Reviews (2)

A look at an intense coach
Earle Bruce had the difficult task of following a legend, Woody Hayes. His first season resulted in 11 wins and everyone thought the Buckeyes would become the dynasty of the 1980s. However, parity in college football became more and more of a factor and OSU didn't achieve the heights that many people thought. Still, Bruce was a very successful coach and proved he could at least beat Michigan more often than not. The only disappointment with the book was the fact that it couldn't go more into depth about Bruce's firing. I realize that must be because of legal ramifications but I think Buckeye fans would still love to know the complete story.

Buckeye and Football fans----take note
Fantastic writing with great stories and an insite into college football.Buckeye stories as well as player stories provide perspective to a coaches life.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1931-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Bruce, Earle,    7. Football - College    8. Football - General    9. Football coaches    10. Sports - Football    11. Sports - General    12. United States   

Reviews (2)

Red Grange Story a Winner
An inspirational book.The Grange-Morton combination has scored the literary equivalent of a perfectly planned and executed touchdown march.

Football's first star
The 1920s were the "Golden Age" of sport. Bobby Jones, Jack Dempsey, Bill Tilden, Babe Ruth and Red Grange were immortalized in the newspaper accounts of Grantland Rice, Damon Runyon, Heywood Broun and others. In the early 1950s, Grange told his story to Ira Morton, a Chicago sportswriter and fellow Illini.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1903-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Football    6. Football - Professional    7. Football players    8. Grange, Red,    9. Sports - Football    10. United States    11. Grange, Red    12. Sports & Outdoor Recreation   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. College athletes    6. Madison    7. Sports - Football    8. Sports - General    9. Sports administration    10. United States    11. Wisconsin   

Reviews (3)

A man before his time
David Meggyesy is one of America's true unsung heroes. Working as a pro athlete at a time when the pay was less that of a trash hauler, with no benefits or job security, and the only guarantee a lifetime of pain and disability, Meggyesy exposed deep hypocrisy in America's hero worship at a time when the nation was at war, and the rich were getting richer at everyone else's expense, and to speak out was to be condemned as a pariah. In other words, things haven't changed one iota except for the salaries of the players, and this, ironically and significantly, is also Mr. Meggyesy's doing, in large part. As founder of Athletes Against the War back then he took on the establishment. As co-founder and Western Director of the NFL Players Association he continues to take it on to this day. A great book by a great man, for all its rough edges.

good autobiography
I just finished reading this book and found it to be quite insightful about the exploitation of professional football players.As a pro-football player, Dave Meggyesy is one of the rare players who not only finishes college but constantly questions everything that's going on around him.... Dave is pretty articulate and has a lot of character substance. Against the backdrop of the 60s, Dave traces his intellectual and political development which is cool.This is the 6th sports autobiography that I've read for my professor at UH and it's so far my favorite.When is the last time you heard a white football player make a political statement about racism in the 60s? Out of His League
I was certainly suprised by this sometimes mindless writing excercise called "Out of Their League".Although I did find the behind the scenes football world interesting.The self study of what makes himcontinue with a brutal and often times soul destroying game, also made methink.Even at times wondering why I love this game the way I do. However, the polital statements bare no explanation.Bold statements getno follow up, such as "Nixon administration being the most repressivein U.S. History", keep in mind this book was written years before theWatergate scandal.Pure emotionalism is my only deduction to his politicalalignment and at the time, his demontrations against the status quo. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Conduct of life    4. Football - General    5. Football - Professional    6. Football players    7. Personal Memoirs    8. Sports    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Sports - Football    11. United States    12. American football    13. c 1970 to c 1980   

Features

• Illustrated

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Football - Professional    4. Personal Memoirs    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Sports - Football    7. Sports - General    8. Biography & Autobiography / Sports    9. Biography & Autobiography/Personal Memoirs    10. Cultural Region/Midwest    11. Cultural Region/Upper Midwest    12. Geographic Orientation/Illinois    13. Locality/Chicago, Illinois   

Reviews (2)

