Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Product Description

Win the all-important kicking game, every game! Complete Guide to Special Teams provides the tactical insights for gaining an advantage in every facet of the crucial third component of championship squads:

-Kickoffs

-Kickoff returns

-Extra points

-Two-point conversions

-Punts

-Punt returns

-Field goals

-Punt and field goal blocks

In addition, this comprehensive guide presents detailed technique instruction for kickers, punters, long snappers, field goal and extra point kickers and holders, kickoff and punt returners, and other specialized positions related to the kicking game. Chapters on the development of special team units and players highlight the best practice drills and key teaching points for success.

Complete Guide to Special Teams is the authoritative resource on the kicking game for coaches and players. Created by the American Football Coaches Association, this guide could spell the difference in the outcome of several games each season.

Product Description
The First Instructional Manual for Football Players and Coaches Ever Published by the National Football League

Position by position Guide to Learning to Play the Game

Quarterback
Running back
Receiver
Offensive Line
Defensive Line
Linebacker
Defensive Back
Placekicker
Punter
Kick Returner
... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Football book
The books showed up in great condition.I just have to say it took a lot longer then I thought it would take.My husband ordered the same book for the same price and same shipping , that book showed up much faster from barnes and noble. So I would just say make sure you allow plenty of time around 3 weeks and if the price is good it will just take longer to arrive.We were ordering these books for our football coaches.

Excellent value for money
Play Football the NFL Way is a great guide for young people getting into coaching football at all levels.

Great guide on technique based drills.

Great book even for beginners
While I've been coaching youth football for a couple of years, I thought I would get the book to see what the pros are taught.Its a great book new coaches and for the fundamentals.

Sound Stuff
Very good techniques for the beginning football player. Mostly well explained, although some things don't make sense without a point of reference for a beginner (what's your outside hip?).
Plenty of information for every position.

Other Books
As the title says, this is a position by position breakdown of useful things to practice and learn for the game of American Football.With an emphasis on the younger player or hack beginner type it isn't too bad a book to have a look at for erstwhile players and coaches to gain a better understanding of some simple fundamentals.
... Read more

Product Description
What is it like to be a heavily recruited high school football star? James and step-dad Dave learn the ins and outs of the college courting process and share their inside story in Recruiting Confidential. With all the controversy surrounding NCAA compliance breakdowns, booster bribes and big time pressure in coaches and athletic staffs to bring the best of the best to their institution, how do this father/son duo navigate the murky waters of big promises and big expectations? Claerbaut reveals in honest reflection how the schools go about bringing star players to their team, what impressed them and what turned them off to various coaches and campuses. As the journey to a college decision nears, father and son discover a bond that has developed and hopefully will grow as James announces to the world where he will spend his college days--on and off the field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Recruiting Confidential Review
This book is successful in describing the recruiting process in Division 1 football.For those who want to learn about Division 1 football recruiting, this book should be on their reading list.

web of football recruiting
We are going through football recruiting with our son right now and I found this book's depiction of how the process works and what it is like dealing with college coaches to be dead on.We highlighted passages and refer to them often.The book is also a sweet story of the bonding that takes place between a father and son durnig this process and how rewarding it is to see your son becoming a mature man.The book has an unexpected ending that made me smile since Harvard is also recruiting our son.I would love to know what James is doing now.

Fathers and sons
A prominent coach was once asked why it was that he thought black athletes were so dominant at the higher levels of professional sports.He replied that in his experience, black sportsmen were better because they trained harder and acted in a more professional manner.Furthermore, he suggested, the reason why he preferred to work with black athletes was that typically, they were involved in sports for a reason; to gain money and fame."Most of the white athletes aren't", he added "For the most part, they seem to me to be in sports because they're trying to sort out issues with their fathers".

Food for thought.

Not as good as advertised, very average!!!
The description on the cover reads like this is a big-time football star and is wanted by several very major college football teams.Truth is that he was a very good player in Illinios, but not a Blue Chipper that is sought by all of the major college football teams.

If you consider "Big-Time" college football as Central Michigan, Western Michigan and Northwestern then you won't be disappointed.There are mentions of a few big college football schools, but nothing serious.There are some very good academic schools that are interested instead cause the kid is smart.

You can tell this father cares about his step-son and his step son is a bright person willing to put in the time it takes to be a good athlete.There's also a few mentions of the Olive Garden throughout the book if you're hungry.

If you're looking for a recruiting story that involves under the table cash, cars, girls and all of the other stuff you hear about, this is NOT the book for you!!!If you just want to read about the average college recruiting experience, this is your book. I was disappointed!!!The ending also was not very good, but it's how it happened.

