Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Not for women
I purchased this book in hopes of learning about football, it is very detailed and not a book written for new fans of the game.

A fantastic book on the early Buffalo Bills
Rockin the Rockpile is a fantastic piece of work covering the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League, 1960-1969.Author Jeff Miller has packed it all in here, game summaries, oral histories, and a fantastic narrative that leads the reader through the formation of the AFL in 1959, and the following 10 seasons.Great detail in the game summaries/recaps, and wonderful insight into the inner-workings of the team from the players themselves.Rockin the Rockpile is a must-read for AFL fans, regardless of what team they call their own.

Excellent book!
Great book with amazing information and very well written. Extremely interesting to read and just be able to open it to any page and read some very unique information.

Bills Memories are so precious
Great to remember those years at War Memorial.Could almost taste the Genesee long necks.Enjoyed the recaps of each and every game.Would have liked to see more pictures of the stadium itself however.

Rockin' The Rockpile
Incredibly detailed book, evoking fond memories of a football era gone by. A must for all football fans, especially AFL/Buffalo Bills fans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The definitive reference on the players of the AFL
August, 1999

Billy Shaw was just inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.To most football fans, their reaction is a "Duh!!!".But Shaw, and others such as Jim Otto, Larry Grantham, Clem Daniels, BoobyBell, just to name a few, are the hero players of The Other League.

There are other heroes, Lamar Hunt, Ralph Wilson, Bud Adams, even(yecch) Al Davis.

The words are lyrics and the pictures are stunning.

To anyone who remembers the old AFL, find a copy of this book somewhereand treasure it!!!! ... Read more

Product Description
The inside story about the man who created an upstart new league against insurmountable odds. At a time when the NFL owners had forged a monopoly and rejected his offer to bring a team to Dallas, Lamar Hunt shook the establishment by starting his own league. Professional football would never be the same! ... Read more

Product Description
This insightful new series explores different sports - how and where they're played, the equipment and kit needed and how to get involved.There are tips on training and on developing techniques. The books also feature sporting heroes at the top of their game, with exciting photos of them showing their skills in action. ... Read more

Product Description
Founded in 1920, the National Football League chose famed athlete Jim Thorpe as its first president, a position he held briefly until a successor was elected. From 1921 to 1939, Joe F. Carr guided the sport of professional football with intelligence, hard work, and a passion that built the foundation of what the NFL has become: the number one sports organization in the world. During his 18-year tenure as NFL President, Carr created the organization's first Constitution & By-Laws; implemented the standard player's contract; wrote the NFL's first-ever Record and Fact Book; helped split the NFL into two divisions and establish the NFL's World Championship Game; started keeping league statistics; and developed the NFL Draft. But Carr's greatest achievement was creating a vision for the NFL as a big-city sport. By skillfully recruiting financially capable owners to operate NFL franchises in big market cities, he created the solid foundation for the league's successful future.While the sport has grown to unheard of heights, Carr's name and accomplishments have been lost and forgotten. The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr captures the life and career of this pivotal figure in professional sports, chronicling the many achievements of a man whose vision helped shaped what the NFL is today. With unlimited access and complete cooperation from the Carr family_including family interviews, personal letters, and family photos_as well as NFL League Minutes, Willis recounts the fascinating life and career of a man dedicated to the game. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Best I Have Ever Read!!!
This book is by far the best book I have ever read on the founding and early years of what we know today as the National Football League.As a historian of the NFL with a special affection towards the early days, this book captures the simplicity as well as the complicity of the early NFL and the struggles that Joe Carr and the NFL founders grappled with on a regular basis.These issues included, but were not limited to college player eligibility, big city teams, gambling, rule changes to separate the NFL from the college game,and the vision of indoor football which was first approached in the early 30's.This book is a real page turner for the ardent student of the game as well as the casual reader.To sum it up, there would be no NFL without Joe F Carr.This book chronicles the history of the NFL by year from the town teams through Joe Carr's untimely death in 1939. It concludes with his posthumous induction into the Pro football Hall of Fame as a member of the NFL's charter classs.Overall this book belongs in the elite class of Maraniss's "When Pride Still Mattered", McCambridge's "America's game", and Miller's "Going Long.A Must Read!A heartfelt thank you Chris Willis!! ... Read more

Product Description
"An important analysis for all who care about the African American experience in professional sports. Significant not only for the history it tells, but for the questions it raises about race relations in football as an industry and as a United States institution ."-Michael E. Lomax

"Charles Ross' stellar research clearly demonstrates that the African American struggle for merit and equality not only extends to the playing field but has, in fact, long defined the game of professional football. A must read for students of the game, from casual gridiron enthusiasts to scholars alike."-C. Keith Harrison

Outside the Lines traces how sports laid a foundation for social change long before the judicial system formally recognized the inequalities of racial separation. Integrating sports teams to include white and black athletes alike, the National Football League served as a microcosmic fishbowl of the highs and lows, the trials and triumphs, of racial integration. ... Read more

Product Description
Here at last is the first book to fully explain how and why the game of football became America's most powerful and financially successful entertainment phenomenon--and how this country's pioneers of sports, games, industry, and politics helped transform a sleepy game inherited from Europe into one that would explain what America wanted to become and who we are as a people.

In How Football Explains America, Sal Paolantonio, ESPN football reporter and a former national political reporter, takes you all the way back to 1876, when the United States was celebrating its 100th birthday, and explains how and why the stodgy and low-scoring games of soccer and rugby were rejected for a game that reflected America's lust to control--Manifest Destiny!--an entire continent.

How Football Explains America takes you through how and why President Teddy Roosevelt saved football, how and why Jim Thorpe and Bill Walsh changed the game, and how and why it was influenced by Hollywood and West Point.

How Football Explains America explains how football was influenced by Davy Crockett, John Coltrane, Jackie Robinson, and Douglas MacArthur.

How Football Explains America shows how at the heart of this country's real pastime is an insatiable need for storytelling and mythmaking, how Johnny Unitas is like John Wayne and Joe Montana is like Luke Skywalker, how the game grew up when pioneers and cowboys set out to write America's story across the West, and how football was a game that perfectly explained that march across the continent.

"Football explains America," says NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, "because the game is about teamwork and camaraderie, competition and passion, strategy and energy, strength and emotion. You can look at football and see the heart of America."