TOUGH AND HARD NOSED
DITKA IS A VERY ENJOYABLE BOOK. MR. DITKA DOES A GREAT JOB TELLING THE STORY OF THIS LIFE AND CAREER. I FOUND HIS OPINIONS AND INSIGHT VERY HUMAN AND INTENSE. HE WAS CERTAINLY A GLADIATOR ON THE FIELD AND A TAKE NOTHING FROM NOBODY COACH. I REALLY LIKE HIS STYLE AND HONESTY IN THIS BOOK. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ALL FOOTBALL FANS AND ESPECIALLY FOR BEAR FANS. HE IS ONE OF THE FIVE GREATEST BEARS OF THE MODERN ERA HALAS, SAYERS, PAYTON, BUTKUS, BEING THE OTHERS. A MUST READ

a revealing and candid autobiography
The fiery New Orleans Saints head coach provides fans with an insightful look on his childhood, playing career with the Bears, Eagles and Cowboys and transformation from an assistant coach to a head coach. Ditka also discusses his coaching philosophy, relationships with many of his star players and family life. You will not be disappointed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Chicago Bears (Football team)    6. Coaching    7. Ditka, Mike    8. Football    9. Football - Professional    10. Football coaches    11. Scientists - General    12. Sports - Football    13. United States    14. American football    15. Biography: sport    16. Fitness training   

Reviews (10)

REGGIE WAS A TRUE GENTLEMAN
THIS IS THE STORY OF REGGIE WHITE FORMER NFL GREAT. THIS IS A GOOD READ FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST FOOTBALL FANS. REGGIE TELLS US OF HIS LIFE AND CAREER WITH THE EAGLES AND PACKERS, ALONG THE WAY HE HAS SOME GREAT STORIES ABOUT FORMER COACHES AND TEAMATES. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE IN THIS BOOK IS HOW TO LIVE A CHRISTIAN LIFE. REGGIE WAS A DEVOUT CHRISTIAN AND SPREAD THE WORD. HE NOT ONLY TALKED THE TALK BUT WALKED THE WALK. THE LESSONS AND MESSAGES IN THIS BOOK ARE WELL WORTH READING AND USING IN EVERYDAY LIFE. I WAS VERY SHOCKED TO LEARN OF REGGIE'S DEATH. HE WAS A GREAT ROLE MODEL FOR EVERYONE. I RECOMMEND THIS ANYONE AND EVERYONE TO READ. THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH REGGIE WHITES IN THIS WORLD.

Great Book About Reggie White's Football Career and His Christian Witness!
"I've never seen any conflictbetween Christianity and football. I don't see football as a violent sport; I see it as aggressive. And I see Christianity as an aggressive faith." (pg. 189).
In The Trenches by Reggie White
I found this book very interesting I learned a lot about Reggie White.I wish that he was still with the Green Bay Packers.I am a huge Green Bay Packer fan.This book had a lot of interesting stuff in it.For example I never knew that one of his favorite players growing up was O.J. Simpson.Reggie said in the book that O.J. Simpson was like a moving target for defensive linemen; he said, that was one of the reasons that he wanted to play defensive end.I also learned that he really liked his coach Buddy Ryan when he played with the Philadelphia Eagles ,and when Buddy Ryan got fired Reggie couldn't figure out why he got fired; he said Buddy Ryan was a good coach.Reggie also talked about his church getting burned.He also talked about his friend and teammate Jerome Brown who was killed a car accident and he thought he was a really great person and he said he misses him.I learned a lot from reading this book.This book is one of my favorite books that I read.I would recommend this book to every Green Bay Packer fan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Football players    6. General    7. People of Color    8. Religious    9. Religious life    10. Sports - Football    11. United States   

Reviews (1)

Let the debate begin!
The last four words in this book are, "let the debate begin!", and that is surely what this book will accomplish. In PRO FOOTBALL'S GREATEST QUARTERBACKS, editors Barry Reeves and Ron Smith have mirrored Smith's earlier work, Baseball's 100 Greatest Players, using a similar format here.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Football - General    2. Football - Professional    3. Sports    4. Sports & Recreation    5. Sports - Football    6. Sports & Recreation / Football   

Editorial Review

With his usual intelligence and emotional honesty, former football star Tim Green (now a novelist and commentator on National Public Radio) tackles the subject of his search for his biological mother in Read more

Reviews (14)

Helps Readers See a Male Adoptee's Perspective
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and believe it provides a rare and intimate look into the heart of a male adoptee. Not much is written for male adoptees, or those who love them. Therefore, I applaud Tim's courage and admire his journey. It would be a great resource for an all-adoptee male support group!

