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

Product Description
Ted Dean's historic five-yard touchdown run gave the Eagles the 1960 NFL Championship Game and handed legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi his only career postseason loss. But Dean wasn't even supposed to get the football on one of the biggest plays in Eagles history. What was the original play, and why did Norm Van Brocklin change it?

Eric Allen's winding, weaving 94-yard dash against the Jets in 1993 was called "the greatest interception return in NFL history" by Steve Sabol of NFL Films, but the play almost didn't happen. Allen was about to head out of bounds after intercepting Boomer Esiason. Why did he keep running downfield?

Wilbert Montgomery's 42-yard touchdown against the Cowboys on the second play of the 1980 NFC Championship Game propelled the Eagles to their first Super Bowl. But why was Montgomery in the locker room for the first play?

These questions and countless others are answered in Game Changers: The Greatest Plays in Philadelphia Eagles Football History.

What is the untold truth behind the famous "Pickle Juice Game"? What motivated Bill Bergey when, in his first home game as an Eagle, he forced a fumble that Joe Lavender returned 96 yards for a touchdown? Why was Hugh Douglas so furious with the Bears before he KO'd quarterback Jim Miller in the 2001 playoffs?

The onside kick. The Miracle of the Meadowlands. Randall's 91-yard punt. Fourth-and-26. They're all here, in exquisite detail with nearly 100 new interviews, including 17 of the 22 living members of the Eagles' All-Time Team.

Veteran Philadelphia sportswriters Reuben Frank and Mark Eckel bring to life the most improbable, unbelievable, and unforgettable plays in Eagles history. If you thought you knew everything there is to know about the Eagles, you were wrong. You might agree with the rankings, you might disagree, but you won't be able to put down Game Changers: The Greatest Plays in Philadelphia Eagles Football History, an essential book for every Eagles fan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Decent.
As an Eagles fan throughout most of the McNabb era, I found I was missing links to some of the Eagle's past great accomplishments, and wanted a book to kind of commemorate that. I found this one and Amazon sold it well enough, so I went with it. The book lists the 50 greatest plays of the Eagle's history...across various games and moments in time...as of this posting I have only read to #30.

It's okay but the to be honest, some of the moments feel forced. Having witnessed a handful of these moments live myself, I don't know that I'd list them among any top lists, but they are obviously in this book. Like an 2003 Monday Night game against the Dolphins when Correll Buckhalter flipped over another Eagle to score...yes, I feel it was a great play but one of the Eagle's greatest plays? I don't know about that. Most of what is written is subject to opinion...but it does give you a look back at specific games and what made them special. I'm hoping by the time I get to 10, everything after that will be those unforgettable ones that they keep talking about.

Still, I can appreciate how hard it is to write a book like this..and the effort is there, along with full color photos from the games themselves on almost every page. The book also has excerpts within the book to talk about some of the key figures and relationships in Eagle's history, from Donovan McNabb to Reggie White, to the relationship between Buddy Ryan and Troy Aikman, and why this was important...I can appreciate those tidbits into the past that I missed.

This book is mostly for Eagles fans and I can recommend it as a well written and mostly well thought out book with great presentation. If anything, it's something to read through on a trip or sitting in the bathroom that will give you a look back at some of the greatest games the Eagles ever played. ... Read more

Product Description
Picture postcards have been in existence almost as long as professional football, but no one has brought the two together until now. In "Postcards from the Edge of Football", distinguished football writer Hunter Davies explores the history of the game through soccer cards in their various forms. This expansive collection illustrates the heroic players, the great clubs and the most memorable events, while also illuminating the lesser-known teams and players to feature on postcards. Everything from the arrival of new strips to the latest fashions and the rise of women footballers is documented, and, in a wider context, the social history of football and its importance in our national life can be identified, as can the changing attitudes towards the game and its history. The golden age of postcards was from 1900 to the 1930s, when millions of them were sent by all social classes. There were photographic studios in every high street, and travelling photographers would capture teams or individuals in their best strip; then copies would be sent on to family and friends.While the football-postcard phenomenon has been eclipsed in recent years by modern technology, these cards remain sought after by collectors. With "Postcards from the Edge of Football", Hunter Davies has produced an intriguing, lavishly illustrated history of the football postcard that will appeal to soccer fans and the general reader alike. ... Read more