Quick read!
I, too, enjoyed this book.I was less putoff by the author than other reviewers although I can certainly understand some of their points.Still, he's a father looking out for his son and, well, I guess I could understand the lengths he went to help and protect his son during the recruiting process.By the end I was really pulling for the kid to do well and I was anxious to read his decision.You really can't ask for more from a Sunday afternoon read.I had wished for a different ending but, hey, it's not my life! ... Read more

Product Description

Until a mere generation ago, black football players were largely unproven as quarterbacks since they were excluded from a position that demanded strategic thinking instead of brute force. So, talented players headed north, rising to stardom in Canada. John Danakas profiles the pioneering athletes who donned new team colours and changed their sport.

[Fry Reading Level - 4.9]

Customer Reviews (2)

black quarterbacks
Great read on how black QB's had to take the long road to play their position professionally

Supposedly for kids, the whiny, left-wing liberal book waters down the CFL's great history...
William C. Rhoden, myslef and other authors have
tackled the subject of black QBs before and nei-
ther this author, nor Rhoden seem to present a
complete picture. Rhoden almost completely mis-
ses the CFL (and naturally, Arena Football), and
the Canadian author here, is very illiterate on
the NFL/USFL/Arena Football, the latter two of
these American leagues (and correctly the CFL)
have always been very fair to ALL QBs, let alone
just black ones.

Bernie Custis was just a very good athlete, more-so
than just a QB and was ALL-CFL at both QB and RB.
His career was very short because of a leg injury,
not prejudice. The problem with 'specially' books
like this Canadian entry on black QBs, which the
author has some sort of perverse fetish for, and
say, John W's book of the B.C. Lions is, both are
far leftists, who want to sensationalize the black
QB experience in the CFL to sell books. What do you
expect from frustrated Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans(?!),
who's fading franchise [no longer community owned!]
hasn't won a Grey Cup since 1990?

Rich Salzer,
Football Historian and 2% Owner
of the Saskatchewan Roughriders ... Read more

Product Description
An invaluable look at 45 of the top running and passingplays in the Florida State offense. This massive 210 page text coversevery aspect of fast break play, including Toss Sweep, Fullback Trap,Fullback Belly, Strongside Sprint Draw, Weakside Sprint Draw, andCounter I Formation Runs, as well as Z,Y,X, and T Shallow Cross andmuch, much more. Contains dozens of easy-to-read and use diagrams. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Sloppy and incomplete
I really wanted to like this book, but after reading through it I came away unsatisfied:

* I don't think the author proved his thesis that FSU's offense is either appropriate for or easily adapted to high school football.

* There were far too many mistakes in the text and diagrams for the price of the book.

* The author only spends 4 pages on the no-huddle aspect of the offense, surely the "fast break" in "fast break football".

In short, the book gives the impression of a quick and dirty attempt to write a book on Bobby Bowden's offense.

For that matter, Wilkes doesn't even establish that he is writing about only one offense. FSU and Bowden have made dramatic changes in their offensive thinking over the years, but Wilkes attempts to shoehorn all of it into one book, even plays like the fullback trap which FSU hasn't emphasized for years. The result looks less like a coherent offense than it does a great big grab-bag of formations (several of which are mislabeled in the book) and plays.

Only moderately recommended. I hope Coach Wilkes does himself and his readers a favor and takes the time to revise this book properly and bring out a clean edition.

This book is worth the price
The good news is that this book has many good ideas. That said, this book is riddled with errors and is very difficult to read. The author fails to define his terms and it is often impossible to know what he is really saying. He makes mistakes in the text, mistakes in the diagrams, and omissions abound e.g. in defining his formations one of the diagrams is completely wrong, we never find out who the 1 and 2 backs are, he leaves out two formations he later uses, and he never defines what he means by various defensive techniques, for the first play 46 toss sweep he diagrams a play using the term "switch call" without defining it and claims a technique 9 when none is diagramed, on the same page he forgets to draw the assignment for a guard and claims the play is vs a 4-3 when the diagram is a 5-2. The rest of the book is of the same quality. I am still glad I bought the book because of the many ideas presented. Too bad this coach did not have anyone edit the book before publishing.

Great Offense
Wayne Wilkes has done a great job of bringing the FSU Offense to the high school level.For anyone who is familiar with Bobby Bowden football, this is a book you must have.

For any coach, this is an offense that you must use.

Pretty Well Done
This book contains a simple, effective system for high school football. The only thing preventing a perfect score is that a few of the diagrams are mislabled.

florida state x's&o's for your personal pleasure
wayne wilkes gives you exactly what he says in this book. a simplified version of the florida state offense. it is not paticularly extensive, but it has a fair sampling of every type of play, blocking, and pattern. not paticularly useful if your already familiar with the offense, but a great introductory to those who are not. ... Read more

Product Description
In Coaching Football Successfully, Bob Reade shows you how to build and maintain a successful football program. You'll learn techniques, tactics, and drills for coaching offense, defense, and special teams. Reade also shows you how to teach the skills and strategies used at each offensive and defensive position and presents a wide variety of offensive formations and defensive alignments. In addition to Xs and Os, Reade emphasizes the other important aspects of coaching, including philosophy, communication, motivation, planning, and program evaluation.

