Product Description
Introduces the sport of football and provides information on how to prevent and treat the most common football injuries. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Best sports book for toddlers!
Great pictures, easy to understand...brought it to the football game and our 2.5 year old loved it!

TOUCHDOWN -FOOTBALL BOOK
TOUCHDOWN
MY FOOTBALL BOOK
Wonderful book.Excellent for beginning reader or sports loving child.
My grandson rec'd. this for his fifth birthday.
LOVES THE BOOK.Takes it back and forth sometimes to read/share with others.
Excellent to stimulate love of reading.

Perfect Books for Little Sports Fan
I ordered this book, along with the baseball and basketball books by the same author, for my 3-and-a-half-year-old son for Christmas.He REALLY enjoys them, and wants to read them all the time, bring them on car rides, etc.He's even been setting up his own "games" in his bedroom since reading these books.It's really enhanced his "understanding" of the games, as well as his imaginative play.If your little guy or girl is showing an interest in sports (or if it's part of the family - my husband and I coach) I recommend these books without hesitation.(Do note, these aren't story books, more words-pictures-understanding books.)

football made easy
My 6 month old received this book as a gift and he loves it- still does at 18 months.He wants to read it over and over and over and every time we get to 'Rush' part he throws his hands in the air in preparation for the next page 'Touchdown!'

football book for toddler
Football for little ones.Hard pages are colorful with simple wording.Great intro to football for your little lineman. ... 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
Improve your college football gambling success this season and every year to come by reading this book from a statistical expert. The author explains college football handicapping methods in an easy-to-understand format. You will learn: (1) how easy it is to identify statistical mismatches that lead to high-percentage pointspread winners, (2) why to focus on the college game rather than the pros, (3) what types of bets to make and what types to avoid, (4) how the author views money management and betting units, and (5) the reasoning behind each of the author's picks in the 2005-2006 college football season, when his record was 40-20, along with the outcome. The author provides his college football picks in his blog to prove his methods can be applied to any season (click "Bill Bravenec" at the top of this page). How many other college football handicapping book authors provide free college football picks to their readers? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

very satisfied
This book provides some basic concepts that the author expands upon for each of the 60 picks.Each pick is discussed alongside a statistical chart for both teams so that the reader can see which statistics were used to make the pick.The focus is on defense and rushing and the examples provided have helped me improve my winning percentage from 50 to 55%.I especially appreciate the author posting his picks on his website, it gives him a sense of legitimacy and it shows he stands behind the methods of his book.

Mark Degge

Don't waste your time or money.....
This book offers up some basic theories that are obvious to all semi-experienced football bettors.Over the years I have read quite a few handicapping books, and this was probably the least beneficial.I would recommend this book to a beginner, but not to someone who already knows how to read a boxscore.

Boring and obvious
Not happy I wasted my money on this book. Everything he talked about is obvious. It's basically a book for someone brand new to betting on football. No advanced stuff. This book should be called Betting On Football For Dummies.

The College Football Handicapper:How to Beat the Spread in College Football
Overall I think it's a great book.It teaches you the basics and how to identify which games to bet on.My only problem is the author didn't follow his own advice sometimes.

Very Solid Read
The author gives a very basic and easy to follow book. I consider myself an intermediate capper, but I am always willing to look at things from different angles. What the author does here is bring it back to the basics.

Beginners to the game will find this very beneficial. The concepts shown are quite simple and easy to follow. He lists every bet he made and why he made them.

The author though does give himself a bit too much credit when things go his way. He needs to understand the concept of variance (which, looking at his website, hit him hard last year).

Recommended for people looking to start out, or would like some pointers on the basics. ... Read more

Product Description
Improve performance in any sport with Russia’s most guarded training secret

For elite sports training, nothing compares to the impact that kettlebells have on the entire body, and author and trainer Dave Bellomo now brings the power and benefit of these Russian-inspired weights to any athlete.

Working the entire body at different angles, this popular training program provides you with rapid gains in strength, speed, and endurance—all requirements for proficiency in any sport. This powerhouse program also gives you customization tools for setting personal goals and tailored eight-week workouts to answer the needs of your specific sport.

Kettlebell Power Training for Athletes:

• Presents more than eighty illustrated exercises for quicker learning on how to train with the weights
• Helps you gradually build a training foundation for a healthier lifestyle
• Includes sport- and goal-specific programs so you can go directly to that section of the book for your needs
• Features photographs from award-winning photographer Bruce Curtis

Whether you are training for the gridiron, the Octagon, or the Pentagon, these simple tools will help you produce the most extraordinary results you have ever seen.

