Customer Reviews (5)

not very good
I bought this book for my husband for Christmas, he did not like the book itself.The drawings are very poor.They look like they had been photo copied out of a childrens coloring book.I wish I had not wasted my money on this book.It might be better for someone who knowes nothing about football.I was hopeing it would give more writen explanations along with the picture.When I bought the book it did not have the option to look inside, so I did not really know what I was buying.

Uninspired
Don't be fooled by the color cover of this book. All the images/diagrams in the book are in black and white and pretty boring overall. The book also isn't close to complete and misses some pretty important stuff like the many various ways a safety can be accomplished. If you're looking for a detailed and concise football rules book, this one is merely adequate. There are better options out there.

Quit explaining and start enjoying
This book together with Football for Dummies gave my wife an appreciation of the sport.

This book is not even close to being complete....
This book does not contain all rules and in many cases only contains pictures that allude to rules.

If you'd like a book that is complete, I would suggest that you look elsewhere.

Black and white and a bit boring
Very basic and not very exciting. I only wanted the basics (as a new comer to the US) and this only just made it. Pay the postage, but not much more. ... Read more

Product Description
In 13-degree sub-zero weather, on New Year’s Eve, 1967, aclassic NFL championship game was played between the Dallas Cowboysand the Green Bay Packers. Sportswriter Ed Gruver weaves thefascinating details of this legendary game into a quick-paced,suspense-filled narrative that plunges readers into one of thefiercest football rivalries of all time.

The Ice Bowl details the history of two famous coaches—VinceLombardi and Tom Landry—and the coaching philosophies that madethem and their teams legends. Gruver successfully evokes manyindividual players’ stories of endurance, drive, and strategy. Amplebackground, personal interviews, action photos, and an undeniablepassion for the game all contribute to this compelling account of thelong-time rivalry that culminated on the "frozen tundra" of the IceBowl.

Includes diagrams, game and season statistics, and complete Ice Bowl play-by-play. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

The Ice Bowl is a wonderful read down memory lane for those of us who were Green Bay Packer fans in the 1960s.
This book about the 1967 Ice Bowl is an excellent read worth at least 4 stars. to read about what the two coaches Landry and Lambardi were thinking before during and after thegame was pescious.

Good story but characters are deified
If I am not mistaken, the playoff game between the Bengals and the Chargers was played in even colder conditions than the Ice Bowl.But that game was a blowout and neither team ever won a Superbowl.

That said, the book seemed like a reasonably researched story of this game.The game coverage seems fairly good.

But the incessant praise for anybody who had anything to do with this ballgame, from writers, TV directors (the CBS director could not hold NBC's Harry Coyle's headset), players, coaches, all got irritating quite quickly.

Yes, the people are given the once-over, but their stories sound like they came right out of a press guide.Many interesting people were involved in that game, Gruver made them all sound alike.

If Gruver says that the game was such a landmark, he did little to say why.A good foreward and epilogue is needed desparately.Gruver makes no reference to this being the next-to-last-game of the Packer dynasty.The team collapsed the following year, the result of Lombardi's retirement from coaching and him not developing younger players.

Nor did the Cowboys return to the NFC championship until 3 years later.

The book could have been so much better.

Ice Bowl:I Was There
My uncle took me to the Dec 31,1967 NFL Championship game between the Cowboys and Packers, better known as the ice bowl.I was a high school senior.I have always remembered that it was -13 degrees with a 20 mph wind blowing into the open north end of the stadium.It wasn't until I read this book that I realized the wind chill by the end of the game was -56 degrees. Now I live in Texas where 100 degree summer days are the norm.On hot days I reread the book and watch the video.The Texas heat doesn't seem so bad.

The Real Deal
The year 1997 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the 1967 NFL Championship game between the Packers and the Cowboys.Two book were published around that time.One was by Mike Shropshire and the other was by Ed Gruver.Of the two books, Gruver's is superior.It looks briefly at the coaches, the organizations, the seasons, and then devotes the lion's share of the book to the actual game.Especially helpful were the diagrams of key plays that occurred during the game.The book devotes a chapter to each quarter.In addition to the players and coaches, the author looks at the game from sportscasters and referees.The author also covers issues that Shropshire ignored.For example: was Jerry Kramer offsides on the winning TD and did Donny Anderson score on the previous play.The author also does a good job on covering the discussion of possible plays that could be called on the final play.The Shropshire book was not bad, but this one wins hands down.

