largest bass drum keeps time for a hymn called "The Eyes of Texas," where some of the game's greatest players and coaches have delivered the fourth-most wins in NCAA history. Longhorn Football traces the team's history from its origins in 1893 through the 2006 Rose Bowl, in which Texas won its fourth national championship. The heroes of the last 113 seasons include Dana X. Bible, Bobby Layne, Tommy Nobis, Roosevelt Leaks, Heisman trophy winners Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams, Vince Young, and, of course, Darrell K Royal. In a voice that is equally reverential and iconoclastic, Hawthorne also details the off-the-field traditions--Bevo, Big Bertha, "The Eyes of Texas," and the "Hook 'em Horns" sign, among others--that make Longhorn football more than just a game. He delves into what makes the rivalries with Oklahoma and Texas A&M so intense and nominates a group of all-time Longhorn greats at every position. In short, Longhorn Football chronicles the team that has become a religion "worthy of the great state of Texas." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Anyone who's a Texas fan will love this book!
Wonderful pictures are found on each page.I love looking back at some of the great legends and events that have helped create such an amazing dynasty.

A must-have for Longhorn fans
I own a dozen or so books about Longhorn football, but this one's my favorite. From the gorgeous photos to the insightful text, this book coversUT football history better than the others. One difference is in the large, coffee-table-sized format. Another is the unmistakable feeling that Hawthorne's "one of us." He's not afraid to use first person pronouns when talking about the Horns, and his commentary nicely captures the feelings of us orange-blooded fans (e.g., the teams we consider rivals). Thanks, Bobby, for this excellent addition to my Longhorn library!

LONGHORN FOOTBALL: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY
If you LOVE football as much as I LOVE football, you absolutely must purchase LONGHORN FOOTBALL by up and coming author, Bobby Hawthorne. Hawthorne has gleaned the very best from over 113 years of outstanding Longhorn photography to create a dynamic picture that seems to come to life in your very hands. His insightful commentary only adds to the overall enjoyment of the book.I just couldn't put it down once I opened the book.I could almost hear the crackle of helmets on crisp fall afternoons as I reminisced over many of the best loved players, coaches and fans of the last 100 plus years. In short, this is the book that Darrell Royal would have wanted to be written about the greatest game in the greatest state in the union. Rick Hill ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent look at early NFL
This book is a collection of semi-autobiographies of many of the most famous NFL football players of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s when the league was just getting started and fighting for its spot in the sun. Each chapter centered around one player such as Sammy Baugh, Sid Luckman and host of other legendary players still alive to write their story. Its an insightful look of the "good old days" NFL, often funny and other time, amazing. The book has been well edited and reading is superbly entertaining as well as educational. Each chapter also got couple of short anecdotal stories on some of the legends of the game long gone like Jim Thorpe or Bronko Nagurski.

When I read this book, there is no doubt in my mind that men who played this game back then, were probably the toughest players ever to played NFL football. Sure there are guys today who are built bigger, faster and all that, but these stories in this book make any reader realized how tough and mean, NFL used to be compared to today's soft touch rules design to lessen injuries. These players were in the game for 60 minutes, they have to be good in both offense and on defense. Compared that with the specialized players of today.

This book is should be read by any fan of the NFL to give such a fan a good perception on how the NFL evolved and developed during the past 75 years.

The NFL's Early Early Years
An oral history about the NFL's early early days, like before most of us were even born and in some cases, before our parents were born.It feels like the author took these oral histories word for word so it makes for very choppy and uneven reading, not something that you can zip thru in one reading, despite the barely 200+ pages - it's nice to read about players who I've barely heard of and some I never knew about, and also about the two way players then.I think the author could have shaped the oral histories better to make it a better read, and like I always say, beware of books which Amazon sells for at the list price - there's a reason for that.

The Early NFL As Told By The Era's Players
In the same vein as Lawrence Ritter with "The Glory Of Their Times," Richard Whittingham interviewed several of the diminishing handful of participants in the NFL's early days, took their words and wove an interesting and insightful book.Much like baseball when it started professionally, scheduling, paychecks, record-keeping and crowd size was often haphazard in those days, and players often played out of love of the game or to pick up some extra money aside from their regular jobs, mostly the latter.But the stories that they tell are wonderful - rugged men playing in football's infancy, helping to build the league that we know today through their legendary work.Many of the players included in the book are enshrined in the Hall of Fame, so these guys had the opportunity to be around a long time and see a lot of changes going on.It's a fascinating book about the birth and growth of the league, told by the guys who were there to help it grow - I highly recommend reading this book.