Coaching Football Successfully is a publication of the American Coaching Effectiveness Program (ACEP), a multilevel national coaching education program. This book is one of a series of sport-specific texts designed by ACEP. Through the series, expert coaches like Bob Reade show how philosophy, psychology, and teaching and management methods, as well as Xs and Os, can be applied successfully to their sports. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Football Coaching 101
Just the coaching philosophy alone is reason enough to buy this book.Bob Reade is truly the epitome of what a football coach should.In addition, you get a great look the Augie Wing-T and the Double Dive Series.

IT IS A STEAL FOR THE PRICE
Coach Reade, Coached in both high school and college. He has a 146-21-4 winning record. He once won 60 games in a row. He has won 87% of his games.And the list goes on and on...

This book covers the Single Wing Offense and the defense he used to win 60 games in a row. He diagrams both his running and passing offense. If you are looking for a play book, here it is.

This is one of the best books on the market today. It is easy to read and full of information. It covers everything you need to know about starting a football program. I purchased it and I am glad I did.
I highly recommend it to all levels of coaching.

Wow...........
Whatever great things you hear or read about this book are true.I can't find words that properly give this book it's due.Totally amazing.An absolute MUST read for ANY level football coach.

Learn from a champion
The philosophies and insight into coaching are so close to my own that I am more confident than ever. The coaching plans and how to put a program together are the best I have ever seen. This book is so comprehensive that you will want to read it over and over to make sure that you didn't miss a thing. Finally, coach read shows his champion attitude from the beginning with a very humble approach that any would inspire anybody.

SIMPLY THE BEST! THE ONLY BOOK YOU WILL EVER NEED!
I am amazed with how much this book contains. I have purchased over a dozen football coaching books simply to find all of them updated and summarized in this masterpiece. I could go on forever with many more compliments but you get the idea. ... Read more

Product Description
Thousands of sandlot players, coaches, fathers and mothers of fledgling athletes, and even amateur and pro players can benefit from reading How Football Works: Little Known Facts to Improve the Game. The book is divided into five major sections: Playing Touch Football, Playing Tackle Football, Transitioning from High School to College, Playing Offense, Playing Defense, and Final Remarks.Many important suggestions and pointers are found within these pages. With humor and common sense, the Staffords bring a fresh look at a game that can be played by families, grade school and high school teams, and college and professional teams. The authors stress that precision, confidence, training, and proper attitude contribute to winning at football. ... Read more

Product Description
Ahhh, fall. When the air turns crisp and cool, the leaves start turning red and orange and yellow, and a person’s fancy turns to one thing-college football! And there’s not much better in college football than the Big Game, the rivalry that can make or break your season. Your rival is the school where even if you’re 1-10, if that one win is against Them, your season is a success. Big Games celebrates the biggest of the big games in college football and looks inside ten of the greatest rivalries the sport has to offer.

Michael Bradley puts you in the stands to witness the history and the heroes of each rivalry. There are the in-state clashes of Auburn-Alabama, Miami-FSU, and Cal-Stanford; the border wars of Georgia-Florida, Texas-Oklahoma, and Michigan-Ohio State; lower-level but still passion-evoking scraps like Harvard-Yale and Lehigh-Lafayette; and nationwide rivalries like Notre Dame-USC or the service rivalry of Army-Navy. With fans of the schools numbering in the millions nationwide, these tilts are often given national television exposure, lending an even greater air of importance to the events.

Each rivalry gets its own chapter, and Bradley takes an in-depth look at why its participants are rivals and how the rivalry manifests itself each year. In each chapter he gives the history of the rivalry overall; takes a look at the five greatest games and their historical context; presents a feature on a player, coach, or single-season team that stands out; highlights a collection of anecdotes on pranks, family feuds, famous participants, and wild celebrations; singles out heroes from each school and superb individual performances in the rivalry game; and includes a game-by-game list of scores. Big Games brings the traditions, thrills, and passion of gridiron grudge matches to life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Outstanding
In Big Games, Michael Bradley profiles and historically documents 10 of college football's most famous rivalries.In this book you learn about: the respect and honor found in Harvard/Yale and Army/Navy; the culture clash in Cal/Stanford; the national legacy gathering of Notre Dame/Southern Cal; the state pride of Oklahoma/Texas and Michigan/Ohio State; the regional turf war of Lafayette/Lehigh; the conference supremacy battle of Georgia/Florida; the future NFL talent assemblies of Miami/Florida State; and the venomous hate of Alabama/Auburn.