Author Profile
Dave Bellomo (Williamsport, PA) consults high-level athletes such as Mixed Martial Artists and World's Strongest Man competitors as well as elite military and law enforcement professionals such as members of Homeland Security and US Special Operations. He designed kettlebells that appeared in the major motion picture, Never Back Down. He currently resides in Pennsylvania with his wife and 5 children, and can be found online at www.davebellomo.com. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Poorly written and poor illustrations
A poorly written book with a limited amount of pictures to correctly illustrate the proper way to use the kettle bell. There are many others books on the market which would better serve the purpose for learning how to do a great kettle bell workout. This book had too much repitition and was not well written. Don't waste your money

New to Kettlebells
I'm a weightlifter looking to incorporate something different to change up the routine. This book is the perfect solution for someone looking to learn the proper techinques to get into kettlebell training. I also liked the fact there were different routines illustrated for whatever sport you are training for. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to take their strength training to the next level. Bellomo does a great job using his personal experience in Kettlebell training to set you in the right direction. Enjoyed it!

The best kettlebell book.
If you are looking for a great book showing you how to use kettlebells for a variety of different sports,this is it. This is the best book of its kind I have ever found.

Kettlebells made easy
The detailed exercise descriptions and specialized combinations of routines (circuits) take all the guesswork out of making kettlebells an effective part of your training routine.The workouts are designed to combine cardio and strength training into a single session and the order of the exercises in the various circuits maximize the workout to ensure you are getting the most out of the session.I like to create a month of workouts from the book and copy the circuits from the book onto a notepad I can take to the gym, working well.Great book!

A biased review
As my title indicates, I may be a bit biased in my review of this book. Here is the reason: I personally had a chance to train with Dave. Try as I may, it is difficult to separate this fact from my review of this book. In December of 2004, I had ACL replacement surgery. I credit Dave with helping me recover as quickly and to the extent that I did. Within 4 months I was ready for golf. Okay, laugh if you will, but golf requires a range of motion, balance and a strength to be able to rotate through the golf swing. Believe me, this was not a simple task on a gimpy knee. Dave helped me gain the strength and stamina I needed to be able to get back the necessary muscle for my golf swing. And he did this in the time frame that I wanted to. And as for skiing, another passion of mine, I was back to skiing the next season. And, with more endurance and strength than before my surgery! Kettlebells, once I was recovered from the impact of the surgery, became a regular part of my routine with Dave. He was constantly mixing it up on me, but I always looked forward to the training with kettlebells. The range of motion, the strength necessary, and the cardio impact from a session of kettlebells is an all-around workout. Most of you will not be able to train personally with Dave. But this book is the next best thing. The many photos and the descriptive narrative is the alternative to being able to work out out with Dave. As I read the varieties of workouts in the book, they reminded me of the personal sessions that I had with him. So if you can't work out with him personally, get this book, get some kettlebells and start the routines. You won't be disappointed. ... Read more

Product Description
Cap Wadell loves football, but it seems unlikely that he'll ever get to play on a real team-his hometown is so small that there aren't enough boys in his school to fill a regulation squad. Then his grandfather tells him how he solved that same problem years before: He and his schoolmates started a six-man football league. If Cap wants to do the same thing, Grandpa will be happy to help. He'll even coach the team if the league gets off the ground. It does, and soon Cap and his friends are learning the rules of six-man football. Cap is in competition for the starting quarterback spot with Jimmy Cash, but that's not a problem. What is a problem is that Grandpa and Jimmy's grandfather have reignited an old football feud. When their rivalry starts to affect the team, Cap wonders if the team will survive. For a complete list of all of Matt Christopher's titles, please turn to the last pages of this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

It was a very good book
The book that I read was very good it is about a kid by the name of cap wadell who love to play to play football and cap is in a little competition with jimmy cash for starting quarterback. but the real problemis ggranpa and jimmys grandfatherhave reignited an old football feud. and it start to affect the team

Catch This Book
The book I'm reviewing is The Long Arm Quarterback by Matt Christopher. I give this book four stars because it is well-written and a fun book to read. This book is about how Cap's grandpa starts a six man football league with the surrounding towns. Cap's grandpa is the coach for Cap's town. When the first practice came, Cap's grandpa found out that one of his players was his rival's grandson. Jimmy's grandpa and Cap's grandpa played against each other in a six man league during high school. Later on, Cap's grandpa finds out that Jimmy is also a quarterback along with Cap. Read this book and find out who will start at quarterback and if Cap's grandpa and Jimmy's grandpa will become friends.