Product Description
Who can forget how the Buckeyes dominated the Oregon Ducks in 2010 to win their first Rose Bowl in over a decade? But do you remember the key player who contributed more than 330 yards of total offense including 72 rushing yards on a torn PCL?
And everyone remembers Eddie George s three-touchdown, 314-yard field day against Illinois in 1995. But what special motivation did the future Heisman winner have against the Illini?
What receiver best known for his Super Bowl acrobatics set a Fiesta Bowl record for the longest touchdown catch?
Whose improbable grab did quarterback Jim Karsatos call the most impressive catch he had ever seen?
These questions and countless others are answered in Game Changers: The Greatest Plays in Ohio State Football History.
Any Buckeyes fan who has sung The Buckeye Battle Cry can tell you not just how many Heisman Trophies running back Archie Griffin won, but what position his little brother Ray played for the Scarlet and Gray. They can tell you how many seasons Woody Hayes paced the sideline at the Shoe just as surely as they can tell you where they were when the Buckeyes won the thrilling national championship in double overtime against the heavily favored Miami Hurricanes.
This is a book for the Bucknut in all of us. It is a collection of the all-time greatest plays in Ohio State football history, featuring everyone from Chic Harley to Archie Griffin to Heisman winner Troy Smith to today s standouts under Coach Jim Tressel. Keith Byars shoeless touchdown run. The controversial interference call in the 2003 Orange Bowl against Miami. The Snow Bowl against Michigan in 1950. The goal-line stand in triple overtime against NC State. They re all here, in exquisite detail, including full-color photographs, game details, and featuring dozens of interviews with some of the Buckeyes leading players and coaches.
Veteran sportswriter David Lee Morgan, Jr., brings to life the most improbable, unbelievable, and unforgettable plays in Buckeyes history. You might agree with the selections or you might disagree, but you won t be able to put down Game Changers: The Greatest Plays in Ohio State Football History. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

UPON FURTHER REVIEW!!!!
This book needs a major rewrite and redo. First of all in most of the chapters the game pictures obviously do not match up with the game in question.In the chapter "Packing a Lunch and Working Overtime the chapter heading and the game summary both say North Carolina while the game from 2003 was against North Carolina State.Finally in the biggest blunder of all,The chapter "A Tale of Two Coaches" says the coaches were Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler.WOODY WAS FIRED AFTER THE 1978 GATOR BOWL!!!!.The coach for Ohio State for this 1979 game against Michigan was Earle Bruce. The writer and publisher of this book needs to drop back and punt and try again.
... Read more

Product Description
This is the colorful story of the popular sport from its hazy beginnings in 12th century England, through the birth of college football, to the teams, leagues and events of the professional game as it is today. The sport's most compelling moments, players and coaches come to life with copious photographs and fascinating text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not Free SF Reader
The Pictorial History of Football by Roland Lazenby is a large oversized look at the past of the game of American Football. Not surprisingly, given the title, it is full of photographs of pretty decent quality. This would not be bad for someone that just had a casual interest to have a bit of a look. ... 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

Customer Reviews (18)

Truly a History of Football Tactics
I purchased this book to learn more about the development of tactics over the years, and that is exactly what I got. This book is truly a "history", as it discusses many people, places, and social contexts as it explains the changes in tactics. This is not a quick and easy read like some current books on soccer, but for the fan who truly loves not only watching the game, but thinking and learning about it, this is a good read. The main reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars is that I would have enjoyed more depth at some points regarding specific individuals. There is some of this, but I wanted a bit more. Still, I recommend this book to the passionate and thoughtful fan of the beautiful game.