What really stood out about this book was the amount of detail applied to the history of each program.Bradley takes you back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries and outlines the challenges the schools endured to launch their programs and highlight the key people and events in the decades that followed that made them what they are today. In fact, the Harvard/Yale chapter is actually a lesson in how the competitive football season we have today actually began.

And while Bradley is busy guiding you along the program timelines, he weaves in the evolution of each rivalry and the reasons they take place.You'll learn how the hate between Auburn and Alabama stems from decades of Auburn being viewed as "the little brother" to Alabama within the state. You'll know the reasons why Texans looked down upon Oklahomans at the turn of the 20th century and how those feelings spilled into Longhorn/Sooner rivalry. And you'll understand how Miami/Florida State is the closest thing to a sibling rivalry in football.All this and much more is spelled out for you in this book.

Furthermore, each chapter is packed with stories and quotes from personal accounts of the effects of each rivalry off the field.Ross Browner tells how he chose Notre Dame because he wanted revenge on USC for not selecting him.Patrick Nix recounts the childhood hardships of being the son of Auburn alumni attending a school filled with Tide fans.The prank wars of Lafayette/Lehigh, Harvard/Yale, and Cal/Stanford get special attention; as does the agony of defeat in Alabama/Auburn, Michigan/Ohio State, Army/Navy, and Oklahoma/Texas.These stories really bring these rivalries to life for the casual fan.

Bradley concludes each chapter with a "Great Games" and "Profiles in Greatness" section."Great Games" allows the reader to experience five of the greatest games of each rivalry, such as: the thrilling 2005 triple-overtime clash between Harvard and Yale, "Wide Right I & II", the insane Notre Dame/Southern Cal meeting of 2005, the Lafayette/Lehigh shootout of '88, the '72 Iron Bowl, and the '82 Big Game."Profiles in Greatness" covers is a "who's-who" of college football that, at one time, participated in the chosen rivalry.Profiles include: Walter Camp, Bobby Bowden, Deion Sanders, Barry Switzer, Darrell Royal, Knute Rockne, John McKay, Joe Montana, Steve Spurrier, Herschel Walker, Rabih Abdullah, Pop Warner, and Bear Bryant.

If you love college football history and want to understand its top rivalries, this is the book for you.You'll learn that not all rivalries are the same and how personally many people take them.You will be both educated and entertained.You'll also have a greater respect for those built these programs straight up from scratch.I can't recommend it enough, so buy your copy today.

No Competition- THE Book for College Football Fans!
This book has it all, the great match ups, the legendary games, the team statistics- and in perfect time for the holiday season.What a great gift for any college football fan! It is all here, you won't be disappointed! ... Read more

Product Description
North American football was born in Canada in the 1860s. For decades, though,the growth of Canadian football was slow to change from its rugby traditions. In recent decades, it has been in the shadow of its largest competitor, the National Football League. Although hockey is held up as Canada's number one sport, the CFL has enjoyed as rich and storied atradition in Canadian sports history. This book is not the usual general history detailing on-field accomplishments, Grey Cup winners etc. Instead, it combines an historical look through 2003 with discussion of continuous themes which have shaped the League. These include the role of the Canadian player, competition from other pro sports, the media's role in creating an image of the CFL, Canadians' attitudes towards pro sports, and how the CFL continually struggles to survive - often in spite of itself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A very good book on the CFL
First of all, Mr O'Brien's book is truly informative about the last couple of decades of the CFL's long history. Thus, if you are familiar with the league's early years, the text supplies an excellent (though sometimes "heavy" in details) history of the venerable Canadian institution. Quite a few questions and hypotheses about the social and national elements associated with the sport are offered always in an intelligent and well documented manner. It is unfortunate a prequel book (especially for the years following WWII up to Mr O'Brien's study) does not exist although the author includes a condensed history of the sport in the first chapters.

However, it would have been nice if a number of pictures had been included in the book. I suspect marketing/price reasons must have prevented the author to do so.

I highly recommend the book and hope that much more titles regarding the CFL would be available.

Don't take it personally ... It's just business.

The book is designed to present a behind-the-scenes account
of the various peculiar business decisions made by the modern-era CFL ...
with particular attention given to the expansion experiment into the USA.

The CFL exists today
because of -- or in spite of --
these decisions.

If you're interested in delving into that sort of thing,
then this book is a very interesting read.

If you're looking for player stats and/or game highlights,
then this is probably not for you.

Not What I Expected For a CFL History
Being a collector of books on team histories, I bought this book expecting to see a year-by-year history of the CFL, team by team, along with many great photos. Needless to say, I was very disappointed. After browsing through this book and not finding what I was expecting, I returned the book for a prompt refund.

Good review of the CFL
For those who want to know the history of football in Canada this book might be for you. It borrows from Frank Cosentino's two books ("Canadian Football: The Grey Cup Years" and "A Passing Game, A History of the CFL"). However, there is enough original research to make this book worth the buy. I heartily recommend it.

