Reviews (1)

No Excuses: Read this book
Let's first be clear: I am not a Notre Dame, New England Patriot, or for that matter a Charlie Weis fan. However, after reading this book, you can cross off the Charlie Weis part, I am now quite an admirer of his. This book, in short order, chronicles Coach Weis'time from his own high school football and college days, through his coaching career from the high school to his current job as head coach of the Fighting Irish. Citing his high school coach as his first ideological hero, through South Carolina's Joe Morrison and the two Bills (Parcells and Belicheck), Coach Weis offers insight into each of their philosophies and motivation techniques and how he incorporated each of their styles into his own coaching. Lastly, he chronicles his first year at Notre Dame and how he approached changing the team's attitude to a winning formula as last season's record indicates.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Collegiate Athletic Programs    5. Football    6. Football - General    7. Personal Memoirs    8. Sports - Football    9. Sports - General    10. Biography & Autobiography / Sports   

Reviews (10)

JOHN UNITAS NOT "JOHNNY UNITAS"

Baltimore's Proud Football History
Although I no longer follow professional football the names of the players of the 1950's and 1960's are very familiar to me.Yes, this is a book that has several anecdotes about men who played for the Colts during the time period when number 19 led the team that eventually had several Hall of Fame players.Author Tom Callahan provides insight into John's relationship with his first wife Dorothy, Don Shula, and others in addition to Lenny Moore's frustration in not being able to establish a friendship with Unitas.I have always felt a good biography about John Unitas was overdue, and I appreciated having the many anecdotes in the book to enable me to get to know many of his teammates such as Alan Ameche, Gion Marchetti, Eugene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb, Jim Parker, Art Donovan, John Mackey, Tom Matte, and several others.You don't need to be a football fan to enjoy the book, but at least in my case, being familiar with the many players who made up the Baltimore Colts during this time period helped a lot.This book should be a keeper in your library.

A book full of gaps
Aside from the 1958 Championship Game and the 1968 Super Bowl, the actual football games got very short shrift. The 1964 Championship Game didn't even get a MENTION! Whole years are virtually ignored. Very, very little discussion of Unitas' career and his impact on the game: mostly just anecdotes about family, friends, and teammates, and way too much space devoted to post-mortem comments from same. I think I learned way more about Johnny Sample and Gino Marchetti and Jim Parker from this book than I learned about Unitas. And that's not saying much. There's a lot of padding in this book but precious little information. And a lot of the anecdotes will be familiar if you're a football fan. Wait for the paperback if you're a Unitas devotee; otherwise don't bother.
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Subjects:  1. 1933-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography And Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Football    8. Football - General    9. Football players    10. Sports - Football    11. Sports - General    12. Unitas, Johnny,    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / Sports   

Subjects:  1. (40th :    2. 2006 :    3. Bettis, Jerome    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography And Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Detroit, Mich.)    9. Football    10. Football - General    11. Football - Professional    12. Football players    13. Sports - Football    14. Sports - General    15. Super Bowl    16. United States   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography And Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Football    7. Football - General    8. Football commissioners    9. Sports - Football    10. Sports - General    11. United States    12. American football    13. Sports & Recreation / General    14. Sports & Recreation / Golf   

Editorial Review

As coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1959 to 1967, Vince Lombardi turned perennial losers into a juggernaut, winning back-to-back NFL titles in 1961 and 1962, and Superbowls I and II in 1966 and 1967. Stern, severe, sentimental, and paternal, he stood revered, reviled, respected, and mocked--a touchstone for the '60s all in one person. Which adds up to the myth we've been left with. But who was the man? That's the question Pulitzer Prize-winner David Maraniss tackles. It begins with Lombardi's looming father, a man as colorful as his son would be conservative. Still, from his father Vince Lombardi learned a sense of presence and authority that could impress itself with just a look. If a moment can sum up and embrace a man's life--and capture the breadth of Maraniss's thoroughness--it is one that takes place off the field when the Packers organization decides to redecorate their offices in advance of the new head coach's arrival: "During an earlier visit," Maraniss reports, "he had examined the quarters--peeling walls, creaky floor, old leather chairs with holes in them, discarded newspapers and magazines piled on chairs and in the corners--and pronounced the setting unworthy of a National Football League club. 'This is a disgrace!' he had remarked." In one moment, one comment, Lombardi announced his intentions, made his vision and professionalism clear, and began to shake up a stale organization. It reveals far more about the man than wins and losses, and is the kind of moment Maraniss uses again and again in this superb resurrection of a figure who so symbolized a sporting era and sensibility. Read more

Reviews (132)

Thorough book about a fascinating life
I picked up this book by accident without really beliving I would read the whole thing.Once I got started, I could not put it down.There is much detail on the early life of Vince Lombardi and his family's background.Lombardi's education is well documented as well as how he basically accidentally ended up as a High School teacher and sports coach, which eventually would lead to his college and professional football coaching career. It gives you a good picture of a man who accomplished so much in such a short time as an NFL head coach, and became an American Icon along the way.Plus there is much detail about Lombardi's spiritual life.Along the way, you get a picture (slightly) of American race relations in the 1920's-60's as far as Lombardi was concerned.I enjoyed this read and it lead me to seek out other books about Lombard, however the only other one I have since gotten my hands on does not come close to this one.