THe Long Arm Quarterback
The book The Long Arm Quarterback is a good book.In the book they start a six man football team.There team is pretty good but they are not the best team in the leage.There are three or more book on football that Matt Christopher has writen.I would like to read more books on football that Matt Christopher has writen.

THe Long Arm Quarterback
The book The Long Arm Quarterback is a good book.In the book they start a six man football team.There team is pretty good but they are not the best team in the leage.There are three or more book on football that Matt Christopher has writen.I would like to read more books on football that Matt Christopher has writen.

The Long Arm Quarterback
I like football so this book was good to read.This book is very exciting.I would like to read more books like this one.I think there are lots of other book that are about football that Matt Christopher wrote. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Nostalgic
I laughed, I cried (well, almost).This book brought back memories ofsome of the greatest football games with fantastic photos and crisp text. Great holiday gift for a favorite fanatic. ... Read more

Product Description
Assigned to play tackle instead of quarterback because of his size, Boots Raymond rebels and almost quits the team. Black-and-white illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

A Book Review
Tough to Tackle by Matt Christopher is a story about Boots Raymond, a right tackle who wants to be quarterback for the Apollos, but can't because he's over the weight limit.Boots' coach,Coach Higgins, put Boots' friend, Bud Davis, at quarterback, Boots get put on the line.Boots finds out that the line is actually fun.

The story begins on a windy day in September, with Boots Raymond on his front porch.Boots' friend, Bud Davis, is saying, "Are you coming?" Boots smiled, and darted down the steps of his front porch.

My favorite part of the book was when Boots jolted through through the offensive line.He sacked the quarterback, and the ball came loose.When he picked it up, he started to run.A halfback came up and Boots stiff armed him.Boots kept running and scored a touchdown.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes football.It's a great book because it's exciting and shows you how to like football.Ten to eleven is a good age for this book.This book is not to difficult to read.

Boys book
Bought this for my godson to encourage him to read.He loves sports, and thankfully- he loved this book!Now he searches for more at the libray.Misson accomplished!

This a book scored a touchdown. By BC from North Boulevard
Tough to Tackle




The book I am reviewing is Tough to Tackle, it is written by Matt Christopher. I think this book deserves four stars because it doesn't give enough details, but it was very descriptive book. This book is about Boots Raymond wants to play quarterback for the Apollos more than anything in the world. The problem is that because of his size, the coach tells him to play on the line. Boots hates playing tackle and almost quits the team. Boots has a brother in war and knows a lot about being apart of a team. His brother tells him some important things in football and offensive lineman. In the book Fighting Tackle who is also by Matt Christopher, it is a really good book because they are both kids who don't get to play there positions that they really like in football.

Read This Book If You Like Football!!!
This is an excellent book to read. I loved this book!!! I suggest that kids who like football should read this book. Litearly,I read this book in 2 days.

g-daddy's review
i thought it was a pretty good book because i like football. but but i think there should of been some more action and a little bit longer.i like the fact that boots didnt get to play quarterback and instead he had to play linemen and he ended up likeing the position. but i didnt like it that just because he wasnt quarterback he was gonna quit and if your gonna play a sport and you dont get your position then just dont quit cuz you could be better at that position. ... Read more

Product Description

Roy Linden should be thrilled.His high school football team, the Johnstown Striking Cobras, just got a new quarterback, and that means a chance at a winning season. . . And a college scholarship for Linden, the team's senior receiver.But then he stumbles onto a deadly secret in the small coal-mining town.Revealing this toxic threat may cost him his best friend and his football career.But remaining silent could cost much more.