EXCELLENT RECAP
THIS BOOK IS TRULY A GREAT READ. THE INTERVIEWS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ANDRESEARCH IS REALLY EXCELLENT. THIS IS BOOK REALLY BRINGS BACK SOME MEMORIES. I WAS ACTUALLY COLD JUST THINKING ABOUT THE HARSH CONDITIONS OF THAT DAY OF SURVIVAL. WELL DESCRIBED AND A GREAT WAY TO LEARN ABOUT THIS LEGENDARY GAME. HATS OFF TO MR GRUVER, AND ALL ASSOCIATED WITH THIS MASTERPIECE. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
As a coach, it is often cause for concern to see your athletes performing skills well in practice but struggling in the game. Coaching Football Technical and Tactical Skills focuses on the situational decisions players and coaches make that often determine the outcome of games. Written by the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) in conjunction with Rob Ash, the head football coach at Drake University, this book allows players to gain valuable gamelike playing experience in practice by putting them in key tactical situations like the scramble, man-to-man and zone pass coverage, and onside kick.

Each skill is clearly described, and more than 150 photos are used to further help you understand and implement the techniques in specific situations. Included are quick tips on how to detect and correct errors, cues athletes need to be aware of in various tactical situations, and key information your athletes need to know to make the appropriate decisions on the field. Skills are cross-referenced to show how they relate to each other and to enable you to plan practice situations quickly. Eight detailed practice plans incorporating gamelike situations and a season plan are included to help you get the most out of each practice.

Produced by the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) and endorsed by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Coaching Football Technical and Tactical Skills serves as the text for ASEP's online course of the same title, which, along with Coaching Principles and Sport First Aid courses and CPR certification, makes up the curriculum for ASEP's Bronze Level coaching certification program. Numerous state high school associations, colleges and universities, national sport organizations, and national governing bodies of Olympic sports use the Bronze Level in whole or in part to qualify coaches. The Bronze Level prepares coaches for all aspects of coaching and is a recognized and respected credential for all who earn it. For more information on the ASEP Professional Coaches Education Program courses and resources, call 800-747-5698. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good Introduction to the Basics
This is a pretty good introductory book.It discusses practice planning, season planning, pre and post season approaches, as well as sections on very high level tactics for offense, defense and special teams - including key reads, key rules and key teaching points.There are numerous coaching aids and examples throughout the book on skills evaluation, scouting keys and documentation aids.If you are looking for a decent book to give you a baseline of information that you can refer back to, this is it.You will need position or scheme specific books or other resources to get beyond the very basics, however.

Coaching Football Technical and Tactical Skills
Great for anyone who wants to get in to coaching at any level.This book does a great job of keeping to basic fundamentals. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Very Much More Than a Sports Book
"Carry the Rock" has a quiet power and is very different from typical sports books. First, the structure of the book is really smart -- it juxtaposes Little Rock history, politics, and educational issues with the struggles of the team during this historic year, fifty years after the Little Rock 9 became famous.The writing is clean, honest, and genuine.While the author never sticks his face in the way of the story, you can feel his compassion and sense how profoundly the year must have affected him, as well as the Central High Tigers.

The fact that Jennings can make school board politics and districts interesting attests to his skills as a writer. Most compelling, though, is his portrait of the coach, Bernie Cox.The coach is strict yet loving, and seemingly the perfect leader for Central High. Like the author, Cox possesses a modest dignity and understated wisdom. Cox doesn't so much "jump off the page" as seep through -- as does the team's heartbreaking season.

This book is the "Friday Night Lights" for a smarter reader: not as sensational, and there won't be a TV show, but Jenning's book is just as powerful. Anyone interested in sports, race, or the education of our kids will love this book.

An unvarnished look at a forgotten American city and a football legend in decline
In the spirit of the awesome, unforgettable "Friday Night Lights," Jay Jennings has written "Carry the Rock," an examination of Little Rock, Arkansas and the juggernaut football program of Central High School.