A GOOD READ ABOUT EARLY NFL
THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT NFL STARS THAT PLAYED IN THE 1920'S THRU THE 1940'S. SUCH STARS AS RED GRANGE, SAMMY BAUGH, DON HUTSON, AND SID LUCKAMN ARE FEATURED. THEIR STORIES AND INSIGHTS ARE VERY INTERSTING AND ENTERTAINING. I BELIEVE THE AUTHOR RICHARD WHITTINGHAM, DID A GREAT JOB. THIS WAS AN ERA WHEN MEN WERE MEN, THEY PLAYED THE ENTIRE GAME. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED HOWTHE GAME WAS PLAYED BACK THEN OR ARE A REAL HISTORIAN OF PRO FOOTBALL THIS IS A GREAT READ FOR YOU. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.

Sport stories that are unknown and insightful
Stories about great athletes that were famous and not so famous.Each of the chapters talks about an athlete that contributed to the sport in very unique ways.After reading it, I wanted to know more about some of thecharacters that were great athletes and times very humorous.It's a book Iwill re-read and recommend highly. ... Read more

Product Description
The culmination of 75 years of East Carolina football is now in your grasp! Within lies a treasure trove of many heroes. Led by coaching greats Randle and Dye, legends such as Kepley and Green thrilled Pirate fans during the glory days of yesteryear. Afterwards, Coach Emory came along to lead the Pirates to a top twenty ranking in 1983. Coach Lewis then took the Pirates to unprecedented heights. The names of Blake, Jones, and the rest shall be long remembered for their epic victory against the Wolfpack at the Peach Bowl in 1991. Coach Logan next took the helm to become the most successful coach to date. David Garrard headed a list of Pirate greats who helped earn ECU the title "The Best Team in the Carolinas" by the end of the century. This tradition presently lives on under Coach Skip Holtz. Names change with the seasons but Purple Passion lives forever in Pirate Country. While just a game at other places, football is king at ECU. It is a place rich in heroes and heritage. But the rise of football from obscurity to grandeur only gained full measure in the last forty years. Here lies the tales of how it was done. Set sail on this odyssey to a place called Pirate County, where it's a First Down Pirates, and football is lived and loved 365 days a year. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

love it
great book, got it quick.bought two and considering a third.great gift for any pirate fan! ... Read more

Product Description
In recent years the University of Southern California football team has set records, enjoyed winning streaks, won national championships, and produced Heisman Trophy winners at a dizzying pace. For USC fans, it has been a wonderful return to the school's longtime glory.
To help fans appreciate the story and its significance, Steve Bisheff and Loel Schrader, who between themselves have a combined eighty years of covering USC football, have written Fight On! The Colorful Story of USC Football. Here is the definitive story of how the Trojans once dominated college football and are doing so once again. Here also are the glittering history, rich tradition, and remarkable athletes who have marked the USC football program throughout the years.
Coaching legends like Howard Jones, who produced "The Thundering Herd," and John McKay, whose innovations changed the face of college football and introduced us to a long line of Heisman Trophy-winning tailbacks, are examined in depth. The real stories behind the great USC-Notre Dame intersectional rivalry and the number-one crosstown rivalry in the sport, USC vs. UCLA, are told alongside stories of Hollywood's amazing involvement with the program.
All of USC's seven Heisman Trophy winners are profiled, from Mike Garrett to Reggie Bush, providing readers with rare insights into these special players. And the story of how Pete Carroll turned the Trojans into a full-fledged collegiate dynastybegins with him as a teenager growing up in northern California to his present status as the most successful college coach in America.
Also listed are the ten best games and the fifty greatest players in USC history, providing every Trojan fan with something to argue about. Clearly, Fight On! is the definitive book on USC football. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Fight On
This is the book you're looking for if you want to learn about the history and the development of USC's football program. Great read.