Customer Reviews (1)

What Humor!
This book is about Roy Linden and Whalin' Waymen Whitley.This book has a lot of humor.Roy has trouble with stuttering and everyone makes fun of him.On a quest to figure out what is showing up in his grandmother'swater, he meets a man with the same problem of stuttering.He findshimself on the other side of being made fun of, with the man thinking thatRoy is making fun of him.Waymen just cracks up trying to explain that hisfriend isn't making fun of him and that Roy also has a problem withstuttering.On his way to finding out what is going on with the water inhis town, he makes a friend (Waymen) who accepts him as he is.And thisaids in helping him to speak without stuttering as much.He also helpsWaymen in learning to read.Great story with two friends helping eachother to overcome their problems. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
"Under the Tarnished Dome" is the bestselling book that rocked the Notre Dame football program. Don Yaeger and Douglas S. Looney investigate the contrast between the Notre Dame image--that of a place where wins on the field are no more important than the integrity off it--and the Notre Dame football program's reality, with trash talking, rampant steroid use, pregame fights, and academic misconduct. Part history and part investigative journalism--the authors interviewed 150 people for this book, including nearly 100 former Notre Dame football players--this is a stunning indictment of the school's administration and especially of present-day Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Under the Tarnished Dome
Having grown up in South Bend and attended high school dances at Stephen Center, a small dome facility at Notre Dame, during he 60's, I CAN say that walking across campus to these high school dances was creepy to say the least.Students as well as priests would ask us girls if we wanted to see their dorm rooms or other on-campus venues.Needless to say, we ran away from these corrupt characters.It simply left a bad picture of overall ethical behavior.We grew up Catholic and had always heard great things about Notre Dame, over and over.And although several of my relatives attended Notre Dame and/or St. Mary's, Notre Dame always from then on, meant, corruption, payoffs and even Mafia-supported.Then when I learned the relatives who attended N.D. were from Youngstown and the surrounding area, I put two and two together and realized that all this was quite possible.Now as an adult, I still hear payoffs behind announcer attitudes toward N.D. without anything good to say about the opposing teams.So when I saw this book at for sale I picked it up and enjoyed it immensely.Someday Notre Dame's corruption will all be uncovered just as other corruption is being uncovered in this the year 2010 and beyond.

in the tarnished book
I have lived close to Norte Dame the majority of my life.I have followed ND all of my life.So in the spirit of openness I tell you that,to guide you in my review.
I found the book to be crass, vindictive and well below what you would expect for professional sports writers.As other reviewers have pointed out, the majority of the books 'interviews' came from a few selected voices.Players who had been kicked off the team, kicked out of the school or just simply malcontents.It was death by hearsay.I am not going to say that lou is pure as the driven snow.I remeber well is grabbing of a plyers facemask during a game (after the player had committed a stupid personal foul), both my wife and I were surprised at lou's intense reaction.But the player also didn't committment another foul of the same nature.Much of the first part of the book is about lou's supposed intense and 'demeaning' behavior towards the players.That might be true, it might also be the fact that when you go to a divison 1 NCAA program with the pressure of a huge alumni base and the eyes of NFL scouts watching your every play that things might be a little different than if you are playing divison III ball at Manchester College.Turman said it best, "If can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen".IF YOU HATE NOTRE DAME YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK.IF YOU NOTRE DAME THE BOOK WILL TROUBLE YOU

Poor objectivity
First, it's important to note I am neither a Notre Dame fan nor a Notre Dame hater.I follow college football and picked up this book to enjoy a read of some of the behind the scenes of one of college football's more recent dynasties.However, I was extremely disappointed with the approach the authors used, especially Doug Looney, a veteran Sports Illustrated writer.

The actual writing itself was fine and easy enough to read, however the entire book consisted of little more than the character assassination of Lou Holtz with little to no actual basis for the vast majority of the claims.Although there are entire chapters devoted to attacking Holtz on injuries, steroids, academics, racism, etc., there is absolutely no evidence provided of any wrong doing other than hearsay.All too often the authors resort to simply saying "Holtz was the type of person who had to have total control, so how could he not know this and that was going on?"There is nothing in the entire book resembling anything convincing to a fair minded reader.

Also disappointing was the book's portrayal of Gerry Faust.Faust, not even the book's intended target for the mudslinging, comes across as a complete buffoon, although I am sure that is not the case.While he might have been in over his head as head coach at Notre Dame, if he was as incompetent as the book portrays him to be Notre Dame would surely have had five winless seasons under him.

Additionally, even if every word of the book were true, I still fail to see how Holtz is the monster they contend him to be.Perhaps the worst charge in terms of how he treated players is his spitting on one player.The book is written so unabashedly and unapologetically uneven against Holtz that I even question if the incident was portrayed truthfully or if the authors took advantage of the opportunity to sensationalize some inadvertent spatter from Holtz's famous lisp.Still, even if it were true, it pales in comparison to the description of Bear Bryant's treatment of Texas A&M players in Jim Dent's The Junction Boys and Holtz's callousness is no less than Bud Wilkinson's of his Oklahoma players in Dent's The Undefeated.