Aren't many books written about the CFL
As a previous reviwer mentioned this is somewhat of a hard book to read.I did not know that the CFL per se was not formed until 1958.I did not know that until the last couple of decades that all the western teams (smaller cities) except Vancouver were community owned teams.

I watched the Grey Cup growing up in the 60s on ABC Wide World of Sports.I remember the 1962 Grey Cup which was fogged out.It was between Winnipeg (Bud Grant's team) and Toronto.Through the years I've always followed the CFL whenever I could get it on cable.

For a football fan the first 6 or 7 chapters are the most interesting.There much emphasis on the American expanison in the mid-90s.The last six chapters or so would be enjoyed more by a Canadian, as it talks more about their culture.

Apparently there was a lot of mismanagement by the league & owners.The books provides a lot of recall about the promoters and charlatans who bought franchises in new sports leagues or expansions.They had balls, though more often than not very limited funds.

I visited Canada several times, but never picked up on the psychology of their citizens.Canada basically has an inferiority complex when thinking of itself compared to the U.S.The BoSox Yankee rivalry, as is most rivalries, is due to Bostonians self-perceived inferiority to New York.

... Read more

Product Description
Everything you need to know about football- high school, college or pro in just 20 minutes!

Part One- The Game
The game of football is explained in 10 short, easy-to-read pages.

Part Two- Football Dictionary
Refer to the Football dictionary as needed whenever you hear a football term you want to learn more about. Every football term you would ever need to know is covered here. Football terminology, jargon and common penalties are explained in plain english, along with illustrations.

Bonus- abc's of the NFL...Pro Football Simplified & NFL Team Profiles
This section covers professional football in more detail and also each NFL team. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (8)

A key story from American sports history
College football was popular and well-established when Red Grange starred for the University of Illinois, but professional football was seen as a kind of carnival freak show. That all changed when Grange went to play for George Halas, the young owner of the Chicago Bears and a "missionary" for what professional football could become. The third indispensible ingredient was Charles C. Pyle, a theatre-owner in Champaign and a promoter with a shadowy reputation. Grange's college coach, Robert Zuppke, was disgusted at Grange's decision to go pro and tried to talk him out of it, but what followed was the creation of a pro football world with stars and loyal fans, a world that we would recognize today. Still, the most interesting details about Grange himself come from his college years, when working off-season as an iceman in his hometown of Wheaton kept him in shape. On the day in 1924 when the University of Illinois stadium was dedicated, Grange scored six touchdowns against the University of Michigan, a day that always will be remembered in college football.

Great football story
As a Chicago Bears fan I enjoyed this book a great deal! However, some of the slang terms used by the author such as "Num Nuts" caught me off guard and didn't seem to fit. Had they been quotes that would have worked well. But the author has written for several major publications and I expected better writing. At times it felt like he was trying too hard to be one of the guys in the locker room with Grange. The storyline between Grange and his manager CC Pyle was one of the best parts of the book.

Captures the period and the sport
Poole does a great job of discussing the role that Grange's celebrity had on the birth of professional football. There is ample evidence that a great amount of research went into this book. Go Illini.

Good Read
I bought this for my brother, a history buff, after hearing the author on NPR.My brother said he was surprised at how good this was.He said not so much for the football content, but more about the feel of the era.He said regardless of how interested anyone might be in football or Red Grange, it did a great job depicting this time in our country's history.He is recommending it to others...something he rarely does.

The Ghost of Cool Gold
The history of football might have been extremely different if Red Grange only pursued basketball and track at the University of Illinois as he had initially planned. It may be far from carrying the moniker of "America's Game."

The importance of "The Galloping Ghost" to the gridiron is legendary, but author Gary Andrew Poole scrambles past the well-trodden turf to deliver a comprehensive biography on the man who made football professional. In Grange's first college game (1923) he rushed for three touchdowns against Nebraska, ultimately gaining 723 yards in seven games and notching a dozen TD's while leading Illinois to a "national championship."

But it was one year later - scoring four TD's in the first quarter versus Michigan - that solidified Grange's name in the "Golden Age of Sports." And in an era when college players were dissuaded by coaches in turning pro - even threatened with having to return their varsity letters- Grange signed with the National Football League's Chicago Bears one day after the end of the 1925 season and embarked on a 19-game barnstorming tour that earned him in excess of $100,000.

A salary dispute between Grange and the Bears led the player - along with his agent, C.C. Pyle, to form their own league - the American Football League - in 1926 to compete against the NFL, with the superstar playing for the New York Yankees. The upstart league lasted one year before folding, with the Yankees moving to the NFL for the 1927 and 1928 seasons, though Grange missed that second year due to a severe knee injury.

Though not the same player after the injury, Grange returned to the Bears (1929-1934) and helped the club to titles in 1932 and 1933. The iconic pop culture status was solidified through the marketing by Pyle; Grange appeared in two silent-films and a 12-part serial.

