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A pleasant surprise - no self hype here!
A very good read. I'm not quite down with it, but a great book.There's no self-hype here by Couch. The authors do a great job taking a story of "small town boy makes good" into a story all of us can relate to in one way or another.I've been a Tim Couch fan ever since he came to Cleveland, and you'll enjoy reading about how he gets there.A definite must-read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1977-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Couch, Tim,    7. Football    8. Football - General    9. Football - Professional    10. Football players    11. History    12. Sports - Football    13. Sports - General    14. United States    15. University of Kentucky    16. Biography & Autobiography / Sports    17. Couch, Tim    18. Cultural Region/Southeast U.S.    19. Geographic Orientation/Kentucky    20. Sports & Recreation/Football - General   

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Revealing
Having been a lifelong Cowboys fan I saw this book and had to read it. The first thing I found upon reading it was that total honesty of Coach Landry and the guts it took to wither all the storms life can throw at one person.I found that, even though it deals worth football, there are lessons thatare applicable to everyday life. This would be a great book for all schoolchildren to be assigned to read. It shows what can happen when one personputs faith and families and principles ahead of instant gradification. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Coaching    6. Dallas Cowboys (Football team)    7. Football    8. Football - Professional    9. Football coaches    10. Landry, Tom    11. Large type books    12. Rich & Famous    13. Sports - Football    14. United States   

Subjects:  1. 1953-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Football    5. Football - College    6. Football - General    7. Football players    8. History    9. Mills, George R.,    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Sociology    12. Sports & Recreation    13. Sports - Football    14. United States    15. University of Nebraska--Lincoln    16. American football    17. Biography: film, television & music   

Subjects:  1. Chicago Bears (Football team)    2. Coaching    3. Ditka, Mike    4. Football    5. General    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Sports - Football    9. United States   

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When Iowa football became powerful again
As a long-time fan of the Iowa Hawkeye football time, I watched them get repeatedly shelled during the late sixties and the seventies. Teams used to defeat them by thirty or more points and rarely have to throw a pass. In 1979, the savior arrived in the form of coach Hayden Fry, but at first it did not seem that that was the case. His statements like, "Scratch where it itches", at times sounded so homey that many people wondered if he was just another over-hyped coach who would add to the string of failures. Remarkable "Program Turn-a-Round" career of Hayden Fry.
Easy reading book on the very successful career of legendary (ranks as 10th all-time winningest coach in NCAA history) college football coach Hayden Fry, known nationally as the long-time and much loved coach of theIowa Hawkeyes ("Americas Team").The book chronicle's his[unprecedented] success in "turning-a-round" hapless footballprograms at SMU, North Texas and Iowa.Highlights include his 17 bowlgames (including 3 trips to the Rose Bowl), spending a lot of time with theIowa Hawkeyes where he coached for twenty years, including 3 Big TenChampionships, but also recalls his days at SMU where he was the manresponsible for integrating football in Texas (SouthWest Conference)-arguably his greatest achievement in his football career.His days as ahigh school and college standout player are also explored - a true"aficionado" for the game of football!Hawkeye fans and footballfans alike will enjoy this "yarn" from one of the most colorfulcharacters in college football in a generation!

Legendary, colorful coach looks back on career
Hayden Fry is a revered figure in the state of Iowa, and rightly so. He arrived in Iowa City in 1979 and quickly resusitated one of the worst football programs in the country. Under Fry's direction, the Hawkeyes wentto the Rose Bowl three times in a nine-year span. Fry also integrated theSouthwest Conference at Southern Methodist, and in this well-writtenautobiography, he brings his long, career successful career to life andrecalls many colorful anecdotes. This is an entertaining and illuminatingbook from one of the most significant coaches of his generation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1929-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Coaching    7. Football    8. Football - College    9. Football - General    10. Football coaches    11. Fry, Hayden,    12. History    13. Iowa Hawkeyes (Football team)    14. Sports - Football    15. Sports - General    16. United States    17. Biography & Autobiography / Sports    18. Fry, Hayden    19. Geographic Orientation/Iowa    20. Sports & Recreation/Football - General   