Perhaps the best evidence of the author's bias is shown when they describe the suspension of star players Tony Brooks and Ricky Watters for the 1988 USC game.Both were late for a team meeting and both were suspended the week of the game according to Holtz's rules.The book goes on seemingly forever about how Holtz should have just let them play since for the other players the game was a once in a lifetime chance; however if he had then surely the book would have gone the direction of criticizing Holtz for allowing an exception to the rules for star athletes.

All in all, I say skip the book since by the fourth or fifth chapter it is clear the authors have an agenda other than objective journalism and are not above making charges with little substance.View all the 1 and 2 star reviews here.They are all true.

Facts are stubborn things
It's interesting to watch ND fans tie themselves into knots over proof that they too have feet of clay. Actually, ND does quite well on graduation rates and other measures of the program beyond wins and losses. Where they shoot themselves in the foot is the perennial posturing that they somehow are a higher life form. ND does have a PR machine second to none. That said, they long ago started believing their own press clippings. The people who rated the book poorly have mentioned the people quoted rather than what they said, the M.O. of ideologues everywhere. When you don't like the message, attack the messenger. Perhaps if these "Domers" could accept a bit of constructive criticism, people would not regard them as so arrogant. I haven't seen refutation of Yaeger's facts. Until then, I consider this to be a great read. You're entitled to your own opinion, not your own facts.

Dan Quinn is their major source?
Dan Quinn is their major source for this fictional tale? Go to YouTub and type in Dan Quinn. Check him out and you'll see where this fictional tale came from.

The only people giving this book a positive review are either the "authors" family members of fans of other schools that just love to hate ND. ... Read more

Product Description
Explains how to play football including discussion of the basic rules, the various positions, special teams, and required equipment. ... Read more

Product Description
The definitive statistical and factual reference for everything related to college football in the past 50+ years.

The result of fifteen years of exhaustive research, The USA Today Encyclopedia of College Football is without question the most comprehensive resource on college football ever set to type. Authors Bob Boyles and Paul Guido love college football with a passion, and undertook to pore through more than 4,000 media guides, watch thousands of hours of game films, and read through just about every book ever published on the game to bring this massive reference to fruition.

In these pages you will find information unavailable in any other single publication:
• Recaps of more than 7,000 games.
• Detailed reviews of fifty-five college football seasons.
• Complete season-by-season lineups and records of seventy major programs.
• Personality profiles of some of the game's biggest stars and coaches.
• Season-by-season award winners, All-American teams, and NFL drafts. ... Read more

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!!!

Good supplement, but not complete.
This book basically stops at around 1953.It doesn't go back further, which is surprising since there's another 60 years of CFB that's not covered.This book goes into greater detail for each covered season than the ESPN encyclopedia, but the ESPN one has more raw data.

USA TODAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL ENCYLOPEDIA
Since I'm a huge fan of college football, this book is perfect for me.Comprehensive and enjoyable reading for the trivia nut. My only complaint is size of the book i which makes it somewhat cumbersome to read and store.
Would strongly recommend the book to any devotee of college ball for statistics on favorite college teams, games, and individual players (70 teams in all).I found it to be a real 'blast of the past'

A must-have for serious fans of college football
I'll never read this entire book but that's not the point.It is a definitive reference for the last 50+ years of college football. Although only the major (70 or so) programs are covered, I have discovered facts I never knew.It's also a great book if you just have 10-15 minutes to read as you can browse a season or a few key games & then just leave it.Additionally, it makes a wonderful gift for the younger fans who can find a storehouse of information on why some of the greatest rivalries exist.Thorough, yet concise; reverent, yet with nuggets of humor.I recommend it without reservation.