Terrific, thorough, readable
Highly recommended to anyone who approaches sports with an intellectual point of view. Wilson creates a linear path from the game's founding to the tactics of today. Excellent book.

Accesible, Enjoyable, Illuminating read
This is an excellent, highly readable and enjoyable book on the evolution of football tactics.Whilst expanding any readers historical knowledge of the game it will also greatly increase the readers understanding and appreciation of the modern game.The book weaves in stories of players, personalities, managers and historical events with tactical/formation diagrams and descriptions of the way key historical games and teams played.

It is written in such a way that it is very accessible, it is not a essay or lecture, and it keeps its subject matter interesting at all times. You don't need any advanced understanding of the game of football to enjoy this book.In short - don't be put off if you think this book may be too technical or too dry a subject. The writing style and structure easily avoid any such pitfalls.

Although this book is not a coaching manual it can play a role in any coaches collection as it provides a wonderful insight into some of the methods of play and pros and cons of various systems. I have found this book to be an important reference both with coaching and increasing my enjoyment in watching professional games.

A masterpiece, but a seriously flawed masterpiece
This book is admirable for its erudition and its focus on the evolution of tactics from the playing fields of nineteenth century public schools to the present. One really must admire a British specialist who digs into the entire global picture of football and comes up with a relatively comprehensible narrative out of what must have been reams of club histories and match reports that probably contain very little of the information the author seeks. It is readable, informative and occasionally funny. Here comes the "but". Quality really declines toward the end, as if the author was rushing to meet a publishing deadline or simply outsourced the job to a football fan with a bizarre form of Tourrette's that forces him to spout senseless combinations of numbers such as "3-3-3-1, 4-5-1, 3-4-1-2". The next-to-last chapter is completely unreadable. Whereas other chapters developed the story of a single innovator or the situation in a single country, this one just rushed through a myriad of modern formations and discusses sweeping issues such as the disappearance of the playmaker. Another late chapter devotes incomprehensible amounts of space to an obscure polemic between a football statistician and a future England coach. The central narrative is lost completely, which is tied to another central weakness: the lack of occasional paragraphs to sum up the evolution of tactics as the long procession of teams, coaches and players parade through the foreground of the book and just as quickly disappear from view. The title "Inverting the Pyramid" is a brilliant example of this: it sums up an immense amount of information into a neat little compact literary phrase, but that kind of brilliance is somewhat absent from the rest of the book. In short, I enjoyed the book, I learned a lot from it and I will probably return to it frequently after matches, but it really could have used a little more tidying up from an editor (hopefully in a future edition).

Just in time for the World Cup
I ordered this book to help me become more knowledgeable about the sport, and that has worked.I better understand the tactics and the demands placed on individual players based on their position and the formation.Good history of theevolution of the game, as well as the great coaches and great players.
With exactly one month until the start of the World Cup, I feel I will have more insight to what I'll be watching. ... Read more

Product Description
Guaranteed to provide hours of entertainment--and to spark spirited debate--The 50 Greatest Plays in Iowa Hawkeyes Football History ranks and brings to life the most memorable moments from Hawks gridiron lore. The 50 chapters describe the action, profile the participants, and reveal the rich story behind each play. Quotes, game statistics, a generous selection of memorable photographs, and Xs and Os diagrams of selected plays make this the most comprehensive and unique book ever written about Iowa football. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good book, decent diagrams -would be awesome as a DVD.
this is a great book for all Hawkeye Football fans - I guess you can dispute the ranking of the plays, but most of the classics are in here.this book would be perfect if accompanied by, or as, a DVD. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Steeler fan or not - good football book
This is my new coffee table book. Well written and of course a must read for all Steeler fans. Better than the "Good, Bad & Ugly" Eagles book.

Fantastic book, but...
This is a wonderful book by someone who seems to really know their stuff.There's a good balance between plays from the modern era, the Super 70s, and even the dark period before.Only problem?It already needs an update, as there are at least four plays from the 2008 season that ought to be included.