How Football Explains America takes you through a fascinating historical and cultural journey, using the intrigue, skullduggery, and drama of the 2007 NFL season--the quest for perfection and triumph of an underdog against all odds--to tell the story of a game and a nation that have been sewn together and explain how we live, work, and play. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

An uneven, yet interesting, book on the co-evolution of football and America
An entertaining read, although it did not live up to my expectations.To be sure, there are elements of American culture and history that help explain how the game of football evolved and why the game enjoys such a following in the United States versus the rest of the world.However the author too often makes large claims of causation without much proof besides correlation.There are a number of "just-so stories" used to explain the relationship between football and America.Unfortunately, the author does not use a consistent amount of rigor across each chapter.Additionally, some chapters simply ramble on, meandering far from the author's stated purpose.There are interesting stories and anecdotes to be sure, but overall the book lacks coherence.There are a number of quite interesting chapters, but overall it is a decent, not great, book.

Loved it!
I couldn't put it down.A wonderful view on how football, basically, explains life.I knew it all along!Enjoy!

Excellent book
This is a well-written, well-documented book detailing the real link between football and some aspects of American Life. I recommended it to anyone who wants to have a broader view of matters.

Entertaining Look at the Game of Football!

Being an author and avid reader of books on the game of football I very much enjoyed reading "How Football Explains America." It was definitely a fresh look at the sport we all love and it definitely told the "how" that Michael MacCambridge's book (the very good America's Game) didn't touch on as much.

I thought this book had many layers and it showed me the game in a different light that I had not thought about. In particular, in Chapter 2, in order for the game to flourish the use of words such as "personality" and "hero" by the founding fathers was important for the game to be told as other American Myths- explain the American way of life, was something fresh for me.

I also enjoyed chapters 5 (Explains West Point) and 7 (Explains Father Knows Best) very much. I could've read that stuff all day. This book will get you thinking about the game and that's a good thing.

Pointless
I'm surprised at all of the positive reviews. This is one of the worst sports books I have ever read. It consists of not particularly interesting anecdotes the author tries unsuccessfully to stretch into anecdotes for American history. For example, he claims, without supporting the assertion, that the introduction of the system of downs in the 1880s reflects manifest destiny. Actually, it was introduced because teams used to sit on the ball. I guess football fans are easily impressed. ... 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 (11)

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.

Coach Hogan is the real deal!
I loved reading this book.As the Mom of one of the players, I saw personally the influence Coach Hogan had on the life of my son, and thus the life of my family.He is the read deal and this book captures it.I always wanted to know that Commitment Night entailed and what Coach was telling these awesome young men, so thanks, David Thomas, for making that known.I highly recommend the book - TRUE and inspirational! ... Read more

Product Description

Every autumn American football fans pack large college stadiums or crowd around grassy fields to root for their favorite teams. Most are unaware that this most popular American sport was created by the teams that now make up the Ivy League. From the day Princeton played the first intercollegiate game in 1869, these major schools of the northeast—Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale—shaped football as we now know it. Almost every facet of the game still bears their imprint: they created the All-America team, produced the first coaches, devised the basic rules, invented many of the strategies, developed much of the equipment, and even named the positions. Both the Heisman and Outland trophies are named for Ivy League players.

Crowds of 80,000 no longer attend Ivy League games as they did seventy years ago, and Ivy teams are not the powerhouses they once were, but at times they can still be a step ahead of the rest of football, as in 1973 when Brown and Penn started the first black quarterbacks to face each other in major college history.

In this rich history, Bernstein shows that much of the culture that surrounds American football, both good and bad, has its roots in the Ivy League. The college fight song is an Ivy League creation (Yale's was written by Cole Porter), as are the marching bands that play them. With their long winning streaks and impressive victories, Ivy teams started a national obsession with football in the first decades of the twentieth century that remains alive today. But football was almost abolished early on because of violence in Ivy games, and it took President Theodore Roosevelt to mediate disagreements about rough play in order for football to remain a college sport. Gambling and ticket scalping were as commonplace then as now, as well as payoffs and recruiting abuses, fueled by the tremendous amount of money generated by the games, revenue that was oftentimes greater than that collected by the rest of the university. But the Ivy teams confronted those abuses, and in so doing helped develop our ideals about the role of athletics in college life. Although Ivy League football and its ancient rivalries have disappeared from big-time sports by their own accord, their legacy remains with every snap of the ball.

Customer Reviews (5)

Great Subject...Poor Execution
While there are many who feel it's not football if its not played indoors and for millions of dollars, I am inclined toprefer college football, particulary the Ivy League. The history of college football is the history of the Ivy League schools, and it is a riveting and fascinating history. Too bad that this book is so poorly written that it hard to find. It has its moments when you get lost in the history you're reading, but then you're awoken sharply by a mistake - no, not a factual mistake (although it has some of those) but simply a gramatical mistake, or a spelling mistake, or a word where it shouldn't be, or a word missing. Normally I wouldn't care, but the frequency with which I was annoyed by these mistakes was too much to overcome. The material is good, but the author and publisher bring it down.

Potentially Great history Ruined by Sloppy Editing
This could well have been not only the definitive history of the Ivy League, but also one of the seminal works on the subject of football. The history of football by necessity goes through the Ivy League and the intrigues among Princeton, Harvard and Yale were to affect the college game for years and decades to come.

The Ivies have always been an enigma, an asterisk on the history of college football. Once boasting the most dominant teams in the country, the Ivies haven't boasted a national champion since Cornell in 1939. Finally, they were demoted by the NCAA to its Division I-AA in the late 70s. There would be no more national glory, and football became just another thing to do in the autumn, instead of being an obsession, which it is at Division 1-A colleges.

Bernstein does an excellent job of narrating the history of the Ivies. Every school is included, and there are loads of anecdotal sidelights that will delight the reader. The book is also thoroughly researched and is marked by a lively style not often found in university press publications.