Excellent reference
For the college football fan, this is an excellent reference work.It covers the game for each year from 1953 with game recaps, poll standings, and conference standings.There is also a year by year lineups and records for 70 major colleges.I recommend it highly. ... Read more

Product Description
Some of the earliest college and professional sports gear is presented in an easy-to-find, chronological format and 600 beautiful color photos. Chosen from the best collections in America, these fantastic relics tell the true story of the sports developing over 100 years to their present passionate status among fans of all ages. See survivors of the earliest games, including a baseball jersey from the 1870s, a football from 1885, and a basketball rim from 1910. Together with many balls, gloves, shoes, safety equipment, pennants, trophies, and other equipment from many teams, this comprehensive record will fascinate fans of all sports categories and inspire today's designers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Unbeliveable book for sports enthusiasts!
If you are a baseball, basketball or football fan, particularly a history fan, this is the book for you. Great photos and interesting captions. I learned a lot about the evolution of equipment and tidbits the games themselves. Amazing photographs of equipment you would normally never see in person. ... Read more

Product Description
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Presents profiles and statistics of some of the best players in the National Football League. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Football Stars
My son loves to see and read about how football players do their thing, hoping he will be a star in the future.Interesting for my son to read and kept him reading more so than not.And will help him strive on and off the field. ... Read more

Product Description
Representing a pro football player whom his son admires brings a lawyer closer to his young son. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Weak moral to the story, no tense action in the games
Larry is the offensive center and middle linebacker of his youth football team. His father is a busy lawyer that has no time to come to his games and Larry feels bad about it. To compensate he began writing letters to Yancey Foote, a star professional football player. At first, Yancey answered his letters but after that there was no response of any kind. Larry is puzzled until he reads a sports magazine that describes an altercation between Yancey and another man that has led to criminal charges against Yancey. After the incident, Yancey disappeared and no one knows where he is.
An unknown man begins appearing at Larry's practices and he has his suspicions that it is Yancey. When those suspicions are confirmed, Larry asks his father if he will represent Yancey. His father agrees and Yancey also draws up some plays for Larry's team. Those plays work well and Larry's team begins to win. At the end, the big game is won and Yancey is acquitted of all charges. Larry and his father are able to regroup a bit as his father attends the big game and they can talk about Yancey and his problems.
Like the best books of adolescent sports fiction, this book has a moral, although in this case it is very weak. The idea that a major sports figure would run away and hide over an altercation is a difficult one to accept, now or at any other time. The most significant and believable moral is the one regarding Larry and his father and how his father finds it difficult to spend some quality time with Larry.

Football Fugitive
Matt Christopher was a semi professional player before he became a writer! He was very poor. He played baseball with a broomstick and an old tennis ball when he was a child. He made the bases with flat stones. Matt's full name was Matthew Frederick Christopher.
Matt wrote hundreds of books and my favorite book of all is Football Fugitive. It describes plays that they did in games. Larry is main character in the story. I am really in to this book because I play football too. Larry meets Yancey Foote who plays in the NFL. He plays on Packers. Yancey gets in trouble. Larry's dad is a lawyer who helps him.
Larry plays for the Digits a local team! He is star of his team. He has plays that are similar to my plays. This book is the best.

Why this book is good for you
This book is called Matt Christopher Football Fugitive by Matthew F. Christopher. It's about a boy how wants to be like his role model. It's also about a boy that needs self-confidence.In the beginning of the book he is upset at his role model Yancey Foote, because he doesn't write back. He is also upset at his dad, because is never spends time with him only in the office.

A goodbook about Football
This is a book about a guy that plays football for the PACKERS, and a kid that wants to be just like him.They both write each other letters back and forth, but the guy beats a person up that weighs a lot less thanhimand goes to court for it.At the end of the story they become BEST freinds, but they still write each other letters. They both have a good life after that.

Book Review
The reason I chose this book is because I like to play and watch football. I thought the book would be about a kid who did something wrong and gets in trouble for it or a suspect in a crime. The plot was a kid named Larry who gets these phone calls from someone and worries about it and doesn't want to tell his dad who just got out of jail. He doesn't do good in school and on the field.

The main character is Larry, a student and a football player. The setting is in a school and on a football field. The story begins when Larry's dad gets out of jail. Then he gets these phone calls from someone he really knows. Next, he gets a letter or note saying "You Stink" which means he stinks in football because he drops and fumbles a lot.

In conclusion the book was good and I gave it 3 stars. This book would be a good book for everybody. ... Read more

Product Description
The first title in the new, exciting, and completely original Sports by the Numbers series!

The University of Oklahoma Sooners Football program has produced seven national championship teams, four Heisman Trophy winners, and countless legendary coaches, players, and characters. This inaugural book in the new Sports by the Numbers franchise unlocks the captivating history of this football program by providing OU fans with Sooners history in a fresh, provocative, and unique numerical framework.

The format created by the authors distinguishes Sports by the Numbers from everything else available today. University of Oklahoma Football is composed of ten chapters, each offering one hundred numbered factual "mini-stories"--facts, anomalies, records, coincidences, and enthralling lore and trivia. Each chapter begins with an introduction that highlights the many exciting stories detailed in that chapter.