This "Ghost" was pure gold in a time when pro football needed a superstar. His name resonates today as signifying excellence and Poole delivers a great look into the incredible life and times of the "Ice Man." ... Read more

Product Description
Arguably the best football conference in America, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) contains some of the most storied programs in the history of college football. Christopher Walsh provides a team-by-team history of the SEC and describes the classic games, players and coaches in the conference's 73-year history. From his unique vantage point as beat writer for Alabama football for the Tuscaloosa News, Walsh also gives insight into the culture and traditions of football in the South, where, it is said (and probably widely believed), the game is greater than religion. ... Read more

Product Description
A full football season of facts, history, and nostalgia, this book will tell you the date the record for passes attempted was broken (94 on 11/1/53) as well as the game in which a defensive tackle lined up as a tight end to make the only touchdown reception of his career (William Perry, Chicago Bears, 11/3/85), and much, much more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fun, Easy-to-Read Football Book!
If you enjoy reading about the NFL and the history of the game then this book is for you. The author does a great job of putting together a fun, easy-to-read, book on the events that helped shaped the NFL. This is a book that you can go back to and read over and over or if you want to stump your family or friends. Highly recommended. Chris W.

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

Customer Reviews (7)

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

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

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

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

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

Product Description
Huddle up with one of the greatest players in football history as he shares the techniques, strategies, and secrets of kicking and punting.

In Football Kicking & Punting, Hall of Famer and NFL 75th Anniversary Team member Ray Guy joins veteran kicking coach Rick Sang to provide aspiring kickers and punters with expert instruction found nowhere else. From the fundamentals to advanced strategies, it's all here:

• Field goals, extra points, and special plays such as onside kicks, corner punts, and squib kicks
• 46 proven drills to maximize practice time and ensure improvement in distance, hang time, consistency, and accuracy
• Specialized warm-ups and conditioning programs to improve flexibility, increase leg strength, and prevent injury
• Game strategy preparation, including opponent assessment and defense recognition

In addition, Guy and Sang share their personal strategies for adapting and compensating for challenging field and weather conditions, specific game situations, and an opponent's strengths and weaknesses.

So whether it's pinning your opponent inside the 20 or drilling that last-second kick through the uprights, let Football Kicking & Punting elevate your play and ensure winning performance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Football Kicking and Punting
Great book for the beginner and the experienced players.Points out fundamentals of the game to help guide players to be better all around position players, and coaches to be more effective instructors.

great kicking put into words
As a former high school football punter and placekicker (now teaching my 15 year old son how to kick) I feel that this book is excellent. I find it is amazing that the physical mechanics of kicking have been put into words so eloquently.The strategy of kicking according to game situation really impresses the importance of this skill not only for the kicker but for the entire team.Exercises and practice skills are included. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1933, America was in the midst of the Great Depression. The depth of despair created in the American people earned the panic a singular place in the history of the nation's economic turmoil. Football, a uniquely American game, weathered these hard times, adapted, and made some of the pain a little easier to endure. In 1933, author Mark C. Bodanza examines the important role football played in the midst of the nation's historic crisis.Bodanza recounts this dramatic year both on and off the field of the professional and college gridirons and analyzes it in the context of the times. He tells the story of a momentous season shared by the high schools of Fitchburg and Leominster, Massachusetts, a rivalry dating back to 1894. In the prior thirty-nine seasons, the teams had played each other forty-nine times. But, 1933 was different; the game had never had such significance.More than ever, Depression-wary Americans needed a reprieve from their cares and concerns. Football provided a welcome relief. Including period photos, 1933 narrates how the sport of football-which has created some of the nation's most magical moments in sports-was impacted by the Great Depression in a variety of ways, some with lasting consequences. ... Read more

Product Description
The West Coast Offense has been winning football championships for two decades—from the 1982 San Francisco 49ers to the 1997 Green Bay Packers. Find out how to use this high-production, low-risk passing attack in Football’s West Coast Offense.

The book is loaded with 244 Xs and Os diagrams, including a mini-playbook for attacking all types of defensive coverages. Position-specific technique instruction and drills ensure perfect execution on every play for teams at all levels.

Keep possession of the ball and score big with the offense that’s a proven winner. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Good book, but...
Warning to HS coaches...

The West Coast Offense, like any other offense, requires a certain type of athlete at certain positions.Just as the wishbone quickly degenerates without a power fullback to draw 4 - 5 defenders at the point of attack (Bear Bryant's recommendation, not mine!), the WCO requires a QB who is accurate within a given range (in the HS environment, 30 - 50 yards accurately and consistently) and mobile, receivers who have the native speed to force DBs into a 10 - 15 yard cushion and are capable of executing the occasional deep route.You run the WCO at your own risk if you lack those athletes, with predictable results.