Then why do I say that this could have been the definitive history of the Ivy League? One word: editing. One would naturally take for granted that a book from a university press would be well-edited, and a book from a press of the University of Pennsylvania being such should be a no-brainer. But the book is spoiled by numerous errors, errors that could have been caught by an editor's sharp eye. Other reviewers have pointed out some of the more outrageous errors as pertains to football, but I give you the most egregious of all:

"In many ways, the teens were a decade of Ivy prominence. Both presidential elections were all-Ivy affairs: Theodore Roosevelt defeated Woodrow Wilson and William Howard Taft in 1912, and Wilson beat Charles Evans Hughes in 1916." (p. 95)

HOW'S THAT AGAIN? ROOSEVELT DEFEATED WILSON IN 1912?? This will come as some news to American Historians. Obviously, history is not a core curriculum course of the University of Pennsylvania these days. I don't blame the author (though he should know better, being a graduate of Princeton), I blame the editors. They're the ones who are supposed to catch these mistakes. I admit that a mistake concerning football history can slip by, but this is a basic fact of American history that slipped right past. Shame on the editors.

Nonetheless, I do recommend the book for its strengths and its well-written narrative and lively style. Perhaps the mistakes can be corrected for the paperback edition.

Interesting, but needs a thorough editing; too many mistakes
Mark F. Bernstein's history of Ivy League football is generally interesting, though it doesn't offer a lot of new material.The bibliography is fascinating.Most problematic however, is the proliferation of mistakes, sometimes self-corrected later.A good editor should have caught these.Consider the following:

1) On page 199, Mr. Bernstein implies that Princeton, Dartmouth, Columbia, and Cornell dropped Pennsylvania from their schedules in 1951 and 1952.In fact, Pennsylvania played all of these teams in both of those seasons and the author even refers to the 1951 Princeton-Penn contest on page 209.

2) On page 257, the author writes that "(Penn coach Jerry) Berndt continued to win, claiming a share of still another Ivy title in 1988, with Cornell....".However, this is not correct as Berndt left Pennsylvania after the 1985 season, which the author correctly indicates on page 258.

3) On page 242, and again on page 280, Penn receiving legend Don Clune, is referred to as Don McClune.

4) There is no mention of Frank Riepl's miracle kickoff return for Pennsylvania against Notre Dame in 1955, Coach Ron Rogerson of Princeton's untimely death in 1986, Brown is continually called the "Bears" when their nickname was the "Bruins" until recently, and I swear, somewhere in the book Bob Blackman is called Bob Blackmun.

All in all, it's a good book with a decent balance of coverage of each of the eight teams, though Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Penn get by far the most attention.The beginning takes a bit to get through as well and of course, please check the facts, ma'am.

A Great Read About the Ivy League and Football
Even though I have not yet finished reading this excellent book on football and the Ivy League, I already have enough tidbits to keep up a lively conversation at holiday cocktail parties. Before the end of the first chapter, I found out that there really is no Ivy League. And who could resist dropping on their friends from Cornell the fact that one of their college presidents refused to let "thirty men travel 400 miles to agitate a bag of wind". The tales are intriguing, and Bernstein's writing is engaging. If you have an Ivy League graduate or any other football fan on your gift list, this would be a great choice.

"Meticulous" & terrific stories as the Wall St. Journal said
Mark Bernstein's terrific new book shows that the Ivy League invented and struggled with the same problems, and the same glories that permeate college football today.
His is a story of the game: the players, coaches, fans, institutions, that shaped everything about football from its rules to the way it is televised.
He shows how football's founding fathers had the same arguments, debates, and trash-talking disputes that coaches have today.
Anyone who thinks cheating or hooliganism or sportsmanship or glory are any different now than they ever have been, should read this wonderful and entertaining account.

From a Princeton football star who died a Fitzgerald-esque figure and mercenary soldier of fortune, to a princeton football star who then attended 450-some straight Princeton games, the people who skirmished are here. From the rules changes that ended almost a decade of 0-0 ties (in some years, teams would win a few games, tie the rest and win the title) to the rules changes that allowed the forward pass, to the rules changes that knocked the Ivies out of major college football, it is all here.

Beautifully worded, with glistening anecdotes and a sweeping overview, football's pageant it is all here.

And it is wonderful. ... Read more

Product Description
Add power, speed, and agility to your game plan! 52-Week Football Training takes the guesswork out of workouts and ensures players are in peak condition each season and game.

Daily workouts are presented for each week of the year and include resistance training, total conditioning exercises, and position-specific activities. The training plan conforms well to both high school and college calendars and organizes workouts into six sequential phases:
• Postseason
• Winter
• Spring
• Early summer
• Preseason
• In-season

Conditioning coach Ben Cook, who has worked with 27 players who went on to the NFL, presents a full menu of on-field and off-field drills and exercises to develop flexibility, strength, power, speed, and agility. The book includes more than 160 photos showing correct technique and nearly 200 exercises and drills.

Be ready to perform at your best. 52-Week Football Training will help get any team and player ready to excel on every down. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Absolutely the Best
I have only been doing this program for a little while, and it is as great as everyone says it is. Someone earlier said it is great for 16-45 year olds, but Im about to turn 15 and it works great for me. It would also work great for someone over 45, as their are at leat 10 different exercises for each body part to choose from. I suggest you stop whatever program you may be doing right now and try this one, I have looked into numerous other programs and attended camps and this is by far the best program I've found do far.

Year round training
I'm a woman in training for the IWFL (yes, there is women's football; check out californiaquakefootball.com.) This book has helped my training immensely. It covers just about everything. All lifts are expressed as a percentage of your maximum single-repetition weight (e.g., 8 x 60%)--which means I can use it as easily as the big boys. Bring a calculator to the gym, or else sit down and figure out the numbers beforehand, unless you are one of those people that can instantly calculate 60% of 130 to the nearest 5... well, you get the idea...

Buy this book & be bigger, stronger, faster. What else do you want?

Phenomenal
This book provides a great training plan for players aged 16 to 45.Very comprehensive, easy to use and well illustrated.Noticed results within 6 weeks.Includes not only weight and conditioning training, but also drills to improve agility, foot speed and balance.This reference can serve as the basis for designing a team or individual training program for any level of play.

Are You Ready?
Listen. This book is it. Drop any program you are on and follow this book. It involves everything from weight training to proper conditioning and even adds plyometrics for the complete combination of power, strenght, speed,agility, and stamina. I've never gained more mass and strength in one yearin my entire life. This tells you exactly what to do and when to do it.This is so intense I recommend finding a mentor or a lifting partner tofollow this with you to keep motivated. If football is your life like it ismine, buy this and you will become a better athlete. Period.