TWO OF THE GREATEST USC HISTORIANS
Steve Bisheff and Loel Schrader are two great USC historians. Schrader in particular is a man whose kind words, generosity of spirit, and willingness to pass on knowledge of the Trojans is truly impressive. Unquestionably, to truly understand USC football over the past 30 years one is at a great advantage if he was personally on hand to observe every play, interview each superstar face-to-face, and literally witness the events with his own eyes. Bisheff and Schrader have! This great book is a compilation of all that first-hand knowledge, and I cannot say enough fabulous things about it. I highly recommend this work to any Trojan or college football fan. It is indispensable. Bravo!!

"Fight On!" college football at it's best!!
Conquest,traveler,the thundering herd,student body left,student body right,the rose bowl,"Fight On!" depicts the history and tradition of USC football from the early Howard Jones years to the Pete Carrol era through the guys who covered it and the players who lived it.It shows you USC football's golden era of the 1930s to its low point of the late 90s,and to its resurgences as college footballs dominant dynasties of today's era.Not just as a USC fan,but as college fan period,"Fight On!" is a great book and shows you what college football is truly about on and off the field.

Fantastic Gift
This is a great book by an even greater author Steve Bisheff.I have purchased and enjoyed all his sports books.I'm not a USC fan, but it made a great gift for all my friends that are.

Fight On!!The Colorful Story of USC Football
Good book that captures the Trojan football history.The author has covered Trojan football for newspapers for years. I have always enjoyed his newspaper articles.The book captures a lot of those stories and USC history.
USC is a very interesting football program for many years. They have had many ups and downs over the years and the author does a good job telling the stories.It is always understood that once a Trojan you are a Trojan for life.It is a great University that shines in many thing besides football.Book is a good read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A powerful guide for any football reference collection
The Diehard Fan's Guide to Buckeye Football comes from a journalist who explores over a hundred years of Buckeye football, covering national championships and Heisman Trophy winners alike. Here's a history of the greatest games and players packed with lists of top players by decade, tributes to favorite memories, and more. A powerful guide for any football reference collection.

Brian Raike
This book is wonderful account of the storied history of Ohio State University football. This is a must have book for all Ohio State students, alumni, and fans. You will not be dissapointed.

A must read for Buckeye fans
This book is an informative history of Ohio State football and I can tell it was written from the heart of the author. You will learn things about the Buckeyes you never knew plus read some personal stories from authentic die hard Buckeye fans.

For Ohio State fans trying to decide between the many Ohio State football books out there which Buckeye football book to purchase, if it only comes down to one, I highly recommend Mark Rea's book.You won't be disappointed at all.Mark is a gifted sports writer who is obviously a die-hard Buckeye fan himself. ... Read more

Product Description
In this stunning work of narrative nonfiction, Lars Anderson recounts one of college football’s greatest contests: Carlisle vs. Army, the fateful 1912 gridiron clash that had far-reaching implications both real and symbolic.

The story centers on three men: Glenn “Pop” Warner, who came to the Carlisle Indian School in 1903 and saw beyond its assimilationist agenda, molding the Carlisle Indians into a football juggernaut and smashing prejudices along the way; Jim Thorpe, who arrived at Carlisle as a troubled teenager–only to become one of America’s finest athletes, dazzling his opponents and gaining fans across the nation; and a hardnosed Kansan back named Dwight Eisenhower, who knew that by stopping Carlisle’s amazing winning streak, he could lead the Cadets of Army to glory. But beyond recounting the tale of this momentous match, Lars Anderson reveals its broader social and historical context, offering unique perspectives on sports and culture at the dawn of the twentieth century.

Filled with colorful period detail, Carlisle vs. Army gives a thrilling, authoritative account of the events of an epic afternoon whose reverberations would be felt for generations.

Praise for Carslisle vs. Army:

“Richly detailed and gracefully written . . . In an often overlooked football era, Anderson found a true Game of the Century.”
–Sports Illustrated

“[A] remarkable story . . . Carlisle vs. Army is about football the way that The Natural is about baseball.”
–Jeremy Schaap, author of Cinderella Man

“A great sports story, told with propulsive narrative drive . . . Anderson allows himself to get inside the heads of his characters, but as in the best sports-centered nonfiction (Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit and Frost’s Greatest Game Ever Played, for example), the technique is based on solid research.”
–Booklist (starred review)