Defensive coaches run 6 - 7 man blitzes, DBs congregate in the short zones (since they conveniently aren't forced to worry about the bomb), and unless your QB is exceptionally mobile (think young Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, etc.), you can count on him taking a pounding w/multiple interceptions, rushed throws, and sacks.Furthermore, most HS QBs lack the experience and maturity to avoid locking onto primary targets, which means that if the DBs hang in the short zones, you'll increase the opportunity for blitzing lineman/linebackers to take out the QB w/delayed throws.

Offensive lineman generally have an easier time in the WCO, since they are not forced to try to move defensive lineman/linebackers through drive blocking, but instead become amateur sumo wrestlers (another warning:Pro and College lineman routinely get away with blatant holds that will result in penalties at the HS level, so if you are counting on using WCO blocking techniques like the pros, think again).

The primary attraction of the WCO at the HS level is that many districts are composed of teams running offenses from the 1970s (the wishbone being the main example), and you may find success simply because your opponents aren't preparing to defend against a WCO every week.

Football's West Coast Offense
This book is a must read for anyone interested in learning about the West Coast offense. It goes over every essential part of this difficult-to-learn offense and gives helpful insight into the strategy. As a quarterback, it helped me a great deal in understanding the offense and my role in it. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is serious about football and learning this offense.

Good info.
In terms of best book, this is not. But it is a must read. The small chapter on how his protection works is different from Ron Jenkins The multiple West Coast Offense.(Which is a better book). But this book will increase your knowledge about the west coast offense, you can implement the offense with this book, so it's not a bad book.

It could've been better
The book concentrated alot on patterns and what the quarterback's supposed to do. It didn't cover much on the most important part of the offense, the offensive line. It didn't touch on how to be a good blocker and on theimportance of the O-line. I was disappointed to see that it didn't includerunning plays. The most dangerous teams that use the West Coast all have aneffective running game. It didn't go into much depth at anything other thanon the quarterback's techniques. It's a good book for QB's and receivers.It's not bad for runningbacks that only want to play catch. But it isn'tgood for linemen. The book just needed more substance.

a great guide for an offensive novice
A nice overview of pro football's most popular offense. I would have liked to have seen more formation diagrams, motion charts and certainly diagrams of running plays. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a complete guide to the football stadiums of the 114 colleges and universities that are in the NCAA Division I-A. Information for each stadium includes the year it opened, its current seating capacity, its special features, the dates, descriptions, costs and financing of any renovation or addition, and its playing field surface. Related information includes the team mascot, nickname, colors, fight song, and year of the school's first intercollegiate football game. The names and tenure of all athletic directors and head coaches since the stadium opened are provided as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Pure Pulp
Another review for this book contends that you can "marvel at the pictures for hours."Absolutely correct.You can marvel at how poor the picture quality is.You can marvel at the terrible grade of paper used.Mostly, you can marvel at the fact that someone actually deemed this worth publishing.

Complete waste of time and money
First, let me clarify my passion for college football: I visit the websites of other teams just to learn their gameday traditions, I follow the stories and histories that make every Saturday game a 'big game,' -heck, I play college video games to "virtually" visit the 117 stadiums that are out there.So when I bought a book calling itself "An Illustrated Guide" to college stadiums, I expect to read a little more than technical data and some very mediocre B&W photos.This book seems slapped together with information that any halfway intellegent fan could look up on the internet (with color photos no less).Adding an extra layer of insult, the book, although published in 2000, still has stadium pictures that are more than several years out of date (i.e. stadiums built pre-1998 are still shown in their "model" phase).

College Football Fan and Fanatics: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT waste your money on this book.Just look up the info on a search engine, you'll get way more information in a much nicer package (or you could buy the latest college football video game and see them all in virtual form).Anyway would be better than this book.

Complete waste of time and money
First, let me clarify my passion for college football: I visit the websites of other teams just to learn their gameday traditions, I follow the stories and histories that make every Saturday game a 'big game,' -heck, I play college video games to "virtually" visit the 117 stadiums that are out there.So when I bought a book calling itself "An Illustrated Guide" to college stadiums, I expect to read a little more than technical data and some very mediocre B&W photos.This book seems slapped together with information that any halfway intellegent fan could look up on the internet (with color photos no less).Adding an extra layer of insult, the book, although published in 2000, still has stadium pictures that are more than several years out of date (i.e. stadiums built pre-1998 are still shown in their "model" phase).