This may not sound like a story of national interest, but Little Rock is a city that deserves attention for a lot more than Bill Clinton and the HBO gangland expose, "Bangin' in Little Rock."Little Rock is a touchstone city for the history of the American civil rights movement, for both good and ill.Jennings retells one of the most shocking tales of lynching in American history, an event that leaves lasting scars on the city and the South.But Jennings balances it with the proud history of Little Rock, both in terms of American political life (Bill Clinton is not the only famous Arkansan in American politics) and its cultural impact.It would shock many proud Northeastern elites to learn that Central High in Little Rock was for years considered to be among the top public high schools in the entire country.And this city was also the site of the infamous Little Rock Nine - nine African American teenagers who dared to break the color barrier and gain admission to the prestigious, segregated school in 1957.

Fifty years later, the legendary Central High football team is also trying to defend its state championship title.Unfortunately, despite the presence of a legendary coach on the sidelines and some really terrific kids, they just don't have the horses to justify their preseason ranking as #1 in the state.Jennings writes with compassion and clarity as he follows the Tigers through their season of triumphs and failures.This book serves as a reminder that where the national interest may fall for a brief moment, the locals are still all too human in their cares and tribulations.

While not rising to the heights of "FNL," it is probably an unfair comparison.This is a smaller book in many ways, and while Jennings labors mightily, the connections between the football team and the city's civil rights history are not always strong.The kids, naturally, don't really care about what happened fifty years ago.Think of the book as telling two different yet powerful stories set in the same place and it works much better.

I really admire this book.

Good topic, plodding writing
I was interested in this topic, but just could not get engaged by the author.There are story tellers and there are word writers who can get the story written down without telling the story in an engaging way.Unfortunately, that's how I found this book.I kept reading and waiting for the story to be interesting or engaging.Finally I gave up.I'm not sure why I gave it 3 stars.Maybe I felt like I should have liked it better.Anyway, if you have a special tie to Little Rock or Arkansas, you may find it interesting enough to get through.If you're just a football fan or someone interested in race relations and history, you can probably find better alternatives to read.

Interesting premise.
This book has a very interesting premise, the juxtaposition of the football team of modern-day( Little Rock, Arkansas) Central High School with the past (racist) history of the school. Central High is famous, and will always remain famous for a very bleak moment in history- its refusal to integrate under Federal law. Then governor Orville Faubus attained a rather dubious element of fame by refusing to allow Central High's integration. Eventually The President had to send in troops to allow only 9 African-American children to matriculate. This low point in racial tolerance made Little Rock and Arkansas infamous in the annals of history, all around the world.

The author attempts a rather risky maneuver by comparing,chapter by chapter, the current state of affairs, as represented by the Central High football team with the past. The idea was a fine one, but the author does not quite pull it off. The action is choppy and disjointed, there is too much detail about the inner-workings of the team members and the coach. Not enough emphasis has been placed upon building a strong foundation that can support the 2 story lines. For those wishing to discover more details about the racial problems in Little Rock, then and now - there is not enough information. For sports fans wishing to read of the growth of a strong High School football team, the coverage is spotty at best.

I gave this book 4 stars, this rating applies only if one is already quite familiar with the subject and wishes to glean a few more morsels of information. If the reader has never heard of Central High and Orville Faubus, this is not the book for you. There are many, many fine books written about this subject, read those books, they will be far more relevant to the events themselves. This book comes across as being a failed attempt to blend "Friday Night Lights" with the history of the Civil Rights movement in Little Rock Arkansas. It is an impossible combination and the author could better have dedicated himself to one or the other.

Interesting examination of sport and race in high school
Non-fiction chronicles of a football team's journey through a season (whether at the high school, college or professional level) are a staple of American sports writing. The challenge for any writer trying to take on such a story is to provide a new way to illuminate what is essentially a sports writing genre.

Scheduled for release as America settles in for a new football season, Jay Jennings success in providing a unique perspective on a a basic story that's been told before. The team he chose for this book -the Tigers of Little Rock Central High School-- represent the legacy of the challenging history of racial integration in the United States.

Nominally the story of a season of high school football, Jennings weaves other threads throughout the book. Among these are the history of Little Rock itself, the challenges of integrating the schools there in the 1950s (and an unflinching look at the realities of this 50 years later), and modern issues that continued to shape the city (and the school)...especially how the paths of Interstate highways can mold the urban areas they pass through, for better or worse.

The football narrative is centered on the coaching staff, with the spotlight shining firmly on coach Bernie Cox as he steers the Tigers through 2007 season, his 35th with the team. The demands of time and myriad challenges facing the coaches (facilities, parents, academics, the foibles of teenagers, how to get 50 kids moving in the same direction for an away game...let alone getting them moving on the field in the same direction) are excellently laid out by Jennings.