“A masterly tale of the gridiron.”
–Neal Bascomb, author of Red Mutiny

“A magnificent story that’s as rich in American history as it is in sporting lore. Carlisle vs. Army is a dramatic and moving book, told with an unrelenting grace.”
–Adrian Wojnarowski, author of The Miracle of St. Anthony

“Gripping, inspiring coverage of three powerful forces’ unforgettable convergence: the sports version of The Perfect Storm.”
–Kirkus Reviews ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Great imagination, intriguing plotline, needs fact checker
I accept that this book is not a work of history, and I enjoyed the imagination the author displayed in exploring the motivations and inner thoughts of the characters, but some of the glaring errors of fact made it a less enjoyable read than it might have been.The issue of the single and double wing have been explored in other reviews, but the assertion that the Carlisle trip to Toronto was a promoter's dream because it was the first ever football game that featured one team from Canada and one from the United States ignores one of the most famous and important set of games in the evolution of football in America - the Harvard vs McGill series in 1874.Also missing from this book is any mention of the fact that Carlisle and Army had played each other before - Carlisle beat Army in 1905.The famous saying is "don't let facts get in the way of the a good story" and the author certainly took heed of that maxim.So it was an entertaining read, but I don't trust that I learned the truth of the matter from this book.

excellent specific information !
enjoyed the specificity of the information and how it relates to the game at that stage in development.....

Forgotten Stories
I am 53 years old, Dwight Eisenhower was president when I was born, I had heard of Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner and have lived less then 45 minutes away from the Carlisle Indian School all my life and have never heard this story. I am not a football fan but this recounting kept me turning the pages."History must be active, never passive" said Emerson, and Lars Anderson made a lot of unknown local history jump to life for me. Lots of great research from Cumberland County Historical Society in Carlisle, PA

Poor Research
Don't be fooled by the media blitz behind this book.It and its companion book by Sally Jenkins ("the Real All Americans") is filled with serious errors and is the product of poor, second hand, research.The "Long Knives" metaphor around which this book is built is just plain false.Jenkins picked that up from Babe Weyand's first book.He, in turnpicked it up from none other than the less than believable 1940-50's sportscaster Bill Stern who included it in a 1948 ghost written book for juvenile readers without single authoritative source behind it.In a lengthy series of correspondence and ghost written articles Warner never mentions the Long Knives pep talk once.Nor do authoritative and contemporaneous (with Warner) football historians such as Allison Danzig and Tim Cohane.As to the double wing, Warner's correspondence, newspaper articles and interviews reveal that the Warner was using the single wing in 1906 and the double wing in 1910.Even Army in this game used the single wing as were many other teams in the Country.The Indians didn't consider Army very important.The "Big Four" (Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale) were far more important to Carlisle and Warner than Army.As to Ike.He was a bit player on a terrible "D" who was knocked out of the game when, comic book like, he and his teammate Charley Benedict collided headon in a missed attempt to "high low" Thorpe in the 3d quarter.If the "Long Knives" metaphor can be distilled into one game it is the 1905 game between Carlisle and the Cadets at West Point - seven years closer to Wounded Knee - and a game far more important on the national stage than the 1912 game.It took a special act of the War Department to be played at all.Neither Anerson or Jenkins even mention it.The Indians won that game too.Want more?See my "There Were No Oysters - The Truth About the 1912 Army vs. Carlisle Game" which I wrote earlier this year in response to Jenkins' and Lars Anderson's companion book about the 1912 game.

Poor Research
Don't be fooled by the media blitz behind this book and Sally Jenkins compainion Book ("The Real All Americans").These books are filled with serious errors and is the product of poor, second hand, research.The "Long Knives" metaphor around which this book is built is just plain false.Jenkins picked that up from Babe Weyand's first book.He, in turnpicked it up from none other than the less than believable 1940-50's sportscaster Bill Stern who included it in a 1948 ghost written book for juvenile readers without single authoritative source behind it.In a lengthy series of correspondence and ghost written articles Warner never mentions the Long Knives pep talk once.Nor do authoritative and contemporaneous (with Warner) football historians such as Allison Danzig and Tim Cohane.As to the double wing, Warner's correspondence, newspaper articles and interviews reveal that the Warner was using the single wing in 1906 and the double wing in 1910.Even Army in this game used the single wing as were many other teams in the Country.The Indians didn't consider Army very important.The "Big Four" (Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale) were far more important to Carlisle and Warner than Army.As to Ike.He was a bit player on a terrible "D" who was knocked out of the game when, comic book like, he and his teammate Charley Benedict collided headon in a missed attempt to "high low" Thorpe in the 3d quarter.If the "Long Knives" metaphor can be distilled into one game it is the 1905 game between Carlisle and the Cadets at West Point - seven years closer to Wounded Knee - and a game far more important on the national stage than the 1912 game.It took a special act of the War Department to be played at all.Neither Anderson or Jenkins even mention it.The Indians won that game too.Want more?See my "There Were No Oysters - The Truth About the 1912 Army vs. Carlisle Game" which I wrote earlier this year in response to Anderson's and Jenkins' companion book about the 1912 game.
... Read more