A Man and His Mother: An Adopted Son's Search
Tim Green is a wonderful writer who details, with earnest passion, the search for his birth mother.This book is a must read for all birth mothers and all adopted children.

Thanks to Mr. Green people may obtain a better understanding
It's a tragedy that when an adopted person speaks, so many people insist he is wrong - even when he is recounting his own experiences.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Adopted children    2. Adoptees    3. Adoption And Adoption Services    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Football    9. General    10. Mothers and sons    11. Specific Groups    12. Sports - Football    13. United States   

Reviews (2)

a star in his own right
The story of Bill Bates is a story of overcoming the odds.What I found to separate this tale from other sports stories is that Bates provides great insight into his thought-process during the events of his life.He was the thinking man's football player.He changed with the team and with the game, constantly staying one step ahead and anticipating and filling the need on the Cowboys.
An inspiring story
Fans of the Dallas Cowboys will love this down-to-earth story of one of their greatest heroes, Bill Bates, but anyone who follows pro football can enjoy this inspirational story.Bates begins by describing how he hadalways wanted to be a Cowboy and goes into detail about how he neverallowed anyone to derail him from his dream of wearing the star on hishelmet, even when he is bypassed in the NFL draft.His hard work anddetermination enabled him to carve out a long career as a special teamsstandout and starting safety despite being labelled "too slow" toplay professionally and having to prove himself all over again with eachnew coach.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Sports - Football   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Football - Professional    3. Sports    4. Sports - Football   

Subjects:  1. 1973-    2. African Americans    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography - Sports & Recreation    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    7. Faulk, Marshall,    8. Football - Professional    9. Football players    10. Juvenile Nonfiction    11. People of Color    12. Sports & Recreation - Football    13. Sports - Football    14. United States    15. Faulk, Marshall   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Diaries    5. Football - Professional    6. Green Bay Packers (Football team)    7. People of Color    8. Robinson, Eugene    9. Sports - Football    10. Sports - General   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography - General    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. General    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Personal Memoirs    7. Sports - Football    8. Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / General    9. True stories   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (3)

A great American life
I picked up this book because I'm a Notre Dame fan and wanted some insight into the six season tenure of Coach Dan Devine. Not knowing much about his accomplishments in life I found his story to be an inspiring tale involving youthful hardships and exciting success due to hard work. At the college level, wherever he went, great things happened. Then when the NFL came calling he found himself struggling. This reminded me of his successor at Notre Dame, Gerry Faust, who himself had great success at one level (in his case, high school) only to find that success out of reach at the next level.
Confessions from an Ex Packer Head Coach
Devine finally confesses that he leaked a untrue story to Time Magazine and SI about how a crazed Packer fan had killed his dog. The real story was that he lived in rural Wisconsin and allowed his dog run loose.The dog was known to have been killing farm neighbor's ducks.He was warned several times and then one morning when the dog was attempting to kill more ducks the farmer shot the dog (not hanged, not skewered).In his confession he admits it was HIS FAULT for allowing the dog to continue to roam unsupervised. Great book, Great man, Great family
This is a great book of a great man who managed to coach and raise a wonderful family with the help of a wonderful wife. There should be more families like this. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Football - College    5. Football - General    6. Sports - Football    7. Sports - General    8. Biography    9. Biography & Autobiography / Sports    10. Chronological Period/20th Century    11. Cultural Region/Midwest    12. Geographic Orientation/Missouri    13. Sports & Recreation/Football - General   

Reviews (1)

Brett Favre: Huck Finn Grows Up-review
This is a well written book. Personally I liked it. Not only because I'm a fan of Brett Favre, but that this book shows the life and personality of him. The book goes behind the scenes of this football superstar into hispersonal life. The author (Steve Cameron) provides a great view of Brett'spersonality and ability. The book includes personal insight and quotes.Another plus is a few pictures, and even one of Brett's wedding night! Fromhigh school hard ball to a pro career with the Packers Steve Cameron showsyou the life of Brett Favre, All in all this is one great biography! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Favre, Brett    5. Football - General    6. Football - Professional    7. Football players    8. Quarterbacks (Football)    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Sports - Football    11. United States    12. American football    13. Biography: general   

Reviews (1)