Steelers Debate Material Galore!
Relive the greatest moments of Steelers history: the Super Bowls, the playoff games, the rivalries--it's all here.Whether nodding your head or arguing with the rankings, this is an absolute must for any member of Steelers Nation.I love it.

50 Greatest Plays!
The Immaculate Reception is the No. 1 play in this Pittsburgh Steelers football history. This book contains 49 more for Black and Gold fans to enjoy.

Go Steelers! ... 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
Penn State football dates back to 1887. Since then the Nittany Lions have won two national championships, 26 of their 41 bowl appearances, and have cultivated one of the largest followings in college football. Of the thousands of Nittany Lions plays that have occurred on the field at Beaver Stadium and elsewhere, some are destined to be remembered for the ages. These are plays that won games, turned around a season, or put the exclamation point on a career. In Game Changers: The Greatest Plays in Penn State Football History, author Lou Prato digs deep into the annals of Nittany Lions football and extracts these very best moments, bringing them back to life with a rich clarity that will delight every fan who thinks of Happy Valley as his or her home away from home.

Who can forget Gregg Garrity's diving pass reception to win the national championship in 1983? And how about Roger Kochman scoring the only touchdown in the first-ever Liberty Bowl to seal the victory for the Lions? Or the last-minute goal-line stand in 1986 that saved the championship season? These and others are among the best plays in Nittany Lions history and helped build the team into the powerhouse it is today.

Prato has painstakingly researched the team's history and assembled the plays that clinched victories, won championships, or earned bragging rights in the team's long-standing rivalries with schools such as Pitt and Syracuse. All of the plays are lavishly illustrated with accompanying full-color photographs, many direct from Penn State's archives. In addition, readers will relish player and coach profiles, quotes from participants, game statistics for each play, and ancillary events highlighted in detailed sidebar text.

Any fan of the Nittany Lions will love reading about the multitude of plays that have changed the course of games in Penn State history. All the key players and coaches are here: Todd Blackledge, Joe Paterno, Dennis Onkotz, Michael Robinson, Chuck Fusina, Ki-Jana Carter, and all the others who have made the Nittany Lions the magnificent team it is today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

WE ARE...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I highly recommend this great book about Penn State football and the great, Joe Paterno!!Tons of photos and wonderful stories about some of the most exciting college football games ever!!!!!Every Penn State fan should own this book!It's great! ... Read more

Product Description
Guaranteed to provide hours of entertainment--and to spark spirited debate--The 50 Greatest Plays in Chicago Bears Football History ranks and brings to life the most memorable moments in the long and storied history of the Monsters of the Midway. The 50 chapters describe the action, profile the participants, and reveal the rich story behind each play. Quotes, game statistics, memorable photographs, and Xs and Os diagrams of selected plays make this the most comprehensive and unique book ever written about the Chicago Bears. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Husband loved it!
I gave this as a gift to my husband and he LOVED it!He couldn't put it down.He loved the detail and of course he disagreed with a couple of the choices but it made a great conversation starter with his buddies.Highly Recommend! ... Read more

Product Description
Consistantly ranked among the top ten college football rivalries by fans and pundits alike, the annual Army-Navy game is the one rivalry that, as one commentator has noted, stops the most powerful men and women in the world in their tracks for one day a year. ... Read more

Product Description

A radio/television sports announcer who moved to Baltimore in what turned out to be the final decade of the Baltimore Colts, Ted Patterson has amassed one of the world's premier collections of Baltimore sports memorabilia. In this short history of football in Baltimore, he takes us on a tour of his remarkable collection -- not only to highlight memorable games and players but also to explore the pop culture that surrounded and has survived them.