This One's All That
Man, I can tell you, if you what a complete workout plan, this one's all that and more. Especially the first two weeks of the off-season, resistance training workouts, if you go maximally through those workouts like Ben Cookdescribes,you are going to be left at the end having to have some oneelse take your shirt off. I mean you are all messed up, but in a good way.This book was exactly what I needed.I'm on week 7 right now, (I startedat the end of my high school football season) and I already feel bigger andstronger. Mr. Cook says that consistency is the key, and so far I havn'tmissed a workout. It seems to really be paying off I think. It'll pay offfor you too I'll bet.GET THIS BOOK! ... Read more

Product Description
Whether you’re a parent new to coaching or an experienced youth coach, Coaching Youth Football is your handbook for a successful season. Through the expertise of coach Tom Bass and USA Football, you’ll gain field-tested tips on how to run your team, communicate with and handle players, provide basic first aid, plan and conduct practices, draw up plays, and keep it all fun.

Fundamentals of offense, defense, and special teams are covered in depth, supported by 30 new drills and more than 140 photos and illustrations. Ideal for coaches of players aged 14 and under, this book is also a valuable component of the Coaching Youth Football course, the official course of USA Football, offered by the American Sport Education Program. With this book, you will create an environment that promotes learning, enjoyment, and motivation for players to come out for the team year after year. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Quick intro
This is good quick primer but if you have already purchased a few other books, there's no need for this one.

Great book
I'm new to coaching PeeWee Football and have a pedestrian knowledge of the sport. This will definitely help you with drills and practice to develop fundementals that the kids will need as they progress to their next level.

Fantastic resource for new coaches
When the role of acting as head football coach unexpectedly fell in my lap this season, I bought ASEP's Coaching Youth Football and I can't speak highly enough about it. The misgivings cited by previous reviewers predate this book's 2005 release date and don't seem at all warranted for the 4th Edition.

This book provided me with the nuts and bolts needed to get things rolling from Day One - from plans on how best to structure the first two weeks of practice to promoting teamwork and encouraging fun. The drills and tactics addressed apply well to the youth game - I'm coaching 10 & 11 year olds - but the book also provides background on communicating with parents and planning for safety.

I've found it to be a very complete reference that's worth picking up throughout the season. Very good. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (10)

Remember the AFL
This is a recap of the 10 AFL seasons by team.It has some interesting trivia, and if you are really a buff, you can go through the questionaire.It's written at an easy grade reading level, which reminds me of how old I was when I was following my local team (Oakland Raiders).

The absolute answer book on the American Football League
BUY BUY BUY BUY RIGHT NOW!!! DROP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND ORDER THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE A FOOTBALL HISTORIAN.

Good overview of AFL
This is a very good coffee-table book covering the history of the AFL.It is full of great pictures and overall histories of the teams during the 1960's.Some of the names will jog your memories of those great AFL teams.However, I wish there were some anecdotes that would shed light on the actual personalities of the pioneer players from the early years of the AFL.With names like Wahoo McDaniel, Bo Hickey, etc. you know there just had to be some real characters during those days.An anecdotal account would be a great companion to this book and the author should consider this idea for a follow-up book.

A Must For AFL/AFC Fans!
In this book, the history is vividly covered with so much information on early players and teams.It is richly illustrated and shows the evolution of the helmets and logos through the years.The thing about the old AFL was that they were risk-takers and that made for exciting games.Whether they were stretching the field on long pass plays, or doing something tricky with special teams, you could never fit these teams into a neat category.This would make a perfect gift for any football fan.The book is great!

I'm not a fan of the AFL, but....
..I enjoyed every page of this book.
I was always an NFL fan, and cried when the Colts (the BALTIMORE COLTS) lost to the NY Jets. That being said, I am a history buff of "older football" during this time period, and found this book a joy to read. The use of AFL football cards just added to the enjoyment (lots of color)

Other reviews go into detail on WHY to buy it (& they are correct). Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. ... Read more

Product Description
Make the most of your practice time with the Football Drill Book! Doug Mallory, the defensive backs coach for the University of Maryland, has compiled a collection of drills that will help players in all positions develop and polish their abilities. This book includes chapters with selected drills for the following positions:

• Wide receivers
• Running backs
• Quarterbacks
• Offensive linemen
• Tight ends
• Defensive linemen
• Linebackers
• Centers
• Defensive backs

Customer Reviews (8)

Excellent Resource
As a volunteer coach and former collegiate player myself this is a must have for new and seasoned coaches.The book covers all positions, provides clear/concise instructions on how to set up the drill, diagrams are easy to understand, and includes coaching tips introducing variety within each drill.Thank you Coach Mallory.

good book
good book loaded with useful teaching points and drills . I recommend it to anyone teaching youngstgers football.

good book
A very good book. Could use some more illustrations and it would be a 5 star book. Still highly recommended.

Good drills, light on pictures/graphics
The list of drills are comprehensive, meets the needs of every position, and are well organized. The graphics are poor, and there are no support pictures. If this book is updated with better graphics, I would highly recommend.

Good comprehensive book.
I liked this book very much. For anybody that wants a solid knowledge of how to coach any position, this book is a must have. I found the drills to be very well drawn and easy to understand. I would definitely recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description
From three recognized football and statistics experts comes a revealing and lively look at the pro game, with new stats, unusual facts and figures, revolutionary strategies, and keys to picking the winners. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Statistical Analysis of Football
This book is an excellent read for anyone who has a genuine interest in football statistics.The authors are actually statisticians themselves, and they go through each phase of the game and attempt to come up withscientific ways to rate each position, including the offensive line!

Thepart I found most interesting was the chapter on quarterbacks and theconventional NFL QB rating system and why it is flawed.From there theauthors go into a lengthy process of building a better rating system, whichmore accurately reflects who the most efficient passers in the NFLare.

You would think being written by a bunch of statisticians, this bookwould be dull, but it is far from it!It is lively and humorousthroughout, and is very easy to read.Also, most of the heavy statisticsare relegated to notes, so if you are not interested in that sort of thingyou can skip it easily.