Football fans looking for detailed descriptions of Xs and Os won't find them there. The focus is not on play selection (although sometimes it is on player selection) but on the intangibles that come with coaching. What are the non-negotiable requirements for players? Cox's requirements are simple, yet could serve anybody well: flush the toilet, pick up your trash, put away your dirty clothes and be a good representative of your organization. The calculus of scheduling sheds light on the difficult choices facing an urban coach with limited resources. Cox is in his 35th season with the Tigers during the book, and is acutely aware of generational differences that force him to alter his approach to discipline.

At the end of the book, I was well educated on Little Rock history, and indoctrinated into the Bernie Cox system. I don't feel like I knew the players that well; if this book has a shortcoming, it would be with few exceptions that the players are treated in a unitary way.

Whether you like football, or are simply interested in a unsentimental yet sensitive description of how one mentor applies his hand to modern young people...this book is a great choice to kick off your fall reading season.
... Read more

Product Description

“There is something here for anyone who wants to coach or have a better understanding of the game. . . . It fills the gaps in many areas that aficionados may not even think about.”
--Jon Gruden, Super Bowl winning coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If you're new to football or share the couch with a die-hard fan, this is the book that tackles your toughest questions about what's happening on the field.

Football for the Utterly Confused provides in-depth coverage of the rules, the positions, the scoring, the jargon, and the players on each side of the ball. Don't just walk by while others talk about last night's game. Join the fun with what you learn in this play-by-play guide.

Let these Utterly Simple icons guide you!

• What to Watch For
• Clues you in to key points in the game and on the field
• From the Playbook
• Defines all the terms you'll need to know to talk the talk
• Historically Speaking
• Puts all the details of how the game works in context, with stories of the greatest coaches, players, and games ever played

Product Description
The Football Coaching Bible features many of the game's most successful coaches. Each shares the special insight, advice, and strategies they've used to field championship-winning teams season after season.

The 27 chapter contributing coaches span six decades of the sport and reach into every corner of the United States. The impressive list of contributors:

• Joe Paterno
• Hayden Fry
• Phil Fulmer
• Dick Foster
• Grant Teaff
• Gene Stallings
• Jim Tressel
• R.C. Slocum
• LaVell Edwards
• Bobby Bowden
• Jim Young
• Jerry Sandusky
• Frosty Westering
• Mack Brown
• Larry Kehres
• Bill Snyder
• Lou Holtz
• Ken Sparks
• Tom Osborne
• Sonny Lubick
• Mike Bellotti
• Barry Alvarez
• Fisher DeBerry
• George Curry
• Bo Schembechler
• Joe Tiller
• Frank Beamer

Developed by the American Football Coaches Association, this coaching guide establishes a new standard of excellence in the sport. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Great product. Numerous respectible Coaches offer input and strategies.
A great read for assistants or head coaches. Offers an awesome foundation for any coach.

Solid Reference Book
This is a solid text covering various topics on football. This is a book that every football coach should pick up. I like the idea of being taught basic concepts by some of the best coaches at the college level.

Good starter
I'm probably like most who pick up this book in that I was looking into coaching for fun. My sons are going out for football and the team needs a coaching assistance. I thought maybe it was for me and I wanted to get more information. This is a good general reference but it it is important to point out each chapter is written by a different coach. This can be a good thing or bad thing depending on what you're looking for. For me I liked the different perspectives but the book as a whole wasn't as cohesive as it could have been. Good for begining coaches I think as well as coaches with some experience.

Excellent Read for the Beginning or Experienced Coach
The Football Coaching Bible brings together a collection of articles and speeches by successful coaches from all levels. Whether you are looking for guidance on how to teach leadership, how to build (or re-build) a program from the ground up, or some talk on X's and O's, this book has it covered. Bill Snyder's chapter is particularly great, and has helped me to apply focus to my life in areas other than coaching. His story at K State is amazing.