Reviews (1)

heart, will, guts, and determination
This book is a great illustration of where heart and determination will get you in life.Blaise Winter, from day one, had to overcome many problems.From his cleft palate to his stubborn high school principle andcoach, Blaise battled against all who didn't believe and reached hislife-long dream....playing in the NFL.If you are feeling down on yourselfor have little confidence, read this book and allow Blaise Winter toinspire you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Football - Professional    5. Specific Groups - Special Needs    6. Sports & Recreation / Football    7. Sports - Football    8. Sports - General    9. Biography    10. Football    11. Green Bay Packers (Football team)   

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A Chicago Bear - Monster of the Midway
Mike Ditka didn't always have good times, or good luck.What Mike has is drive, hope, goals, believe in himself and some great experiences with family, friends & team mates.Read more

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

Reviews (6)

Timeless and Wonderful
You don't need to be a gay man or a football fan to connect with this emotional and enlightening page-turner.Bravo to David Kopay and Perre Deane Young!!!!!!

David Kopay Story
This book is of a true hero, David Kopay.What a story of courage and inspiration.If you want to be inspired, read this book.One of the best!!

well-written, gutsy and illuminating
This is David Kopay's account of growing up gay back when there were very few books or support groups to turn to, which makes it stand even taller.He describes his experience as a college and professional football playeras well as being in a fraternity.I find him candid, readable andlikeable.He never asked for any special favours, just the right to livehis life his way and do what he knew how to do.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Football - General    6. Football players    7. Gay Studies    8. Gay athletes    9. General    10. Kopay, David    11. Specific Groups - Male Gay Studies    12. Sports - Football    13. United States    14. American football    15. Biography: sport    16. Gay studies (Gay men)   

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Indispensable for any Irish football fan!!!
As an unabashed Notre dame football fan, I can't imagine NOT owning this terrific book. Rockne was a masterful motivator and quote machine, and this book has hundreds of Rockne's best quotes. Any coach would love having his or her hands on this book to come up with ideas on how to inspire their players. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1888-1931    2. Football    3. Football - College    4. Football coaches    5. General    6. Quotations    7. Quotations, maxims, etc    8. Rockne, Knute,    9. Sports    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Sports - Football    12. United States    13. Rockne, Knute   

Reviews (1)

A Miami Dolphins must read
As a life long Miami Dolphins fan I read anything I can get from any Dolphins I can. This book is a Must for any real Dolphins fan. It follows a man that should be in the Hall of Fame for most of his life, good and bad. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

Through the course of a long and distinguished career in letters, George Plimpton has crafted an art form from participatory journalism, and Read more

Reviews (25)

Hear The Lion Roar
Back in the 1960s, writer George Plimpton began "covering" a variety of sports through participating on/with pro teams/athletes and reporting on it through books, magazine articles and TV specials.
Old Lions Fan
A very interesteng read, If you are old enough to remember all the players.

One of Sports Illustrated's one hundred best sports booksOne I missed
This book is listed as one of 'Sports Illustrated's' one -hundred best sports books of all time. Many of the reviewers of this book on ' Amazon' also consider it to be of the highest quality. They point to its giving the true feeling of what it is to try out and play football. They point to the excellent human interest stories, the way Plimpton writes about the lives of the players off and on the field.
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Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    2. Sports - Football    3. Unabridged Audio - Autobiography/Biography   

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Uneven, Poorly Edited, Yet Still Enjoyable
This book is very uneven as a biography. It is about 127 pages long. It is mostly a book of photos. What is here is enjoyable, but there is a lot missing about his life.
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Football - General    3. Football - Professional    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Sports - Football    7. Sports - General    8. Biography & Autobiography / Sports    9. Chronological Period/1950-1999    10. Chronological Period/21st Century    11. Ethnic Orientation/African-American    12. Sports & Recreation/Football - General   

Editorial Review

Red Grange was one of the certified heroes of an era that produced the anchors to any sporting hall of fame--Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Bill Tilden, Bobby Jones--but Read more

Reviews (3)

When Humility Still Mattered
This book does a great job of giving interesting detail and thoughtful perspective so you can see how an individual fit into the times and how the events of the single life mirrored the larger developments in society.You learn a lot about football, about men of that era and what character traits they valued, and about the role of the media and it's use of celebrity to create an audience.I enjoyed this so much I bought another Carroll book on a different early football hero - Fritz Pollard - and that is just as informative and insightful.