All told this is an outstanding book to read ifyou are interested in learning the "Nitty-gritty" behind footballstatistics. ... Read more

Product Description
Football Offenses & Plays presents all of the popular offensive systems used today as well as tactical advice for play calling in each of four areas of the field. It features insights from many of the game’s top offensive minds, who have conceived, or are extremely successful in employing, a specific means of attack:

• Discover the strengths of the I-Formation from Al Borges and the use of the H-back from Joe Novak.
• Maximize the use of one-back sets using two, three, or four receivers with the help of Glen Mason, Joe Tiller, and Gregg Brandon.
• Make the shotgun a real weapon with the insights of Randy Walker and Rich Rodriguez.
• Learn how to use four receivers from shotgun formations from Rich Rodriguez.
• Trace the development of running attacks, including the veer with Bill Yeoman, the wing-T with Tubby Raymond, and flexbone with Fisher DeBerry.
• Execute soundly in the yellow zone, green zone, red zone, and gold zone with guidance from Dennis Franchione, Ralph Friedgen, Larry Kehres, and Terry Malone.
• Employ the best strategies for two-minute and no-huddle situations with advice from Gary Tranquill.
• Help your quarterback make effective play calls at the line of scrimmage with the audible system presented by Don Nehlen.

Developed by the American Football Coaches Association, Football Offenses & Plays is the most detailed and comprehensive book on offensive tactics ever published. Make it part of your game plan this season and see your side of the scoreboard light up! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Haphazard at best. Youth Coaches AVOID!
In my experience as a football coach at both the high school and youth levels over the past nine years, what coaches need the most are comprehensive playbooks that detail specific game situations and help neophytes to understand not just what a play is supposed to look like, but also how it attacks the defense and WHY it is called. You rarely in football call a play to score. You call it to gain a minimum acceptable amount of yardage in order to sustain a drive. Understanding this vital point is a CRITICAL part of understanding the strategy and tactical situation of the game.

You will NOT find that information in this book. Much like the inaccurately named "Football's Best Offensive Playbook" (ISBN: 0-87322-574-0) this book is a confusing mishmash of individual plays and complex ideas. An inexperienced youth coach trying to use this book would be hopelessly lost and end up with a playbook that looks like it came from Madden.

Almost no effort is devoted in this book to the concept of series-based football and the idea of making as many plays in the offense look as similar as possible in order to fool the defense into overpursuit. All of the plays shown are drawn against a 4-3 defense, a defensive system almost NEVER used below the high school level.

I also agree with the previous reviewer that the book should have included something about the West Coast Offense. Although the system is completely unsuitable for the youth levels, it has some application in it's passing attack, and with its widespread use (29 of 32 NFL teams currently run it in some form) coaches are bound to want to incorporate it. Its lack of inclusion means that the book is not comprehensive.

If you are an experienced coach looking to expand your system, you will probably find a few tips and tricks here. If you are a beginner, or are coaching at the youth levels, I strongly recommend "The Wing-T from A-Z" series by Dennis Creehan (ISBN: 1-57167-426 and 1-58518-250-8), "Winning Single Wing Football" by Ken Kueffel ,the SWinger's Bible, (ISBN:0-9744022-4-9) and "Coaching the Single Wing Offense" by Jim Ahern (ISBN: 1-58518-912-X).

If you are interested in the pass-first attack of the West Coast Offense and the Spread (And I hope you're not at the youth level where these offenses are inordinately difficult to install and use), then I recommend "Football's West Coast Offense" by Henderson and Olsen (ISBN:0-88011-662-5) and "Coaching Football's Spread Offense" by Stowers and Butzer (ISBN: 1-58518-198-6).

Above all, I recommend, "The Toss: A New Offensive Attack for High Scoring Football" by Jerry Vallotton, which is available only through his website now. Web searches will lead you to him easily. (Amazon sells the book, but it's currently out of print and several hundred dollars. It's much cheaper through the author.)

I do not particularly recommend this book.

~D.
Derek A. "Coach" Wade
Author: Impact! Coaching Successful Youth Football Vol. I: The Program

Some good stuff
It has some good stuff but there isn't anything in here about the West Coast Offense. ... Read more

Product Description

Captain Robert McGovern epitomizes all that is right and good in America. One of nine children growing up in a New Jersey family, he made local headlines as a high school football phenom before becoming a star linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New England Patriots. When his illustrious NFL career was over, he earned a law degree from Fordham University and went to work for the New York City district attorney's office. From that vantage point he witnessed close-up the fall of the Twin Towers on that world-altering morning in September 2001—an event that inspired him to leave public life and join the U.S. Army to better serve the country he loves.

Customer Reviews (15)

Touchdown!!!!
This is simply first rate.I called this a real "hammer" of a book, because Mcgovern keeps hitting the nail on the head again and again and again.

You can safely ignore the one-star review allegedly written by another Army Captain as a hoax, as no real military officer would be so gutless as to hide behind a single "first name".

David K. Taggart
Captain, U. S. Army Infantry, Retired

True American Heroes
I actually purchased this book on a discount table when I realized Mr. Mcgovern and I grew up in Northern New Jersey. I've also had a close relative serve in the military in Iraq. This book is a tribute to the brave Americans who think nothing of putting themselves in harms way. The book stresses the positive being done by our involvement in Iraq. I would not recommend this book to anyone against the war in the Middle East. As Robert Mcgovern writes in his book, regardless of your feelings towards the politicians and their policies, we should without question support our military men and women. I also enjoyed his account of his time as a college and professional football player.

Robert P. McGovern: Striving to Be the Best that He Can Be
Captain Robert P. McGovern had to work extraordinarily hard to survive roughly four seasons in the NFL.He was no more than a marginal player and had to constantly worry about being cut.It is safe to say, that McGovern was the last one picked and the first one released. He truly became the best that he could possibly be.His strong work ethic served him well as a both a prosecutor and U.S. Army officer.

The leftist establishment slanders our soldiers as usually some sort of social reject or even psychotic.Capt. McGovern is living proof that this is utterly false.His story is well worth reading.You may wish to provide a copy to the younger people in your family.It should motivate them to also aspire to greatness.Those like myself who never served in the military have a particular obligation to thank McGovern for his self-sacrifice and dedication on behalf of our country.May God bless him.

Autobiography and Apologetic
Several reviews I have read have come down hard on the author for his stand on the war in Iraq.But this is his autobiography, the story of his life, and his opinion of the war is just one part of it.It is a well-written account of his childhood, his family, his education and his aspirations, and continues into his adulthood to the present time.He lets us know how he was trained by his parents to be unselfish and give back to the community some form of service, and this was undoubtedly the motivation for joining the Army Reserve, and eventually finding himself on active duty in Iraq.