Product Description
In this lively history of Southern California football, Steven Travers makes the case that under coach Pete Carroll (54-10), the Trojans have overtaken Notre Dame as the greatest ever collegiate tradition. USC has produced legendary gridiron coaches and stars. They have tied Notre Dame for the most national championships (11) and Heisman Trophy winners (seven); have the best bowl record, the most Rose Bowl victories, the most All-Americans, the most pro players, the most first round draft picks, the most number one draft picks, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

The ALL-TIME TOP TEN
While Mr. Travers makes some good points, the premise of the book is wrong. USC is not the all-time #1 team in college football. To the extent that there could ever really be anything such as an all-time top ten, here's my admittedly subjective try, subjective because I abjure any effort to use any complicated mathematical system in rating the all-time programs. You only need think of the BCS annual rating system to see how far wrong mathematical point formulae can go in rating teams. My criteria are at the bottom of the list.

1) MICHIGAN (1st all-time wins, 1st in winning percentage)
2) ND (3rd all-time wins, 2nd winning percentage, which percentage, like Michigan's, is still signicantly higher than the eight teams under them)
3) TEXAS (2nd all-time wins, 3rd all-time winning percentage)
4) USC (10th all-time wins, 7th all-time winning percentage, but ranked this high because of head-to-head advantage over virtually all the top ten here except ND. However, ND still has a significant lead in the historical head-to-head annual rivalry match)
5) OKLAHOMA (8th all-time wins, 4th all-time winning percentage, but is historically dominated by Texas in their total annual rivalry comparison)
6) ALABAMA (7th all-time wins, 6th all-time winning percentage; the historical dominator of history's premier conference)
7) OHIO STATE (5th all-time wins, 5th all-time winning percentage; however, is not even first in its own conference, but is historical loser to Michigan in their head-to-head series)
8) NEBRASKA (4th all-time wins, 9th all-time winning percentage, but is dominated by Oklahoma in their long, head-to-head rivalry)
9) PENN STATE (6th all-time wins, 11th all-time winning percentage)
10) TENNESSEE (9th all-time wins, 10th all-time winning percentage)

Obviously, I've put greatest significance on all-time victories and all-time winning percentage. These figures are current through the 2008 football season and BCS series into early 2009. I've also taken head-to-head rivalry into account when it applies, as it is a good indicator of relative strength. I've ignored national championship titles because they are strictly mythical and essentially meaningless: just witness this year's travesty - Texas, USC, and Utah could all reasonably lay claim to the national championship and have at least as good a case as Florida. In fact, I think the BCS should have matched USC and Texas, which would have been as good a draw as Florida-Oklahoma. Perhaps the BCS folks didn't want that match for that very reason, and because the competing AP poll might have voted the winner of that game as its National Champ.