A must read for any Yale Football fan.
Every Yale fan will enjoy Carm Cozza's humble jourey from Miami of Ohio {Coach's U} to the hallow halls of Yale University. Cozza provides thereader with insights on Yale's football past, present and future. Aninformative sports read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Coaching    7. Collegiate Athletic Programs    8. Cozza, Carm,    9. Football    10. Football - College    11. Football - General    12. Football coaches    13. Sports - Football    14. Sports - General    15. United States    16. American football    17. Biography: sport    18. Education / General    19. USA   

Reviews (18)

Philly Eagles addictfrom NY who's also a Robert Smith fan (yea im confused, so what)
Although this book would probably be best appreciated by those of us who were already Robert Smith fans, it should also be interesting to anyone who follows football. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because he kept it real--he was honest about the good and not-so-good things he had done in his life and throughout his football career. He gives readers insight into a player's frame of mind before and after games, and the drama that can sometimes occur between players in the locker room. I was a little disappointed that he didnt address some of the rumors that he has to know we have heard, but I liked that he wasn't afraid to give his opinions on divisive issues like race and religion, even though I didnt agree with some of them. I will definitely be reading this book again.

Pass On This One
I was very disappointed in the overall content of the book.Very little insight into the game of football.The author's view of race, religion, and politics added nothing but a few pages to the length of the book.

A positive review...
I purchased this book because I find it intriguing that a guy with a gazillion dollar future ahead of him walked away from it all to pursue another path.How many of us would do the same I wonder? Smith consistently had an interesting and thoughtful perspective throughout his athletic career.And that's exactly what he still manages to deliver in this book.For those of you looking for solutions to resolve all that ills our society or a good dissing on Randy Moss for that matter, you are not going to find it here.Just his point of view, which is personally why I bought it to begin with.And whether you agree with his thought process or not, I don't think the guy needs any validation.His actions have always spoke volumes about his character.Overall, I found this book to be a commendable first time effort from a notable personality that I hope we hear more from in the future. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. General    5. Personal Memoirs    6. Sports - Football   

Reviews (5)

Marcu Allen
I really enjoyed this well written summary of Marcus Allen's life and his extraordinary career in football. If you are at all interested in football, this book would be a great choice. He starts from the beginning telling us about his family and his hometown. He then describes his life as a high school football player. He goes on to talk about the transitions he had to make on the field from defensive back to quarterback and then to running back later on in his career. Marcus really goes in to depth when he describes his years at U.S.C and the heisman trophy. He emphasizes his dedication towards his health and the team. Marcus says in the book that playing backup to Charles White helped him more because he got to see greatness right before his eyes in Charles. Charles describes the felling of being drafted to the Oakland Raiders. Marcus shows his dislike towards the teams manager Al Davis and describes conflicts between the two. Marcus goes into great detail of the games and the situations that occur off the field on both the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs. It is very interesting to see the relationship between Marcus Allen and Mr. and Mrs.OJ Simpson. He talks about the OJ trial and how he handled it.

A GOOD LOOK AT A NICE GUY
I REALLY ENJOYED READING THIS. MARCUS DOES A GOOD JOB DESCRIBING HIS CAREER WITH THE RAIDERS AND CHIEFS. HIS CRITICISM OF AL DAVIS AND RAIDER ORGANIZATION IS EXTREMELY INTRIGUING. ALSO INTERESTING IS HIS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE OJ MURDER TRIAL AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH OJ AND HIS WIFE. THIS IS WELL WORTH YOUR TIME. Excellent insight to the Raider organization!
After reading this book, I was amazed at the things that went on between Al Davis and Marcus.How Marcus stayed in Los Angeles that long amazes me.This book covers Marcus' life before football, during high school, at USCand the heisman, and being drafted by the Raiders and then ending up atKansas City.Marcus talks about the O.J. fiasco and how it changed hislife.This book is excellent for any football fan and shines light on thedark side of being a Raider. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1960-    2. Allen, Marcus,    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Football - Professional    8. Football players    9. People of Color    10. Sports - Football    11. Sports - General    12. United States    13. Sports & Recreation / Football   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Religious    5. Sports & Recreation / Football    6. Sports - Football    7. Sports - General    8. Biography    9. Bruce, Isaac    10. Football    11. Football players    12. Sports & Recreation    13. St. Louis Rams (Football team)