The Sports by the Numbers team has you covered, from "Personal Events" stories that include the following:

"101: US Army Airborne unit (101st) that OU All-American Bob Kalsu was assigned to during the Vietnam conflict. Kalsu was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1968 and played in the NFL for one year before being called to duty. On July 21, 1970, Kalsu was killed in action, making him the only active professional football player to be killed in Vietnam."

. . . to statistical entries like the following:

"846: Number of yards passing (846) by QB Beryl Clark during the 1939 season, his last at OU. Sixty-four years later, QB Jason White surpassed Clark's total by exactly 3,000 yards, finishing the 2003 season with 3,846 yards in the air."

Oklahoma fans will cheer as Sports by the Numbers dedicates pages to renowned names like Bob Stoops (current OU coach), Barry Switzer (legendary coach, 1973-1988), Bud Wilkinson (coach, 1947-1963), Billy Sims (Heisman Trophy winner), Steve Owens (running back), Jason White (Heisman Trophy winner), the defensive Selmon family trio of Lee Roy, Lucious, and Dewey, Billy Vessels (halfback), Brian Bosworth (linebacker), Josh Heupel (quarterback), and many, many more.

Sports by the Numbers books are not just for die-hard sports fans, but for every fan and sports history reader who loves sports and wants to know more about their heroes and favorite franchise. Sports by the Numbers books will quench any fan's thirst for entertainment and knowledge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Sports by the Numbers Series
There are three books in this series that I have read and I will highly recommend -- the current title you are looking at on the University of Oklahoma Football, but also UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA FOOTBALL: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports (Sports by the Numbers) and New York Yankees: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports (Sports by the Numbers).

You can read my in-depth review of the Yankees book on that page -- but suffice it to say the Georgia and OU books meet the challenge as well, and they came through very nicely as a great addition to the collection for any fan of either school. I give specific reasons in my NYY review, so you might want to check it out and see to what I am referring to.

The short version is, in this OU book, as in the Georgia and NYY book, you are getting great stories that make up the franchise history, and you get them in a fun, short, easy to read and understand, yet compelling fashion.

I bought five copies of the NYY book for gifts -- and would have done the same for OU and Georgia except that would create grief in my family (being ACC folks, they're just jealous you guys).

Short version -- highly recommend these books. OU fans, go to the author's website and email them and see if you can get a free copy like I did -- if not, you can also buy a copy of the OU book that is signed by none other than OU head coach Bob Stoops. Notice the picture up top of Stoops signings those books? Sweet! The URL is [...]

Bob Stoops signed my book
I met the young men who wrote this book because I bought it from them in Norman, Oklahoma, on the same day the Sooners were having Media Day. They were very polite as they signed my book, and then they suggested I take it to the tent nearby where Coach Stoops was signing autographs, and sure enough, I got the coach himself to sign the artwork right in front of the book -- but all that meant was when I got home I couldn't read the book! I was too afraid to mess up the Coach Stoops signature. Finally my wife came home with another copy from the local bookstore, I read it, I loved it, and I'll cherish the Stoops signed copy -- I have it right there next to my Bootlegger's Boy signed by another legendary coach, Barry Switzer.

Bob Stoops made me read this book . . . and I liked it.
Okay, the thing is I saw a video on You Tube about this book that Bob Stoops was using to raise money to support charity in Oklahoma. I live in Georgia, we need charity here too, Bob -- but, well, I ordered the book, and I'm sure some of the proceeds went to a good cause, and hopefully not to the powerhouse program that is making a run at the BCS title game right now . . . and the point is, I did enjoy reading the book. Not because I'm an OU fan, but I'm a football fan, and it gave me a glimpse of the Big 12 in a way I'd never thought of. Plus, now two of my teams are included in this seires and I absolutely love them. I bought the Georgia book and the Yankees book the second I saw they were available. I read the Yankees book in two days, and the Georgia book twice in a week. This is not a heavy-hitting type series -- it is fun, which is what I like about it. It creates banter if you want to challenge your friends and see what they know, or you can just sit back and test yourself, or you can just sit back and enjoy the memories of so many great moments in your team's history. All in all, great sports series.

Best college team - Best college football book!!
This OU history book is the best college football book on the market. If you love the Sooners you will love how this book is written; 1,000 mini-stories of stats, facts, and trivia. Hours of enjoyment await!!!!!!