Severly Long and Intricate
If you are in search of knowing every nook, crook, and cranny of Coach Lombardi's life from childhood on, then you have the right book.It is full of good things, but becomes rather monotonous and slow as it is a little too many intricacies about his life. The book turned into a very long read for me even though I am glad I read it.

Cluttered with pointless detail
There is a good book here. Unfortunately, it lies buried under layers of pointless detail. Do we really need to know the recipes for Lombardi's mother's meat pies? Do we really need to know the names and geographical backgrounds of all of Lombardi's fellow freshman recruits at Fordham? Or the complete lyrics of the school song the Lombardi-coached high school team sang to the nuns following a victory? Mannerisms, personality quirks, and pointless anecdotes of peripheral characters? Thorough research is a good thing, but a writer should choose the most telling details to use rather than simply dumping them all out for the reader to wade through. Still an interesting read, but the book could have used a good editor with a sharp red pencil. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Coaching    6. Football    7. Football - Professional    8. Football coaches    9. Lombardi, Vince    10. Sports - Football    11. Sports - General    12. United States    13. Biography & Autobiography / General    14. Biography: sport   

Reviews (18)

A great football bio
Bill Romanowski's book is excellent.To his credit,he acknowledges
Decent read, but call him what he is ...
"Romo" is an interesting enough read if you're into getting to the root of someone's supressed problems that play out in real life.
Thanks ROMO! - Brutally honest and insightful
I played football for 13 years and unfortunetly my NFL dreams were cut short for health reasons. Romanowski truly was THE hardest worker in the NFL in his days. I've followed him since his Eagles days. I am sure I am not just speaking for myself when I say football athletes can relate to him at many levels. Ive played at Romos collegiate level and have been to Bowl Games and I can't stress enough about the lengths at which every athlete goes through to increase performance and game. I finally had my chance to meet Romo in the 2002 season and got to stay at the hotel with my uncle (coach)and the Raiders, and personally met him and witnessed his pre-game rituals. He is a truly interesting man and always had job security on his mind and was the driving force. I respect his honestly with regards to admitting defeat vs teams and players.
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Subjects:  1. 1966-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Football    7. Football - General    8. Football - Professional    9. Football players    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Romanowski, Bill    12. Romanowski, Bill,    13. Sports - Football    14. Sports - General    15. Sports And Public Policy    16. United States    17. Biography & Autobiography / Sports   

Reviews (1)

Interesting Inside Look at the 1967 Green Bay Packers
I'm a big professional football fan and love reading about football.Jerry Kramer's Green Bay Packers diary - which details the 1967 season of the Green Packers, was quite an enjoyable and educational read for me.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Football    5. Football - General    6. Personal Memoirs    7. Sports - Football    8. Sports - General    9. Biography & Autobiography / Sports   

Reviews (2)

A Moving Story of Obediance to God
Written with well-known author, Cecil Murphy, "Touchdown Alexander" is a moving story about trusting God and living in true obedience. No one can argue that Shaun Alexander is a great football player. But in the telling of his story, Shaun shows us that life doesn't need to revolve around career. He is a child of God first, a husband and father second, and the MVP for the Seattle Seahawks third. If your young men are looking for a God-honoring role model in NFL football, this would be a good place to start.
Obediance to God Isn't Just for the Little Guys
Written with well-known author, Cecil Murphy, "Touchdown Alexander" is a moving story about trusting God and living in true obedience.
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Subjects:  1. Alexander, Shaun    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Personal Memoirs    7. Religious    8. Running backs (Football)    9. Sports - Football    10. Sports - General    11. United States    12. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Football - College    3. Football - General    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Sports - Football    7. Sports - General   

Reviews (7)

Pure Payton ... The Greatest ...My Hero!!
I havewaited soooo long.. Well worth... The book isan extremely goodread.. TheDVD ... WOW!! TheBest!!54min of of WaterPayton, running,throwing, catching , leaping, (singing?!) ... WOW!! Connie, Jarrett, andBrittney Payton... THANK YOU! ( Hey 10 stars) Thank you all soooo much .... Fansoffootball get this ...... Fansofrunningbacks get this, Fanswho placedfooton SoldiersField getthis, ifyou area fanof WALTER PAYTON you should already have it.. Peace&Blessingsto Connie, Jarrett, andBrittney Payton andall thosewho assited in allowing thefansopportunity to meetthegreat WALTER PAYTON through both theDVD/Book.........