Patterson introduces us to the teams and early stars of Johns Hopkins and Morgan State; Army-Navy games in old Municipal Stadium; high-school rivalries like City-Poly, Loyola-Calvert Hall, Gilman-McDonogh, and the great years of Patterson High; the original Colts (colors silver and green); and, at considerable length, the legendary Baltimore Colts of Johnny Unitas, Lenny Moore, Raymond Berry, Alan "the Horse" Ameche, Artie Donovan, and Lydell Mitchell. He also includes the lastest chapters in this eventful story: the fight to bring pro football back to the city, the dawn of the Ravens' era, and the building of a new football stadium in downtown Baltimore.

Football in Baltimore offers an engaging, wonderfully illustrated history of Baltimore's love affair with the game -- a running essay on the large subject of football in Baltimore's past along with the varied and highly colorful material objects that the game generated for the sake of the fans and that fans generated for the fun of it. Here are game programs, autographed pictures, press guides, bubblegum cards, comic strips, advertising ephemera, and miscellaneous collectibles from championship banners to the special-issue sets of china that Carroll Rosenbloom once gave to the Colts and their wives as Christmas gifts.

This altogether new take on the game and the storied Colts will appeal to every lover of the college and pro game -- and may even inspire popular support for a Colts museum to match the Babe Ruth House and Museum. Patterson's engaging writing style keeps the pages turning. Dozens of color and black-and-white photographs from Patterson's collection will captivate Colts fans, football lovers, local history buffs, and sports memorabilia collectors.

Customer Reviews (2)

Baltimore Colts Football
Very well written and informative book of one of footballs' greatest teams.The Colts were a Baltimore icon, and this book is wonderfully descriptive in regard to how the club formed, the winning tradition, and the fateful day they left a heartbroken town.A must read for any Baltimore Colts fan!Also contains great pictures of memorabilia.

Great for the Baltimore Native
My Dad grew up in Baltimore and played football for Loyola High and Johns Hopkins University.We gave him this book for Christmas last year and he loved it - a wonderful gift for bringing back memories. ... Read more

Product Description
"Better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football." -John Heisman

Obsessed, fanatical, crazed - you bet! The Midwest may love college football, but Tony Barnhart, 1999 Georgia Sportswriter of the Year, reveals that in the South, love just ain't good enough. Southern Fried Football proves that when it comes to college football in the South, the operative word is passion. The 2000 season marks the 120th year of college football in the South, and the fever hasn't lost a degree of its pitch. This book celebrates Southern college football at its finest with:* Stories of regional rivalry-when Alabama and Auburn square off on a Saturday afternoon, families divide and marriages dissolve * The grand traditions of the South's most celebrated dynasties-the Bourbon Barrel of the Kentucky-Indiana game, the Gator Growl, the cowbells of Mississippi State, and, of course, UGA, the mascot with a face only a Georgia fan could love* Profiles of the greatest players, teams, and coaches in southern college football-from the 1898 Immortals of Kentucky to the young stars of today* And, of course, the real center of the action, the avid, flag-flyingfans who bring their southern passion for life to the grandstands every Saturday afternoon, but live Southern football seven days a week.

Southern Fried Football is a devoted celebration of the people, places, and moments that make college football in the South more than just a game, or a show of school spirit. South of the Mason-Dixon line, football becomes without question a passion as bold and as heated as good barbecue.

TONY BARNHART is an acclaimed sportswriter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was recently voted 1999 Georgia Sportswriter of the Year. He has covered college football for ESPN for over six years and has been nominated for an Emmy for his screenplay "The Southern Game," a documentary on Southern college football produced by Georgia Public Television. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Really good SEC History Book
I love reading about football traditions regarding some of the finest NCAA coaches ever.I know Woodie Hayes and Bo had their moments, but SEC history is also deeply rooted.
The progression of the book is very even and it talks about all of the teams and their traditions.Alabama does seem to get plenty of space (for the Bear) and I thought Vince Dooley got a big part as well with UGA.To any SEC fans, this book is a must if you need to understand some of the "old" feelings between two schools.
I actually read this book in a single day.Once I started, I could not put it down.It was that good!