This book does help a bit with basic nomenclature for brand new coaches. However it mostly assumes a basic understanding of certain things. The beginning coach may have to do some digging to find out exactly what some of the terms mean.

fb coaching bible
Some good info in this book, however each chapter is written from one coach's perspective (passing game, rush "D", etc....) I would have liked more info on each area of the game rather than a detailed perspective of one. ... Read more

Product Description
Every weekend from August through January, 25 million Americans plop into their Lay-Z-Boys, crack open a beer, and watch football on television. At last, here is an illustrated book that celebrates their pastime and codifies their culture of extreme devotion like no other. The Armchair Quarterback Playbook is both hilarious and authentic, and is designed like a real football playbook complete with modified X and O diagrams. Everything a stay-at-home fan needs to know is here: how to redirect an interfering spouse ('The Listen and Respond Fake'), methods for keeping children at bay ('Intentional Grounding), equipment and etiquette tips, game food recipes, armchair quarterback vernacular, and more. Written by a certified 'AQ,' this is the perfect book for the football fanatic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great gift for guys who watch football
Bought it for my husband and he loves it. He's a huge football fan and he said there's lots of funny plays. He actually learned how to burn a NY Giants logo into our lawn--

Not exactly what I thought it was
I purchased this book for a christmas present thinking it would actually give football plays with diagrams.Instead it's just about how to organize the dip, and where to sit when watching football.OK book if that's what you are looking for.

Funny, but not ideal for all
After my wife finished her bachelors degree she announced that she now wanted to study football. Realizing I probably have the best wife in the history of the world, (at least since football was invented), I set out to help her accomplish her goal. She's been pretty into football for a number of years, but wanted to learn all of the terminology (such as Post Route, Slant, etc...), the detailed rules, and general history of the game including important players throughout the history of the game. She and I got on Amazon and bought about a half dozen football books, including this one.

Fortunately, my wife has a sense of humor, and isn't easily offended, or this book might have irritated her, as it is written with a distinctly and unashamedly male perspective. Less of a guide to the game than a humorous book that is related to football, it contains some real gems of anti PR. I actually read it cover to cover and found it entertaining, as did my wife, but if you're giving it to a woman, make sure they're not the sort who get their feathers ruffled easily.

HYSTERICAL!! And remarkably educational
Not just a light humor book. It's actually very insightful. Very well-organized, with tips throughout on things like fantasy picks and best of all, dealing with significant others. (Including a hysterical section on how to massage while watching the game.) For such a small book, it's packed with useful info...recipes, sports references, resources. Unbelievable. I highly recommend getting it while the football season is still in its nascient stages. Has already made my season that much more enjoyable.

Calling all football fans...
Great book!Very funny and full of good tips.We made the "towel-roll" chicken wings-- my buds were impressed.If you like watching football on TV then you should read this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Solid blocking, sure tackling, proper footwork, precise routes, correct coverage angles, and synchronized body movements: basic techniques, perhaps, but all essential to winning football. Football Skills & Drills is your guide to success, covering key skills and consistent execution within all offensive, defensive, and special teams positions.

You will benefit from the same techniques used by top college and professional teams, along with a complete arsenal of 83 drills. From quarterback rollouts for winning touchdowns to block-shedding maneuvers for drive-stopping sacks, Football Skills & Drills translates technical instruction into on-field application, depicting exactly how each pass, pattern, route, catch, block, tackle, and kick are performed.

Gridiron champions are made on the practice field. Football Skills & Drills serves as a great foundation in your team’s quest for a title. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great for any football athlete playing any position
I am a 17 year old senior in high school, and although I don't actually play football, I love the game and my favorite position is Quarterback.

This book covers how to be a good Quarterback very well, showing how to receive the snap, how to properly throw the ball, how to properly drop back, and even teaches you what mindset you should have - that is, if you are a player.

The book also covers every other position and area of football.. it has nearly everything you can think of, along with great pictures that demonstrate each and every step along the way.

Do you want to learn how to be a better Running Back?This book's got you covered.

Do you want to learn how to do better on the line?This book's got you covered.

Do you want to learn how to be a better kicker?This book's got you covered!

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the book is not just the content, but how it's presented.Since it practically goes step-by-step over each and every position, the book is suitable for coaches and players alike.So a coach will benefit from this book just as much as a player wanting to improve his position.

I would highly recommend this book, and I honestly can't find any flaws with it.It's well-presented, the author - Tom Bass - is a well-informed professional football coach, and you'll find just about everything you need.

If you are a football coach wanting to improve your team or a player wanting to improve your skills at a certain position(s), I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description

“Outlandish, informative, and above all, funny.”