RIGHT ON FOR OL' SC!!
For years I have harbored the notion that my alma mater, USC, was the greatest college football tradition ever. As Notre Dame descended to an all-time NCAA record for most consecutive bowl defeats, while USC has the best bowl record of any school, this notion gained credence in my mind. Then I read Steven Travers's absolutely fabulous, insanely great, simply marvelous book THE USC TROJANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S ALL-TIME GREATEST DYNASTY. There it was! In black and white; facts, figures, painstaking research going back to the 19th century, all combined with writing ability that can only be described as masterful storytelling. Travers has simply used facts and logic to eloquently cinch the case that USC is the greatest collegiate program ever; better than the Irish, Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska or ANYBODY ELSE!! He points out that while USC and Notre Dame each have 11 legitimate national titles, USC has many more in the modern era while the majority of Irish championships came in the leather helmet era. Same with Heismans; USC's are all fairly recent while Notre Dame's came during a time of segregation, ancient history. Also, all of the Trojan titles came in years they won the Rose Bowl or the BCS, while seven of Notre Dame's came in years they did not play a bowl game. More? Several Alabama titles are deligitimized by bowl losses, they have no Heismans, and their All-American/pro player count pales next to USC. In years in which Oklahoma won both the AP and the UPI title in a single season, their press guide tries to count that as TWO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. Ohio State wants you to think they were the 1961 national champs because the TOUCHDOWN CLUB OF COLUMBUS, OHIO says they were!! The author points out that while there were 17 years in which SOMEBODY named USC number one, the Trojans themselves only count their 11 legit titles accorded by history. Travers uncovers the malarkey of other programs for 300 awesome pages and I love it.

This is Correct!
Trojans rule, and there is no other book that tells it like it is.All USC fans need this one.

Not worth it
I am a huge USC fan and alum and was excited to read this book.However, I was very disappointed in it.It does have some interesting information, but it feels like it was poorly written (and edited).The narrative seems jumpy, name references sometimes only include last names (when the first name hasn't been mentioned since previous chapters), and small spelling and grammar errors (including spelling Bronko Nagurski's name "Bronco").I know that might seem picky, but it adds up.I also did not like the author infusing his own politics in the book.It is supposed to be a book about USC football.Instead, he takes jabs at Michael Moore and the "liberals" of Cal and Stanford, references that the Democrats of the mid 1900s were against integration (even though it was the Dixiecrat part of the party, who transitioned into Republicans, including future Republican senator Strom Thurmond, due to the Democrat party supporting integration) and hypes Lynn Swann as a Republican candidate for governor of Pennsylvania.These themes repeat themselves throughout the book and are not needed.Of course there are some moments that do need to be discussed in regards to changing the world, like the game against Alabama in 1970.

Instead of reading this book, pick up "Fight On!The Colorful Story of USC Football" and "The History of USC Football" DVD set.They keep it to USC football and leave the political opinions on the sideline.

A Big Disappointment
I'm a huge USC football fan but I couldn't get past the introduction.It was about four pages in when Mr. Travers had to refer to "anti-American filmmaker Michael Moore".All I could think was "what a jackass".

Mr. Travers is welcome to his politics, but his assumption that all football fans share the same political point of view is just stupid.It's the mark of a bad writer.I put the book down and may never go back to it. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first book in English to examine the unique role football plays in French society. What is so French about French football, and what does football tell us about France? Have French football's club chairmen sold out to television, and how are top clubs being re-branded to attract an international audience?

The author traces the development of French football values throughout the twentieth century, and concludes with a discussion of the fallout from the World Cup 2002. Hare also looks at players' racist attitudes, and considers how the national football team reflects the multi-cultural population of France.

The result is a fascinating cultural, economic, and political history of French football. It is also an engrossing account of how the global marketplace is reshaping national identity and community values. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

A must for any Cowboys fan
I've been a Cowboys fan my entire life, which covers most of the team's 50 years. My bookshelves are full of Cowboys books. I'm gladly making room to show off this one. The pictures are great, the writing is great and I love the layout. The book does a great job of blending story and history. I know there are other anniversary books out this fall, but I compared them side by side at the store and this was the clear winner.

Glossy masterpiece sets the bar high
[Sep 4, 2010 update: my original review and the the errors noted below were based on a copy of the first printing; I understand the book is entering a second printing and that the errors will be corrected]

Dallas Cowboys: The Complete Illustrated History

Review: "Dallas Cowboys: The Complete Illustrated History", by Jaime Aron

Aron, Jaime.Dallas Cowboys: The Complete Illustrated History.Minneapolis, MN: MVP Books.2010 192p, illus. 30.00 (list) ISBN 978-0-7603-3520-8

When I got my copy in the mail (July 22), my initial reaction was "Wow".Beginning with the frontispiece photograph (Landry statue under Texas flag) to the flysheet illustration (Aikman dropping back to pass), the beautiful photographs are a mere prelude to the superb materials that follow.