Engaging story of pioneer on, off the field
This is a readable, well-researched book. Carroll tells how Grange rose tobecome one of America's first true superstars and how he left school earlyto join the then-disrespected ranks of pro football. While scholarly, afeeling for a truly humble man shines through.

Red Grange is Number One!
My father always talked about Red Grange.I never really knew who he was. Thisbook brings everything into perspective. Mr. Carroll captures the essence of Red Grange, but more than that, he makes clear why Grange wasthe most important college player of this century and how he created themomentum which led to the explosion of pro football ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Football - General    3. History    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Sports - Football    7. American football    8. Biography: sport   

Reviews (2)

A Dixie Farewell: The Life and Death of Chucky Mullins
This is an excellent book.It tells the true story of a college football hero.This book exudes the inspiration, thoughtfullness, and love that Chucky shared with so many people before his passing.

A Wonderful Story About Character, Courage and Determination
A book really comes alive when it's about someone you knew.Mr. Woody dida wonderful job in bringing out Chucky's finest qualities:courage,determination, friendliness, and his ability to overcome lifes obstacles. And, since this book was about more than just Chucky and tells a wonderfullife-story, it adds meaning and another dimension to the great person Iwent to high school with.This book should be required reading for allhigh school students, especially athletes.Thumbs Up, Mr. Woody! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Football    4. Football players    5. History    6. Neck    7. Sports    8. Sports & Recreation    9. Sports - Football    10. United States    11. Wounds and injuries    12. Gaines, Brad    13. Mullins, Chucky   

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Metamorphosis of an Anti-hero
In contrast to the reviewer who wrote "Still Searching for the Real Joe Don", I found Clark's treatment sympathetic to the values which guided Looney's travels & travails.Yet, to the author's credit, this end was accomplished without the wholesale denigration of the larger society's beliefs as embodied by Looney's parents, Bud Wilkinson and the U.S. Government.In walking this fine line Clark allows the reader to draw his own conclusion as to the worth or viability of bucking the system.I suspect the previous reviewer knew Looney personally.It is likely that no biograper could give a satisfactory account of the many traits and nuances which coalesce in an individual psyche, when that individual was our own colleague.I believe criticism is due Publisher's Weekly for smugly labeling Looney's life a "seemingly unworthy topic".In fact, Looney is a fascinating, legendary character whose life can be appreciated on multiple levels: 1) As pure, unscripted entertainment--no Hollywood production could match Looney's emotional turbulence, humorous pranks & quips, gridiron exploits, drug involvement and esoteric philosophy--which leads me to ask in amazement why his life hasn't already been made into a movie 2) As a sociological study in the conflict of individual expression with the ethos of consumption in post-war Texas suburbia during the "era of plenty" 3) Looney can be identified as the prototype of the modern football athlete with his emphasis on nutrition and seminal status as a weightlifter 4)Last but not least, Looney's experience is a tale of soul-searching which led him to discard the excess of inherited baggage in the pursuit of a happiness that was custom tailored to his own needs.In conclusion, Clark's rendering of the last few years of Looney's life suggests that Joe Don was a comparatively happy man.I would have been curious to see, had Looney lived longer, whether he could have orchestrated a more complete reconciliation with his parents and daughter.That finale would have proved Joe Don's nirvanna.At this late date, I am suprised that "3rd Down and Forever" has failed to garner greater recognition as it appears to me to have broad appeal.

Still searching for the real Joe Don
Oh, yeah, J. Brent, you are some smooth talker; it's a pity, however, with all your smooth talk you missed out on what Joe Don was all about; even a cursory look at the video Larry Merchant aired after Joe's death would haveshowed you more of the man than your predone perspective on him -- he hadtruly declared peace with the world; he left the gridiron to find whatmattered -- and your and everyone else's criteria of what constitutes a"successful life" just doesn't cut it; Joe was after a first-handrecognition of God inside himself; and I think he found it; the pity isthat you didn't; you wrote a sports book and a book of a man who, inKipling's phrase, "went too native."Joe did nothing of thekind; he threw off the expectations of parents and coaches; he left behindthe failure of traditional Western notions of the heroic; he quit the tiredSunday go to meeting gestures; and he found, in Eliot's words, a"tremor of bliss."The shame of what you've done lies in yourunwillingness or inability to see that; hell, I think you should trywriting the damn book all over again.Talk to more people -- sit down withyourself and get a taste of the transcendent peace Joe grew into. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Football players    6. Looney, Joe Don    7. Sports - Football    8. Sports - General    9. United States   