—Sports Illustrated

Now in paperback, Going Long brings the incredible story of the maverick American Football League to life through the words of the players, coaches, owners, and others who lived it. This story of the AFL is filled with legendary names such as Bob Griese, Joe Namath, Lamar Hunt, Jack Kemp, Len Dawson, and more. From the contentious formation of the league, to paychecks bouncing as often as footballs, to improbable Super Bowl victories, Going Long presents the colorful and sometimes bizarre tale of eight teams and a league that refused to die.

Customer Reviews (26)

Going Long
This was a surprisingly good book .It is an aggregation of great old war stories told by players, owners, and others who were involved in the growth in the AFL.Some of the stories were hillarious.I'm still smilng when thinking about the player who got cut, then got drunk, goes to season opening game as a spectator in the stands, orders a hot dog, and then hears his name being over stadium loudspeaker to go to the dressing room and suit up to play.

David Slew Goliath - on the Football Field
In 1960, the American Football League (AFL) challenged the established National Football League (NFL). The AFL succeeded and the two leagues eventually agreed to merge for the 1970 football season. Going Long recounts the AFL's improbable rise in an entertaining oral biography.

Author Jeff Miller focuses on the people who made the AFL work. The AFL succeeded through strong leaders (Lamar Hunt and Al Davis) and star players (Joe Namath, Cookie Gilchrist, and Jack Kemp). But the book's best stories come from forgotten stars such as Wahoo McDaniel (a pro wrestler in his free time) and Marlin Briscoe (the first black quarterback to start a pro game). Also, Going Long includes a lot of old war stories about the players' wild lives off the football field.

The AFL began on a shoestring budget. Author Jeff Miller tells of bounced paychecks, cut-rate uniforms, and chilly flights on unheated airplanes. One memorable story involves a Boston Patriots player who had been cut from the team but was called out of the stands when another player refused to sign a contract. Fans will love these stories - they present a sharp contrast to the current, "megabucks" NFL.

The book's only drawback is that some stories are too familiar. For instance, most fans know about the New York Jets' win in Super Bowl III. I give the book four stars because it bogged down during these familiar tales.

The AFL's history is a great adventure story. Football fans will enjoy reading about it in Jeff Miller's Going Long.

A+
Really terrific look at the 10 crazy years of the AFL.It is written very similar to the ABA's Loose Balls, with the author telling about a particular event and then having interview snippets from those around that event.It makes for a fun time while also relating the actual events.I also like the appendix in the back that gives a season by season team and playoff results.I have read "The $1 League" and "Long Bomb" which also cover rival football start up leagues, but this was the very best for stories and a nice balanced approach with good writing.Really good.

The story of the American Football League in the words of the most active participants
The story of the American Football League (AFL) is one of excellent timing, some luck and a brilliant move in signing a gimpy-kneed quarterback named Joe Namath. In the early sixties, the National Football League was nowhere near the economic and social powerhouse that it was to become.The NFL owners were reluctant to expand the league despite the desire for other cities to have football teams.
Therefore, the time was right for the establishment of a rival league, which was the plan B of Lamar Hunt when he could not get an NFL franchise. The AFL started slowly and was openly ridiculed by the NFL for years, people in the NFL considered the AFL product to be inferior and initially there was some truth to that. However, it did not take long before the AFL began bidding up the price of players, a tactic that forced the NFL to take notice and helped increase the stature and level of play in the AFL.
The biggest signing of the AFL was one of the most expensive, that of Joe Namath. Namath was the perfect choice to be a star and drive the league to respectability. His antics off the field were the stuff of tabloids, yet what he did on the field became the raw material for legends. His leading of the Jets to victory over the "invincible" Colts in Super Bowl III stunned the sports world and still has to rank as one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports.
This book is a chronology of the AFL told largely in extensive quotes from the principal players, primarily from the AFL but where applicable, also from the NFL.It is interesting to hear the story in the words of the principals, from the owners, coaches and players. Each has a unique perspective on the events, the sum total of which did much to make the NFL the powerful force it is in American society.