A good part of his story comes before that.He was competing with his older brothers in athletics, trying to be as good as they had been in high school football, and then in college football. He received an athletic scholarship from Holy Cross, an enormous accomplishment in his eyes, and he was grateful for the opportunity.And then came pro football, four years of it on three different teams.He was pretty good at it, but not outstanding.He simply was not big enough (hefty, bulky) to be a great linebacker.He was thankful for this chance to make the big league, but took the advice of one of his coaches to give it up.From there he decided to study law and with his law degree took a job as an Assistant DA in New York City.Then came 9/11, to which he was an eyewitness.In his role as a US Army Reserve officer he volunteered to help.Immediately following, he applied for active duty, leaving his job as assistant DA, and became a prosecutor for the Judge Advocate General Corps, and then deployed to Afghanistan and later to Iraq.His experiences there were extraordinary because he was involved in the trial of Hasan Akbar, the US Army Sergeant who killed two Army officers and wounded a number of others when he threw hand grenades into the tents of the soldiers.

This is a well-written account of the life of a man who became a soldier in the US Army.Why would anyone find it strange that he has strong opinions in favor of the war in Iraq ?It is his contention that we are there as part of the war on terrorism.The patriotic feeling that he had on 9/11 was something that almost all of us shared at that time.For him it continued; for many of us it disappeared.

Should we still be in Iraq?That is a matter for debate, which has been ongoing for some time now. Captain McGovern feels that we are making a difference, and that is why we are still there.

This book is certainly worth reading, if only to gain some insight from a different perspective.

RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "YOU AND I ARE THE "ALL-AMERICAN'S" THAT CAPTAIN McGOVERN IS TALKING ABOUT!"
The life story of Captain Robert McGovern, is almost "Forrest Gump" like. Rob is one of nine Irish Catholic children, born to Howard and Terry McGovern in New Jersey. Though born in New Jersey, if I were to describe his morals, character, and upbringing, I would describe it in the highest of terms, that most Americans would consider as "mid-western". One of the many, emotionally uplifting themes in this book, is the absolute, enduring, love, and respect, that Rob, constantly proclaims for his parents. He was raised from the beginning, to have high goals, and his older brothers got football scholarships to Holy Cross, as Rob also did later on, but with less fanfare. Just as importantly, he and his siblings were raised to "service" the community. To give something back, and Rob continued this process in college at Holy Cross and while in the National Football League, with outreach programs. When Rob graduated college, no one gave him a chance of making it in the NFL. But he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs, as an undersized, underdog, linebacker, and special team's player. He lasted a few years with numerous teams, making the most of his non-star ability. The way he accomplished this, is with dogged, determination and dedication. To quote Rob: "Being the best at what you do has to be more important to you than partying or chasing girls or hanging out with your buddies. It has to be worth sacrificing the comforts and pleasures of an undirected life and replacing them with long hours of sweat and tears. In football, it also helps to be one tough character." At the end of Rob's short NFL career, he attended law school, and upon graduation, became an assistant D.A. in Manhattan. In keeping with his personal goal, of giving service to his community/country, he also joined the Army Reserves.

Then, on the forever-fateful day, of September 11, 2001, Rob was on the way to work in Manhattan, when he saw the smoke, and the planes, at the World Trade Center. He couldn't get to work, so he went home and put on the TV, and heard an announcement, that military men were needed at "ground-zero" to help look for bodies. Even though he was in the reserves, he donned his uniform, and went to "ground-zero", and helped recover the remains of victims for days. Rob, happened to be there, when President Bush arrived, and shook the Commander In Chief's hand, and was so moved, he decided he wanted to go on active duty and help America fight back. Because Rob was 38 years old, they wouldn't let him go on active duty. He persisted in every way possible, and was finally accepted as a Judge Advocate General. (JAG) He proceeded to go to Afghanistan and Iraq and assisted in "Rules Of Engagement" (ROE) enforcement. From there, he went in to criminal prosecution. He wound up on the successful prosecution team, that convicted Sergeant Hasan Akbar, probably the worst, United States Military criminal, in the last 30-40 years. To refresh your memory, Akbar, was the traitor, who the night before, we were going to launch Operation Iraqi Freedom, attacked his comrades, with grenades and small-arms fire. He wounded more than a dozen troops. Two were dead.

There is much more, to the life story, of a man who loves his country, loves his family, loves God, and has dedicated his life to enforcing freedom throughout the world, but let me conclude my review, by having Rob tell you why he named his book "All American". "You might wonder about the use of "All-American" in the title. First of all, let me say off the bat that I'm not talking about myself here. What is an "All-American" anyway? I've met some real "All-Americans- quiet, unassuming, heroic people who inspire students, protect us from crime, and defend our values. They are "All-American" in every sense of the phrase. I chose this title in part to pay tribute to these "All-American", I've been lucky enough to meet and work with through the years. I also chose it to pay special tribute to the men and women of our armed forces, especially those in the 82nd Airborne Division. That famous unit happens to be called the All-American Division."
... Read more

Product Description
This booklet is about a football coaching system that can be used to help one become a succesful coach. This booklet is written with the assumption that the reader has some knowledge of football. This directive is very much needed by colleges and universities throughout the country. Strategy, safety, practice, scouting, offense, defense and kicking are all disscussed, as well as the philosophy of coaching. ... Read more

Product Description
Hundreds of illustrations and photographs combine with essays by the best sportswriters in a definitive source that breaks down the past seventy-five years of professional football into chapters that span a decade each. 125,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo. TV tie-in. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A book to savor in small snippets
This book is the literary equivalent of the savored drink, better sipped and savored rather than guzzled. The best way to read it is in snippets, a little at a time and not necessarily in order. It is also the ideal book for the coffee table during football season, especially when you regularly have friends over to watch NFL games. It contains a complete description of the NFL from the early days when they were hardly pros to the latter days when it became a national obsession. If professional football is anything other than a passing fancy to you, then this is a book that you will enjoy.