Not bad but a little lean in parts
I expected a little more from this book, but it wasn't bad.I liked the Georgia stuff since that's Tony's gig, but it was a little lacking on some of the other southern football "powerhouses."If you're looking for a comprehensive look at the most powerful conference in the country, try out the Tailgater's Guide to SEC Football.It's killer.In all, a nice addition to the collection.I give Barnhardt 3.75/5.00.

Not enough story telling
While the information collected gives the reader a wealth of facts, I was looking for the stories and story telling Barnhart can weave.Fans love to engage in arguing about great teams and great players while sitting around the living room. This reads more like a dry text book covering southern football.

A little disapointing...
`Southern Fried Football' is the definitive reference tool for fans of SEC and ACC football.The book has a comprehensive timeline, lists of the greatest Southern teams and players, and a section on coaches.

Tony Barnhart is a great writer, so I was a little disappointed to find so many lists.While the sections on rivalries and game day traditions are very readable, the list of `100 Players That Made A Difference' is not.

More than anything else, traditions are what transform Southern college football from mere sport to religion.This book will give readers a crash course in these traditions.

Defiantly a must have for SEC and ACC football fans, but Barnhart's writing skill is not well represented here.

This one scores big
It's always football season in the South, and anyone interested in the game and its pre-eminent spot in Southern culture will find this book indispensable. The author, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's college football editor and ESPN commentator, is the nation's leading expert on the subject, and he doesn't miss anything. There are lists and legends, people and places. And the varied presentation style will appeal to those who like to prop up their feet for awhile, or those who also like to get their sports by channel surfing or clicking and pointing. From John Heisman to Bobby Bowden, Georgia-Yale in '29 to the "Swamp" in Gainesville, Fla., this is an enjoyable tour de force. ... Read more

Product Description
From the leather helmet era to the media circus of college football today, Travers presents a carefully researched examination of college football and its role in our society. Photographs complement the text, providing a deep sense of how the sport has evolved, details our obsession with identifying winners, and uses examples of popular culture-- the top 8 football movies of all time--to accent the influence this sport has on our culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Best gift I've ever given
I gave this to my husband for Christmas and he loves it!
He carries it around with him and tell people about it all the time. I haven't read it, but if you know someone that enjoys football,then I think they will definately enjoy this. ... Read more

Product Description
A completely updated edition of a standard reference work offers a comprehensive statistical history of professional football from 1892, including scores of every game from 1920-1993, complete rosters of every team, seasonal statistics for all players, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Bible of Football.
Contains so much information it's mind boggling. Contains practically everything you could ever want to know about the sport up to the year it was published. If you're a football fan it's definitely worth the money, I probably spent an average of $.05 per hour of entertainment it gave me and I paid retail.

MY FAVORITE FOOTBALL ENCYCLOPEDIA
The David Neft Football Encyclopedia is my favorite because of its chronological layout. Each season is broken down by team stats and player stats. You can look up a particular team in a given year and see how that team's statistical performance was composed of the player's stats for that season. A great drill-down view. ... Read more

Product Description
The author of The Football Abstract recalls a golden age of professional football during the 1960s, when the sport was dominated by the heroics of Namath, Meredith, Unitas, Hornung, and Lombardi. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Nice history lesson
This is a nice chronological encapsulation of the ten pro football seasons from 1960 through 1969.It's not terribly in-depth, but that didn't seem to be the author's intention.

Each of the ten seasons are summarized (both NFL and AFL), and at the end of the book is a nice table of year-by-year standings, playoff results and all-pro teams for both leagues.The player interviews at the end of each chapter are interesting, too.

Unlike the earlier reviewer, the book includes some tidbits that were new to me, such as the 1964 death of Bears star running back Willie Gallimore in an auto accident, and the "missing fourth down" that cost the Rams a chance to pull out a last-second victory late in the 1968 season.

I didn't care for the frequent smart-aleck side comments made by the author to drive home his points; they are distracting.But overall it's a pretty good review of the ten seasons during which pro football grew from playing second fiddle to baseball (in terms of popularity), to far and away the nation's most popular sport.