College Football Fan and Fanatics: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT waste your money on this book.Just look up the info on a search engine, you'll get way more information in a much nicer package (or you could buy the latest college football video game and see them all in virtual form).Anyway would be better than this book.

an insightful college football stadium book
This book is an information packed encyclopedia for anyone who is interested in architecture and stadiums, or for anyone who just likes college football. 110 stadiums in lively colorful pictures and surrounded with facts such as capacity, dates, the team, the mascot, information about stadium renovations, and little unique facts that people don't ususlly realize. A great book. Extremely detailed. You can sit and just marvel at the pictures for hours. This is a book not to pass by. There are not many about college stadiums, and this one is the best you will find. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (8)

Not the book the title promises
I pulled this title having read Lars Anderson's book on the 1915 Carlisle-Army game and Mark Bowden's book on the 1958 NFL championship. I would recommend either of those without qualification.Both provide a thorough background leading up to and culminating in a particular pivotal game, which game itself is described in exciting detail (although not quite down-by-down).Anderson and Bowden provide nice little mini-bios of the key players and a taut history of football leading up to the game in question (in fact it might not be a stretch to say that Bowden's book proivdes a better retelling of football's becoming a more "open" game than this volume.) The background provided here is not the same level or quality and the game description itlsef is lacking.Quite tellingly, the game of the title taks place at the mid-way point of the book. The rest of the book to follow the game account, and much of what precedes it in fact, is really just a hagiography of Harper.The exciting history of ND football deserves better.

Best Football Book I've Read
An insightful, INTERESTING book about, among other things, reasonable people developing rules intended to keep people alive as they engage in sport.It is astonishing to know that there were actually people who opposed the new rule of the forward pass.Maggio's well-researched hindsight gives much deserved credit to Harper's foresight, and gives us all a timely reminder that intelligence is never out of style.The book reads anecdotally, and is a must for anyone interested in the history of football, the history of education, the history, really, of the game that defines in large part the character of our land.Maggio's well developed story telling style is a pleasure.You'd be well advised to buy two: One for you, and one to make sure you won't have to loan yours out.

Interesting, but a lot of repetiton
I learned some interesting and previously unknown things about the pre-Rockne days at ND, but there was a lot of repetition and needless details that didn't add anything. The book could have been much shorter.

Notre Dame wasn't the first throwing team
I like the subject of the book, but really the Army game was long after Carlisle and LSU had been throwing the ball with great effect in the years of 1906-1909.

The game of 1913 wasn't the first forward pass and many years after Pop Warner had made the Indians a passing machine. The Indians with Jim Thorpe and the great passing game of 1907-08 were a one of the best early football teams.

Its Carlisle in the North and LSU in the South that put the passing game on the map and near every football team in America started following thier lead.

Army had already been beat by Carlisle great team of 1912 and between Jim Thorpe's running and the Indians passing game, Army was destoryed by the score of 27-6.

Coach Wingrad comes to LSU and has the pass as his key weapon in the 1907 and 08 seasons, Joe Pitchard uses the same offense in 1909 at LSU. Its the two key passing plays vs Auburn on plains that lead to the victory over the Plainsmen, both passes were Fenton to Seip in a 10-2 victory. Read up on Doc Fenton, he is in the Hall of Fame and was the key passer on those teams.

Hollywood made the myth out of the Army-Notre Dame game and today we are still hearing the myth, its time to put it to rest.

So unlike the movie shows, no one by 1913 and in no way was Army surprised by the farward pass.

And Notre Dame like all the smaller teams of those times saw and knew that the small Indian teams had beat the football powers of Harvard, Yale, Penn, Army, Navy, etc using the passing game.

The author defends his position.
I enjoyed Homer Martin's review of my book, but I stand by my position that the Notre Dame vs. Army game of 1913 was indeed the game that changed football. I understand that many teams had used the forward pass prior to the 1913 game, including the great teams at the Carlisle Indian school. Sally Jenkins in her recent book points this out very well. However, I would point Mr. Martin, Ms. Jenkins and others to Chapter 3 of my book concerning the evolution of the rules governing the forward pass and also the change in the shape of the ball. Prior to the 1913 season the rules and the shape of the ball virtually prohibited the full and free passing attack that Notre Dame used against Army in 1913. Notre Dame gained 213 yards in the air that day. An unheard of statistic at the time.The evolution of the rules and the change in the shape of the ball made all the difference. Note also that ESPN, see the final chapter of my book for the citation, called Jesse Harper's decision to to pass against Army in 1913 the number one college coaching decision of the 20th Century. Hollywood did not make a myth out of the 1913 game. The credit for the game being the game that changed football has been asserted by numerous sport's writes since the day the game was played - starting with 2 and 1/2 columns on the game in the Sunday edition of the New York Times the day after the game was played. The Times article quoted Bill Roper, the former head football coach at Princeton, who was one of the officials in the game to the effect that "he had always believed that such playing was possible under the new rules, but that he had never seen the forward pass developed to such a state of perfection." So I submit, there is no myth to put to rest. It is a reality. Best regards to Mr. Martin and all who read this. Frank P. Maggio, the author. I can be contacted at "maggioND@msn.com"
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