On any given Sunday
This is an awesome book full of great reference material. It is a large coffee-table book that is useful to settle those discussions during the football season or to help illustrate conversation. The cover featuresan illustrated Red Grange, complete with leather helmet and minimal padding representing the 1920s or old era and Emmitt Smith representing the modern gridiron hero. The old photographs inside are priceless and capture the drama of football. The chapters are broken down by decade and includes a section on The All-Two-Way Team(way back when some players played offense and defense) that features such sixty-minute men as Sammy Baugh,The All-Time team broken down into defensive and offensive unitsincluding standouts like Deacon Jones(dubed and popularized the sack) and Jerry Rice( whose receiving records still stand and may be untouchable for years to come) and the final section, The NFL of the Future that includes many stars that recently retired (Jerome Bettis) or are about to (Junior Seau) and speculation on technical advances like the hologram etc. If you enjoy the storied lore of the NFL and all it's characters and teams that have made it what it is today than you wil love this book. Buy it for the football fan you love, they will love you for it.

Bone-crunching history lesson
75 seasons is a great trip through NFL history. The drawings may be a little strange, but the text is fantastic and the pictures are classic. The highlight of the book was the all-time team picks. It is undoubtedly a list that would stir up arguments, but you can't disagree with the picks that are there. From Grange to Baugh, Sayers to Smith, and everywhere in between, the background and rich tradition of the NFL is consumed all within this exceptional book.

A fine book for the football fanatic
"75 Seasons" is a coffee table book for the football fanatic. Chocked full of great pictures and stories, it also features the NFL's 75year all time greatest team, position by position.It is a great gift bookfor any football fan. ... Read more

Product Description
For the past three decades the University of Nebraska football program has set the standard of excellence for successful conditioning. Complete Conditioning for Football presents the same program the Cornhuskers use to power their way to national championships.

Base, development, peak, and in-season training programs are provided for beginning, intermediate, and advanced players. The book includes 98 position-specific exercises that help players improve speed, agility, power, and endurance. Sample workouts are provided for offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers, running backs, receivers, and defensive backs. Chapters also cover the key training principles of adaptation, specificity, overload, periodization, and proper rest and nutrition.

Fully illustrated, Complete Conditioning for Football takes the latest in strength and conditioning research and turns it into a detailed, practical approach that will help players gain the performance edge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

A Great Conditioning Book; A MUST Have For Football Atheletes!!!
I have looked a while for a great conditioning program for football players and when I found this book, I was amazed by the detail, quality, and effort obvoiusly put into it by the authors which made it a great conditioning book for High School football players and beyond. The authors incorporated not only the physical ways in which to get better but mental ways as well which are both important for conditioning as well as the successful winning of football games by not only being ready on the outside but also believing and knowing you can do it on the inside. The whole conditioning program is, when performed with the best potential and effort, a challenging one that will more than likely get you the preperation you need. These authors, coaches of the University of Nebraska football team which is famous for this strenghth and conditioning program, first introduce you to factors that build on one another to make a great football player and then give a very complete program of conditioning and training including a nutrition and shopping list for best atheletes to use for great energy. The structure of the book and organization is exceptional and it literaly gives you all the information you will ever need on how to prepare for football in any aspect. It contains specific exersises for speed, flexibility, strenghth, and more, and contains workout plans, inconclusive descripiton, and even helpful football tips in the process.
I would strongly recommend this book to any football athelete looking to prepare for football through conditioning at any level because of the very helpful information you will find in this book. I guarantee this book will never sit on your shelf too long if you get it because you will be refering to it constantly. I know I made the right choice by buying this book.

Simply the Best
The book "Complete Conditioning for Football" is a must for any football player. Inside includes performance needs; conditiong principles; testing, evluating, and goal setting; flexibility training; lifting techniques; speed drills; agility drills; nutrition and rest; and last but not least conditioning workouts and programs.

Performance Needs:

This chapter includes a performance pyramid which if followed can lead to "making the play", or success on the football field. It includes character, conditioning, ability, practice, game, and with the top brick, performance. Also it breaks down each of the components, exa. Character- belief, resolve, discipline, courage... and gives a descriptive explanation for each of them also.

Conditioning Principles:

This chapter guides you in developing and implementing a program to allow you to peak the four athletic indicators of speed, agility, power, and endurance. It breaks down and explains the principles of specificity, overload, and periodization.

Testing, Evaluating, and Goal Setting:

This chapter outlines step-by-step procedues on how to safely test and evaluate athletes' fitness and athletic abilities so ou can develop the objectives and specifics of your conditioning program. Here it gives some tests, such as vertical jump test, pro agility run test, 10- and 40- yard dash test, 300-yard shuttle run test, and even height, weight, and waist measurement tests. It also gives you percentile ranking charts of all the positions in high school and college. With your test results you can see where you rank among those in the 10-yard and 40-yard dashes, pro agility run, and the vertical jump. Percentile ranks are from 5-100.

Flexibility Training:

This chapter gives you the proper warm-up routine (high knees, heel ups, ect.), stretching routine (partner stretches), and mobility drills that should be done during the conditioning workouts (warm-ups and stretching before, mobility drills after the workout).

Lifting Techniques:

Provides valuable information on proper technique of all the lifts, to warming-up, spotters, breathing, and so on and so forth. Strength training exercises include: explosive, complementary, base strenght, and specialty. Not many weight rooms that I know of have the complementary, or "ground basedjammer", so in the workouts in the back of the book give replacements for these lifts if the jammer is not available.

Speed Drills:

Included are 29 drills for speed (2), acceleration (9), plyometrics (9), and resisted speed (9). Also gives the proper sprint technique especially used for testing the 40.

Agility Drills:

Included are 58 drills for improving your agility. The drills include ropes (8), bags (15), backpedal drills (11), cones (12), line drills (6), and jump rope drills (6).

Nutrition and Rest:

Basically describes all the foods you should eat to make it short. This is a chapter you should allow as many people as possible to read, since without nutrition, athletic performance is low. Also gives a grocery shopping list with all the foods listed under the vitamins and minerals it has in them (example: almonds, corn oil, ect. are listed under vitamin e) and a section of drinking fluids and getting plenty of sleep.

Conditioning Workouts and Programs:

Guides you to building a successful conditioning program. Lists all the speed/agility drills and notes which drills are appropriate for which positions. Included are sample programs in development and peak phases for the positions. Also included in this chapter is the lifting programs for the beginner (base, development, in-season), intermediate (base, development, peak, in-season), and advanced (base, development, peak, in-season). This is an absolutely outstanding weight program in my opinion, with lifting days on monday, tuesday, thursday, and friday.