Coffee Table Item
The best biography/overview of Payton so far. A lot of personal stuff and insight worth having for the DVD alone.

Sweet as Ever
The DVD is great!A glimpse of Walter Payton from himself and his friends.For the price you can't go wrong. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1954-1999    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Football - General    5. Football players    6. Payton, Walter,    7. People of Color    8. Sports    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Sports - Football    11. United States    12. Sports & Recreation / Football   

Reviews (20)

Not Personal, Only Professional
The best way to destroy sales is for the "author" to blast portions of the book.
Sounds like the rantings of a confused teenager
The man is 30 and still acts like he is in high school.

T.O. Review
Recently I read the book TO by Terrell Owens with Jason Rosenhaus. The book is written by Terrell Owens, otherwise known as "TO", to tell the media his side of the conflict between him and the Philadelphia Eagles organization. It all starts when Terrell and the team's quarterback Donovan McNab get in a minor dispute, but the two strong personalities go at it for the remainder of the season and manage to drag the head coach Andy Reid into it. The trouble only gets bigger when the media continues to accuse Terrell of different things like faking an injury, and starting a fight with a teammate. Things continue to plummet down when Terrell feels he deserves more money than he is making and the Eagles management disagree.
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Subjects:  1. 1973-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Blacks And Sports    6. Football    7. Football - General    8. Football players    9. History    10. Owens, Terrell,    11. People of Color    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Philadelphia Eagles (Football team)    14. Sports & Recreation    15. Sports - Football    16. Sports - General    17. United States    18. Sports & Recreation / Football   

Reviews (1)

Great player with even greater motivation
This book is a must have for anyone who's ever had a dream and dared to follow it.Daugherty does a tremendous job at revealing the real Johnson--not just the hyperactive player we see on Sundays. The heart and dedication Johnson puts into the game he truly loves is portrayed through his work ethic, his motivation, and the people who helped shaped him into the man he is today. Daugherty captures this in a such a wonderful way. A great read for any football fan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1978-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Cincinnati Bengals (Football team)    5. Football - General    6. Football - Professional    7. Football players    8. Johnson, Chad,    9. Sports    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Sports - Football    12. United States   

Editorial Review

Walter Payton's premature passing forced a rethinking of hisautobiography that completely sidesteps the self-importance that dominatessports memoirs in general. Read more

Reviews (33)

Long Live Walter
Walter Payton was a phenomenal football player.He spent all 13 of his years playing for the bears.The Bears drafted him in 1975 from Jackson State University.Walter Payton broke a lot of records in his time; he had 125 career touchdowns which is seventh on the all time scoring list.Walter Payton only missed one game in his entire 13 year career.Overall I thought that this was a great autobiography.I highly recommend this book if you are interested in Walter Payton. He was a great athlete and will be missed very much.

Sweetness
An incredible book for a incredible man.Being a fan, I was skeptical before I started.I thought this book would not really come together since Walter died before it was completed.I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to others, fan or not.

Never die easy, but always be humble
The theme of this book could be that while it is important to "Never Die Easy" it is perhaps even more important to be humble about your success.
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Subjects:  1. 1954-1999    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Football - General    7. Football players    8. Payton, Walter,    9. Sports - Football    10. Sports - General    11. United States    12. Biography & Autobiography / Sports   

Editorial Review

Like his no-nonsense tenure as one of the dominating linebackers in NFL history, Dick Butkus's no-nonsense autobiography covers plenty of ground, offers no excuses, scares the hell out of you (you will never look at your knees--or your doctors--in quite the same way again), and, in the end, entertains with his candor and verve. Butkus has axes to grind, and he grinds them wonderfully, but he also is capable of examining his own behavior. What emerges is a portrait of an athlete willing to explore--roots, warts, and all--the aggression and rage he rode to glory on the field, and the challenges he faced trying to harness those same emotions off the field. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Butkus is #1
My first word as a child was: Butkus. There was a football game on TV at the hospital where I was born. The Bears were playing the Lions. Butkus had five sacks and an interception. I like cookies and milk.

Butkus Rules
This book is the best book I ever read. Dick Butkus is the greatest human being who ever bit of a refs ear. I would recommend anyone thinking of becoming a serial killer read this book. I like cookies and , milk.