It's a good history lesson for fans that want to learn more about professional football in the 1960s.

Great theme, limited execution
The 1960s are, as Carroll suggests, pro football's best decade, but this book doesn't quite bring that assertion to life. It's written rather functionally and relies rather too heavily on facts instead of anecdotes or the author's own assertions. It recites too many stories that the devoted fan already knows, and doesn't quite manage to tell them in an interesting new way. There are interviews with players, some of which are mildly enlightening, and some photographs, most of which I'd seen before.

I was hoping for something which would tell me more about this period of the game which I didn't already know, and less about things I could have looked up in a reference book.

Would give this a marginal recommendation, with a heartier one to those who know little about the decade in question. For those who do, I'd suggest Daly and O'Donnell's "Pro Football Chronicle."

I want to get out my old football cards!
If you are in your 40's and loved pro football as a kid in the 1960's, then this is the book to read!It brought back so many wonderful childhood memories of the NFL and AFL that I wanted to weep.I remember some of these game in the 60's better than I do games of a couple years ago.And the author provides much insight into the players and games that I was never aware of.
The early struggles of the AFL are particularly interesting to read about.As I watch the often boring world of the NFL today, I yearn for when pro football was a much more simple game.This book satisfies that longing. ... Read more

Product Description
The most comprehensive reference book ever assembled on the history of college football

From South Bend, Indiana, to Lincoln, Nebraska, Palo Alto, California, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Tallahassee, Florida, college football attracts the most dedicated fans in all of sports. This book is their Bible -- a rich and exhaustive reference guide to the game’s history, tradition, and lore. Based on three years of research by the nation’s foremost college football experts, the book features:

-Capsule histories for each of the Division 1-A programs, the Ivy League schools, and the historically black colleges-Year-by-year schedules and scores for each school-Statistical leaders from each school-Fight-song lyrics-Box scores for every bowl game ever played-Weekly AP and UPI polls dating back to 1936-A four-color insert illustrating the evolution of each school’s helmet design-Essays by the game’s top wordsmiths, including Dan Jenkins, Beano Cook, Chris Fowler, and more.-And a lively round-table discussion on the state of the game with ESPN’s popular GameDay team (Fowler, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit).

Packed with tables and charts and designed in an easy-to-read style, the ESPN College Football Encyclopedia is sure to dazzle even the most knowledgeable fan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

Must have!
If you like college football and don't have this book you are doing yourself a disservice.I purchased this four years ago but still read from it routinely.Yes you can look up facts online but it's nice to have everything in one place.This is my prize position as far as my book collection goes.Add in Phil Steele's annual college football preview each year and you will never be stumped on a college football question again.I also enjoyed the numerous articles included in the book.

A Few Detailed Facts Are Wrong!
The book is a good reference but not as accurate as the Internet or Google today. For example, the book has the wrong information on what College actually put numbers on Football Jerseys. According to the History of American Football and Sports Illustrated in 1908, Karl Davis, at the time publicity man for the University of Pittsburgh, first put numbers on college football jerseys.

Davis used that good old sales pitch, "One cannot tell the players without a program!" He quickly added to this service the refinement of switching the numbers each week due to Davis having the program concession. Davis thus became a double pioneer in player numbering and in "dynamic obsolescence". Both inventions have come a long way since.

When I see such errors, I wonder how many other facts the author got it wrong or just did sloppy research. Anyway, the Internet Age has made such books obsolete and mistakes unimportant since they can be corrected easily today with easy research.

Comprehensive
I keep this book chair side throughout the college football season and refer to it other times as well.There is great info on each Div 1 team, and it's great to learn how certain names, traditions, etc. were started.A season by season schedule with scores is great as well.If you love college football, get it today.

Missing something...
Filled with good information but could be improved with annual updates which include prior season records, returnees, recruit class and brief overview of coming season prospects.

My son loved this book
I bought this as a gift for my son, who know everything about football, and he really loved it. ... Read more