Best OU book on the Market!
If you love Oklahoma Football or even College football, this book is for you. It even has a Foreword by Bob Stoops. In this book you will find 1,000 stories about Oklahoma Football, including 10 chapter intros about certain players, coaches, and places. But what's even better is that the books links you to the author's website for more written, audio, and video material. This is a great gift book, an easy read, and for every Sooner fan! Must have book! ... Read more

Product Description

Troy's got to think fast—if he doesn't want to get banned from the NFL for life.

Customer Reviews (5)

Very Suspenseful
I'm in fifth grade, and I just finished this book. I thought that Troy was a great main character, and I think the thing he can do by calling plays is really cool. I think that other kids will like this book, even if they don't like football.

great read for a boy
my son loves Tim Green's books. they are great for 4-5th graders. tim knows how a boy thinks, how football is played and puts them together for a great read for a young boy. thanks tim!

Great Book Series
My son loved this book and could not put it down after he began reading it.He finished the book in about a week.I also purchased Football Hero and Football Genius...which he really enjoyed.He is almost 10 and is a huge college and NFL football fan!

Troy's a football genius andgreat character
Tim Green delivers a sports thriller with heart. His insider knowledge of sports as a former NFL player adds so much, as does his sure sense of pace. Now Troy White,who's helping the Atlanta Falcons to the play-offs with his genius ability to predict football plays,is trying to stop a reporter who's bent on destroying the reputationof Falcons' quarterback Seth Halloway. His friends, Tate and Nathan, are in on the chase--and the media frenzy--all the way to the action-packed finale.

A Great Story and Terrific Suspense
Readers were first introduced to young football player and fan Troy White in the 2007 bestseller FOOTBALL GENIUS. In the sequel, FOOTBALL CHAMP, author and former NFL player Tim Green complicates Troy's life with everything professional sports is famous for: concussions, steroids, lies and trick plays. Like the revival of the wildcat play last season in the NFL, Green's new book about the perils of being a young football genius provides readers with a great story and terrific suspense because it's never apparent when the trick play is going to happen. The anticipation keeps fans glued to every play and readers furious to turn pages in hopes that the next play or the next chapter will be the sparkling episode that wins the game or finalizes an exciting tale.

Green was a star player in his years with the Atlanta Falcons, and that brilliance carries over into his chapter books for young readers. Older readers will appreciate his writing about the world of professional sports because of his insider knowledge, good and bad, of events and circumstances that add sting and flavor to his stories.

Troy is living the dream life of a 12-year-old little league football quarterback with his favorite Atlanta Falcons player, Seth Halloway, as the coach, his mom Tessa working in public relations for the Falcons, and Troy himself on the sidelines every Sunday sharing his particular talent with the Atlanta coaches. Troy's special abilities have to be kept a secret, and his youth makes that a challenge for him. He's been taught that the truth is always the best choice, but when he makes that choice and tells shifty sportswriter Brent Peele about how he sends plays to the coaching staff, it takes a while to straighten things out. As some reporters with a vendetta to settle will do, Troy's words get twisted. The front page "scandal" gets everyone involved --- from Troy's best friends Tate and Nathan right up to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Green's writing continues to represent strong ideas with excellent linguistic and vocabulary choices that will challenge readers ages 8-12, yet the structure of the writing has matured and represents new heights as far as story arcs go. Characters grow and change, good triumphs over bad, and friends stick together in the end. As a sign of a subtle change in his style, however, Green expands on a personal mystery that has affected Troy's entire life. In the first book, Troy's father is a distant looming dark cloud on the horizon of everything he does. With the sequel, Troy begins to question the ideal of a father and how having one would make any difference to his life. He doesn't discuss the subject with his mother, but he will definitely have to after the last page of FOOTBALL CHAMP.

It wouldn't be surprising to hear about readers camping out on Green's front yard begging for the next installment of the football books. He sure can leave 'em hanging and wanting more!

--- Reviewed by Joy Held ... 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
Football in Action scores a touchdown for one of North America's biggest sports. Children will learn about the positions on the football field, rules, proper equipment, and the importance of safety. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Basics of Football
Helps young ones understand football.Some words were hard for my third grader to read but they are football terms.I wish I could have gotten this book two years ago while he was in first grade.I would have had to read it to him but he would have understood the equipment and terms for football.I only had to help my third grader a few times to read the book. ... Read more