Dissapointing
A very comprehensive study of each and every season Butkus played with the Bears. But I was hoping for much more about Butkus's life off the football field. I would have liked to have heard more anecdotes about players he played with and against. Also would have been interesting to hear personal insights from Dick regarding what he felt about the awe-like reputation he inspired on the field from fans and players alike.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Butkus, Dick    5. Chicago Bears (Football team)    6. Football    7. Football players    8. Sports    9. Sports - Football    10. Sports - General    11. United States    12. Biography & Autobiography / Sports    13. Horror & ghost stories   

Reviews (9)

I Am Third
I am third Awesome Book!!!
This review is on the book called "I Am Third".In this book it tells mostly about Gale Sayers' football career and some of Brian Piccolo's or Pic.The reason this book is called "I Am Third" is because he says that "God is 1st,my friends are 2nd,and I am 3rd".To understand this book you might have to know a little about football.If you like football stories I would reccomend you read "I Am Third".

Great Book and movie, very Moving
I really never liked sports, but this book really moved me because it was a story of two men very different yet very alike. They were both very talented, over the past few months i've been doing so much research and Gale and Brian. I also am planning to do a important report on them, the frienship that they had was great. BUY THIS BOOK!! and the movie Brians song!I loved both. I love Ya Gale and Brian GOD BLESS! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1943-    2. African Americans    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Fiction    6. Football - General    7. Football players    8. Movie-TV Tie-In - General    9. Movie/Tv Tie-Ins    10. Sayers, Gale,    11. Sports - Football    12. United States    13. Fiction / Movie or Television Tie-In    14. Sayers, Gale   

Reviews (17)

Another Season
I live in alabama and even kind of like alabama football so when we had to read it for summer reading i thought i would like it...i absolutly hated it!!! You could so tell it wasn't written by a pro writer i mean it jumped around from different dates and although i loved how inspirational it was with johnny gene stallings seemed kind of self centered and every time the family was happy moved. i hated how there was no time line and years would pass and then he would go every minute of the next day. i thought it was good how they were so religous and i liked reading it but it is not a book i would really reccomend to anybody just because there are more inspirational books and just better books!! Luv Ya!!

Rich, moving, honest...a life-changing read
There are a lot of great books out there you can read and be entertained in the process.A few of those books will even linger in your memory for awhile after you've finished them.It's more rare to read a book that really touches your heart and mind and provokes a change in your life.
A solid -- if difficult -- story, told by a solid man
I received this book unexpectedly after making a donation to my alma mater, from which Coach Stallings' daughters also graduated. Until then, I didn't even know the story had been written. The book fascinated me from many angles -- as a teacher, as the sister of someone born with a congenital handicap (whose parents were likewise advised to put him in an institution), as a reader of this genre of literature, and most of all, as someone who as a kid knew and adored John Mark Stallings. Read more

Subjects:  1. 1962-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Down syndrome    7. Family relationships    8. General    9. Health    10. Patients    11. Personal Memoirs    12. Specific Groups - Special Needs    13. Sports - Football    14. Stallings, John Mark,    15. United States    16. Biography & Autobiography-Personal Memoirs    17. Biography & Autobiography-Specific Groups - Special Needs    18. Sports & Recreation / General    19. Stallings, John Mark   

Reviews (1)

Amazing........
What Bill Snyder did at Kansas State is easily, the greatest coaching job, in any sport, at any time, EVER......
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Football - General    3. Sports    4. Sports & Recreation    5. Sports - Football    6. Sports - General   

Subjects:  1. Belichick, Bill    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography And Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Coaching - Football    8. Coaching - General    9. Football    10. Football - General    11. Football coaches    12. New England Patriots (Football team)    13. Sports - Football    14. Sports - General    15. United States    16. Biography & Autobiography / Literary   

Reviews (2)

Quick read. Enjoyable tale and encouraging
Like other reviewers have said, this book tells a great story of a guy who grew up poor, had all the cards stacked agaisnt him and used the doubt people had about him to feed his thirst for success.By comparison, the basic plot of this story reminds me A LOT of "Million Dollar Baby," except Papale doesn't have one person doubting his ability, he has the whole world doubting his dreams of playing football.
Finally, A Book with a Happy Ending
By now everybody knows the story of Vince Papale.This is a fast moving paperbook story about a man who keeps trying to win approval from his father and never gives up on his dream of playing professional football.It is a quick and enjoyable read.Perfect book for the beach or riding the train.Straight forward, not a lot characters and worthless details -- this book doesn't ramble on.Despite an event that happened 30 years ago, this story never gets old.A poor guy from a blue collar city that captures the heart.I read the book in one weekend.If you are a sports minded individual and you are tired of reading about steroids and self serving biographies, then I highly recommend reading Invincible!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography And Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Football    7. Football - General    8. Football players    9. Papale, Vince    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Philadelphia Eagles (Football team)    12. Sports - Football    13. Sports - General    14. United States    15. Sports & Recreation / Football   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Football players    6. Military    7. Rich & Famous    8. Soldiers    9. Sports - Football    10. Sports - General    11. United States    12. War on Terrorism, 2001-    13. History / United States / General