A great look back at a great era in pro football
This book is great reading! This book gives you great insight into the AFL from those who lived it. If you're interested in how the AFL developed and later merged with the NFL, then this book is for you. ... Read more

Product Description
Is football an athletic contest or a social event? Is it a game of skill, a test of manhood, or merely an organized brawl? Michael Oriard, a former professional player, asks these and other intriguing questions in Reading Football, the first contemporary book about football's formative years.American football began in the 1870s as a game to be played, not watched. Within a brief ten years, it had become a great public spectacle with an immense following, a phenomenon caused primarily by the voluminous commentary about the game conducted in popular newspapers and magazines.Oriard shows how this constant narrative in football's early years developed many different stories about what the game meant: football as pastime, as the sport of gentlemen, as a science, as a game of rules and their infringements. He shows how football became a series of cultural stories about power, luck, strategy, and deception.These different interpretations have been magnified by football's current omnipresence on television. According to Oriard, televised football now plays a cultural role of enormous importance for men, yet within the field of cultural studies the influence of football has been ignored until now. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Touchdown!
This book offers the reader an evaluation of the early years of football and the press' role in popularizing football for the American consumer. A must-read for anyone who loves football. ... 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
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
In 2008 over six million people attended an SEC football game. They spent thousands on season tickets, donated millions to athletic departments, and for three months a year ordered their entire lives around the schedule of their favorite team. As a Christian, Gibbs knows he cannot serve two masters, but at times his faith is overwhelmed by his fanaticism. He is not alone.Gibbs and his six million friends do not live in a spiritually void land where such borderline idol worship would normally be accepted. They live in the American South, where according to the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey, 84 percent identify themselves as Christians.This apparent contradiction that Gibbs sees in his own life, and in millions of others', has led him to journey to each of the twelve schools to spend time with rabid Christian fans of various ages and denominations. Through his journey, he learns how others are able to balance their passion for their team with their devotion to God. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

What an SEC fan is
If you have ever read Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, it's like that but it's without profanity and it's from a Christian perspective. If you haven't read it, then you need to read that to know what I'm talking about.

I finished it in a few days, and it gave a lot of perspective to how we tend to worship our teams. It's awesome that someone tackled the issue in a smart and funny way, without being judgmental.

Hilarious, Inspirational Book for Christian College Football Fans
God & Football is a great book!My wife and I are both close to the same age as the author, and we both attended an SEC school (UF).So we can relate to most everything that he talks about.Both of us were laughing out loud.The comedy is enjoyable, but the real value is in the inspirational sections of the book.He speaks with many hardcore fans who juggle their fandom and faith.Highly recommended!

Great book for any fan of sports
I wonder if all the people I want to read this book will be offended when I tell them they need to read this book. Living with a football fan and enjoying a good game myself means that I can relate to Chad Gibbs and his quest to question the depth of his faith in the midst of football season.

I so appreciate the honesty of the author as he is trying to balance his passion for football and his faith in Christ. Has football become an idol in our lives? Hmmm...I will have spent 6 hours at football games and 1.5 hours in church by the time this weekend is over. How much money am I donating in order to get good season tickets and how much money am I donating to my local soup kitchen to feed the homeless? It does seem that something is not quite right. "I can tell you all day that football isn't that important to me, but my actions speak so loud you'd never hear my words" (p. 218).

Yes, this is a great book even if it makes my uncomfortable when I realize how much of it is true. Whether it's football, or any other hobby, anything that becomes more important than God, is an idol. Yet these idols are empty. Nothing else can love me unconditionally with overwhelming grace like God does.


To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, I must post that Zondervan has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. I also must say that the opinions are all mine.

Great Read!
I wondered when I bought it what direction this book would take and I found that it was a wonderful journey through SEC football and it's fans. Well written, funny (outloud chuckles). I gave it as a gift to several folks young and old- all enjoyed it.

Great Book!
This was a fantastic book by Chad Gibbs, I appreciated his balance between humor and honesty mixed with the quality information of one who understands SEC football in and out. He effectively communicated the relationship between being fan and the challenges it can put on your spiritual life. In the end I think Chad was trying to show that for all of us we are a work in progress and must strive for balance in our lives with the things that compete for the place that is intended for God. Great Book and highly recommended! ... 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

Product Description

Product Description
Are you one of the millions of people across America are intrigued by professional football – and all types and levels of football? Perhaps you have a friends or a number of friends who have made the football season a ritual, from the last weekend in August until Super Bowl Sunday at the end of January. To be a part of that experience, you need to have a working knowledge of the game.

Football For Dummies, 2nd Edition, can provide you with that knowledge and help you relate to the passionate football fans in your life. On the surface, football may seem to be a very complicated game. The game becomes far less intimidating once you begin to understand the fundamentals of the game. After you break through that initial fear of being overwhelmed by football and what you don't understand, everything else about the game will fall into place, like dominoes. Get ready to find answers to all your football questions, such as:

Product Description
The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Football is the most comprehensive and up-to-date football-specific training guide in the world today. It contains descriptions and photographs of over 80 of the most effective weight training, flexibility, and abdominal exercises used by athletes worldwide. This book features year-round football-specific weight-training programs guaranteed to improve your performance and get you results.