All in all, this is the complete book for any football player looking to get in great shape for the next season. It is mainly a year-round program by giving types of workouts (base, ect.) for each month of the year in which to apply the right workout to. I also recommend the book "52-Week Football Training" to combine the exercises in the books if you want a more variedprogram. I suggest taking the time to looking into "Jumping Into Plyometrics" for a plyometric program to add into your schedule and "Play Football the NFL Way" for techniques and tips to help you excell in the game of football.

this book helped me greatly
This is a great book because the program's strengths are based on what you want to do for football.If you want to get big and strong to play oline/dline then it has a stellar weight program.But if you are looking to develop speed and quickness it has a series of drills for that too.You just have to concentrate on the area that suits your needs the most.Excellent description of all the drills and excersies as well.

Informative Read...
Gives a in-depth view on football specific training and is helpful in developing a custom program for yourself.All-in-all worth the read.

One of the best!
From the school that really started weight traininging in college football, Coach Arthur has done a great job of setting forward the principles that we should use in designing the programs that we use to build our athletes. You need this book. ... Read more

Product Description
In this comprehensive history of America's popular pastime, John SayleWatterson shows how college football in more than one hundred years has evolved from a simplegame played by college students into a lucrative, semiprofessional enterprise. With a historian'sgrasp of the context and a novelist's eye for the telling detail, Watterson presents a compellingportrait rich in anecdotes, colorful personalities, and troubling patterns. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Bough this for my dad
I purchased this for my dad because he is an absolute college football fanatic. He seems to really love the book. He started reading it immediately after he opened. Seems like a real page turner.

A little dry, but informative and well researched
The book reads like a college paper, but is extremely well researched. If you enjoy history and football, you'll love this book.But don't expect to read about the past champions and players. This book is about the development of the college game and it's numerous, unending controversies. We all fantasize about the "Good Ol' Days" of college athletics and presume that there was a time when the "Student" came before the "Athlete" in vernacular as well as in practice. This book explores the idea that, in reality, the "Athlete" has always come first, despite the well-intentioned efforts of the academicians.

I didn't exactly breeze through this book. I'd put it down from time to time, read another book, and come back to it.I personally found the later chapters to be the most interesting, probably since the book is in chronological order and the issues were familiar.They must have re-edited the book because I didn't see many grammatical or typographic errors, as others have mentioned.

Pick it up if you like college football, but keep a couple other books in reserve.

Thoroughly researched, though long-winded and poorly edited!
Mr. Watterson has presented us with a volume that is unique among sports books - a comprehensive history of college football and its relationship to college life and American society. I recommend it for two reasons:

1. It is incredibly well researched; Watterson has spent years digging through college and university archives around the country. He has amassed a mountain of valuable information about the progression and development of the college game that is not available elsewhere.

2. Despite being an academic, the author writes in a style that is easily readable.In my experience, it is rare to find a scholarly book that is also comprehensible to a lay audience.

Though it has many positives, there are two major flaws that drive me to distraction.

1.Watterson insists on repeating himself, sometimes making the same point in the very next paragraph or on subsequent pages. At times, I found myself wondering whether I had mistakenly lost track of my place in the book and was reading a page that I had already covered. The author's tendency to rehash previously made points slows the reader's progressionand makes each chapter significantly longer than it needs to be.

2. The index is woefully incomplete. For example, references to Glenn "Pop" Warner are listed on three pages - 137, 146 and 172 - but more information about him appears on page 180.Likewise, Richard "Von" Gammon is referenced in the index on pages 36-38, but he also appears on page 47 (misspelled as Richard Gammen). There are many such instances in the index.

Nevertheless, this book is very valuable for the many nuggets of insight and history that bubble to the surface. The information contained in this volume is found nowhere else, and far outweighs the drawbacks in writing and editing.

Bravo! (Pity about the editing though)
This enlightening book covers the history of college football from an interesting and neglected point of view. That is to say, it contains none of the usual lionisation of players and coaches, and no re-working of big games we're all familiar with. Rather, Watterson examines (and questions) the place of the game in American society and its role on campus. The book establishes quite clearly that the over-emphasis placed on gridiron is hardly a recent phenomenon or even (as I foolishly suspected) down to the evils of television - that schools have been fielding ineligible players, fiddling grades, and operating slush funds from the days of Walter Camp. Watterson details the various movements which have attempted to reform the game and how it is run, and explains lucidly why virtually all of them failed. A seemingly insatiable desire for victory and glory to the alma mater has resulted in a gradual yet steady erosion of the original purpose of sport on campus, to the point where today a college President can express a desire to "build a university the football team can be proud of" without a trace of irony.

The book's only real fault lies in some woeful editing, which results in a few stories being re-told, and several paragraphs being repeated almost word-for-word many pages later (not to mention some grammatical howlers which don't strike me as being the author's fault). I found myself able to to overlook this, though, and can unreservedly recommend it. It may not be one which the more avid Sooner, Fighting Irish, Crimson Tide, or Buckeye-backer will gravitate toward, but those who enjoy big-time football and yet abhor how tainted it has all become will find it difficult to put down.

Should be a mandatory read for all college faculty -
This a dry read and takes some effort as it is essentially an academic tome that is concerned with the evolution of modern college football from a political, policy, and business standpoint. But it is quite thorough and hits the nail on the head. The final pages discuss how the game can be saved .... since reform is not an option. This is the weakest part of the book, but understandably so since it would take the wisdom of Solomon to fix this problem. I have always felt that a return to one platoon football makes a lot of sense regarding costs (less insurance, travel and equipment, scholarship dollars).

The editing in the book leaves something to be desired. There are a number of typos - and a few sentences that make contradictory statements. The author is not a well versed student of the game since there are several technical mistakes which indicate some deficiencies in research. Some of these are listed below as examples.

(1) Identifying Brian Bosworth as an Oklahoma lineman when he was a linebacker,
(2) Claiming All American status for 4 years (1982-1985)for a very average SMU running back,
(3) Confusing the major Western Athletic Conference (WAC) with the minor Rocky Mountain Conference,
(4) When describing the 1943 game between the College of the Pacific (COP) and USC attributing Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) membership to COP which was in fact an independent school during the 40's and never was a member of the PCC or its later version, the Pac 10.

That said I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in the history of college football. ... Read more