The author chooses an interesting format for organizing his material: he breaks down the history of the team into eras by quarterback.I don't think I've ever seen a team history organized this way, but it makes sense because, as Aron explains, most fans tend to think of the Cowboys' history in terms of the starting quarterback(s) at the time.The author identifies the following eras:

Eddie LeBaron (1960-63)
Don Meredith (1964-68)
Roger Staubach I (1969-74)
Roger Staubach II (1975-79)
Danny White (1980-85)
Steve Pelluer (1986-88)
Troy Aikman I (1989-95)
Troy Aikman II (1996-00)
Looking for a successor (2001-05)
Tony Romo (2006-09)

In each era, Aron provides a summary of the highs and lows of each season.Sprinkled throughout are color-coded features (yellow: Legends; green: Games to Remember; blue: Polishing the Star; gold: Rivalries; and gray: You Make the Call).The 37 "Legends" features 33 players, two owners, two coaches and one GM (I know that totals 38, but Cliff and Charlie are combined in a single feature).Omitted are some pretty famous names: Calvin Hill, Duane Thomas, Chuck Howley, Billy Joe DuPree, Tony Hill, Deion Sanders, Ralph Neely, Cornell Green, Larry Allen, just to name a few -- but you can't include them all, and I cannot fault Aron's choices.

The eleven "Games to Remember" include all the Super Bowls, the Ice Bowl, the "Hail Mary" game, and Roger's last regular season game (the thrilling come-from-behind 35-34 victory over the Redskins in the '79 season finale).Again, I can't quibble with the games he included and while you can't include them all, I was surprised the '72 playoff against the `Niners and "The Catch" were omitted.Other possible "Games to Remember" that didn't make the cut include: the '94 NFC Championship Game loss to the `Niners; the '66 NFL Championship game loss to the Packers; and Romo's miraculous comeback against the Bills in '07.

The fourteen "Polishing the Star" features cover miscellaneous historical items that aren't players or games, e.g., the story of the Cowboys' name and logo, and an overview of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.Again, some noteworthy items were not included: the trade for the rights to Tony Dorsett, or the Walker trade that allowed the JJs to draft the players that made the `90s dynasty possible (in fairness, both trades are discussed in the narrative).

The obvious rivalries are included: Redskins, Eagles & Giants, but historical rivalries with the Steelers and Packers, while discussed in the text were not included as features.The most interesting features are the four "You Make the Call" questions; e.g., who was really the Team of the 70s?Is there an anti-Cowboys bias at the HOF?This "interactive" feature will certainly lead to many discussions and debates.

While I may have included different players or events, page limits being what they are, Aron had to make some tough choices so I won't fault him for that.The book was well researched, but a few glitches managed to slip by the editors: Tex Schramm was an "owner" (p77)?In fact Schramm eventually obtained a minority stake in the team, but the typo is an obvious reference to Schramm-the-GM; p104: the caption refers to the Rams but the photo is actually of the Cardinals; p108: the reference to "East Commerce State" should "East Texas State" (now Texas A&M-Commerce), Harvey Martin's alma mater; p122: Aron says Tom Landry enlisted in the Army Air Corps out of high school but he actually spent a semester at the University of Texas before flying B-17s in World War II; on p160, Aron writes that Bill Parcells is the only head coach in Cowboys history with prior NFL experience, but of course, Tom Landry, Chan Gailey, Dave Campo and current HC Wade Phillips all served as assistant coaches in the NFL before they took over as HC for the Cowboys.Aron meant that Parcells was the only Cowboys HC to have previous NFL experience as a head coach; on page 172, he writes that the '07 Cowboys lost to the undefeated Patriots on the road but of course that game was at Texas Stadium.

More important than those relatively minor errors, I got the sense for most of the book that Aron relied exclusively on secondary sources for his material, rather than interviews.I could be mistaken, but the tone and tempo of the narrative picks up noticeably around the 1999-2000 timeframe, which happens to be when Aron began covering the Cowboys for the Associated Press.

Those minor issues aside, this handsome volume very much deserves a place on the bookshelf of every Cowboys fan.Since 2010 is the 50th anniversary year of the Cowboys, we can expect a bumper crop of books about the team (over 20 by my count, including juvenile books).Aron's is the first of at least five "coffee-table" illustrated histories of the team to hit the market.He does a great job setting the bar.

© Copyright Fred Goodwin, July 26, 2010
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