No other Football book to date has been so well designed, so easy to use, and so committed to weight training. This book will have players of all positions and skill levels increasing strength, agility, and power dramatically resulting in more touchdowns, crisper and harder tackles, and the flat-out domination of opponents all over the field.

Both beginners and advanced athletes and weight trainers can follow this book and utilize its programs. From recreational to professional, thousands of athletes all over the world are already benefiting from this book and its techniques, and now you can too!

As an added bonus, this book also contains links to free record keeping charts which normally sell separately for $20. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ok - very basic
Book is extremely basic. I have been training for over 20 years, maybe I expected to much? Still an ok book though for youth that need to understand the basics. Good book, just not for advanced levels or what I would call " The Ultimate Guide". ... Read more

Product Description
Football Coaching Strategies is an invaluable source of football wisdom. Inside you’ll find 67 informative articles contributed during the last 25 years by many of the greatest football coaches the game has ever known.

The book features 349 detailed diagrams and covers every crucial aspect of the game:

• 28 articles on offense;

• 19 articles on defense;

• 7 articles on special teams; and

• 13 articles on philosophy, motivation, and management.

Edited by the American Football Coaches Association, this collection of gridiron strategies lets you tap into the creative genius and enduring principles that have shaped the game. It’s the one book that every serious football coach, player, and fan will treasure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

A Must Have
This book covers all aspects of the game from the very best college coaches - Paterno, Bowden, Spurrier, etc.Each 'chapter' is about three pages long;a coach diagrams a play for you and tells you the philosophy behind it. It has excellent illustrations.I have used it as a resource for years.The only downside is the book has been on the market for many years now, so the Spread Offenses we have seen so much of in the past several years are not part of the book.This book covers offense, defense, and special teams.As a former high school and college coach I can attest it will work for both those levels of football.

Big Disappointment...
This book was a BIG disappointment. I bought this book hoping to learn the strategies behind each type of different offense, how to run the system, different formations and looks to fool the defense, pretty much more in-depth information but this book offers none of that. This book is the most BASIC piece of crap ever. It looks like a bunch of piled up madden plays put together in a bind and sold as a book. It gives about 3 BASIC plays for each different offense. There's about a 3 page maximum length per different offensive system which vaguely touches upon the surface of each offensive system, so you won't really know why you're running it except that you're running it. For example, one of the first plays the book touches upon is the I-Formationand Toss right or Student body right. Like I said before, very basic and won't help much if you're a coach trying to expand your knowledge on football. This is my first and will be my last purchasing a book by AFCA and had I known AFCA made books this bad, I would've never bought it :)

Some of you might say "What about beginning coaches?" I'd still say no because this book doesn't explain anything to where you can understand why a certain play is drawn up that way and once your players asks you "Coach, why are we doing this?" It's going to make you do the shoulder shrug and look/feel dumb.

But for a good read, I recommend "Coaching the T-Bone Offense" by Al Baldock. I hope to find a book of that caliber to read because the difference is once you read a book like that, you'll feel like you know the system inside and out.

coachingstrategies
An excellent book. A must read for experienced or inexperienced coaches, or just someone who would like to get a different slant on the game. I have no regrets in the purchase of this book. Very informative.

Thomas J. Nicoli
Coach
Kingston Cougars
Kingston, NH

Beyond the X's and O's
Of the numerous football guides I've read, this is the firstbook that actually went beyond the X's and O's of football. As the title says, it not only discusses the on-field game, but also preparation, team building, and the mental side of the game.

This book touches interesting topics and is probably intended for giving some more food for thought and different angles on coaching issues. It is not exactly a DIY-manual or a literal step-by-step gude for all football coaches on how to build a successful team.

While some of the chapters are a bit academic and subject to cross your personal views, this book is a recommended especially for those who are just starting their coaching career or coach youth and junior football.

A Great Coaching Reference
A book that any coach should have.It gets the wheels going in your mind allowing you to develop new schemes.Its interesting to read other famous coach's ideas on topics like the Double Wing, Passing from your own endzone, and using the 50 front. ... Read more