Reviews (1)

A good biography about O.J. Simpson
After reading this book, I know more about O.J.'s childhood and career before the infamous murders occured.It is very informative about his days as a football star and an actor.However, I was expecting more about O.J.'s relationship with Nicole.I also did not like the way the book ended.It left you wondering whether or not O.J. is guilty.I really recommend this book if you want to know about O.J. and his rise to fame.I recommend "Raging Heart" by Sheila Weller for an intimate look at the relationship between O.J. and Nicole.Overall, it was a good book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1947-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. California    6. Case studies    7. Criminals & Outlaws    8. Football players    9. Los Angeles    10. Murder    11. People of Color    12. Simpson, O. J.,    13. Sports - Football    14. United States    15. Simpson, O. J    16. True crime    17. USA   

Reviews (6)

I couldn't even finish
I love books.I love St. Louis.I love sports.However, I could not even finish this book.I got it for 50 cents at the library and was quick to realize why the previous owner was able to part with it.The most enjoyable thing was that the book is so bad that someone wrote tiny notes towards the end about how pointless most of the stories were.

Worst book I have ever purchased
I live in St. Louis and love both the Rams and Kurt Warner.I bought this book expecting to find out information on Warner and the magical season, but got rambling ... instead. The book is one chapter after another of people telling stories about themselves, some of which do not even know Warner.I bought the book at a local grocery store that had a huge promotion, selling copies at half-off the list price.Good books do not sell for half-price immediately after being published.It is not worthy of a match to burn it.

Kurt Warner: And The First Shall Be Last
I'm a big Kurt Warner fan, both as a football player and a peron. However, this book is almost degrading to him. Although everyone quoted speaks highly of Kurt, the author's presentation is extremely poor. It reads like he taped interviews and transcribed them word for word into a book. Very boring. ... Read more

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

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A vivid and exciting life story
Road To Canton is the exciting sports biography of Marcus Allen, who set his sights on his boyhood dream of earning a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and defied critics to earn eleven seasons with the Raiders, an NFL Most Valuable Player award, five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, and finally the achievement of his lasting dream with his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Gorgeous color photography illustrates this vivid and exciting life story which is highly recommended reading for football fans of all ages. ... Read more

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

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A wonderful, entertaining story. Highly recommended!
I went to medical school with the author. He advised me that the purpose of his work was to inspire and entertain. With "Johnny Bright, Champion" he has done precisely that. I found the book to be very enjoyable and recommend it for everyone. If you are looking for a nice "feel good" story, this is one that should fulfill your need. While this story is technically a biographical novel, it closely follows the "real" story of Johnny Bright, whose career was analogous to that of Jackie Robinson. If Johnny Bright had chosen to play in the National Football League rather than the Canadian Football League, his name would, undoubtedly be of greater recognition at this time. Although Johnny Bright labored in relative obscurity, he was too great not to be remembered at this time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Fiction    3. Historical - General    4. People of Color    5. Personal Memoirs    6. Sports - Football    7. Biography & Autobiography    8. Black studies   

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Probably more like 3 1/4 stars
Otis Taylor tells his life story in his honest way.He really was a great player and he knows that and tells you so, but it mostly doesn't come off as too arrogant, just honest.
A NICE READ
THIS BOOK IS ABOUT FORMER KANSAS CITY CHIEF GREAT, OTIS TAYLOR. I LIKED THIS BOOK BECAUSE OF THE HONESTY AND SINCERITY OF OTIS TAYLOR. HE DOES A NICE JOB OF TELLING HIS LIFE STORY INCLUDING HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HANK STRAM, LEN DAWSON AND MANY OTHERS. I THOUGHT OTIS NEVER GOT THE CREDIT HE DESERVED AS ONE OF THE GREAT WIDE RECEIVERS OF HIS TIME. HALL OF FAME SHOULD INCLUDE HIM. A REAL NICE READ FOR CHIEF AND FOOTBALL FANS. RECOMMENDED. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Football - General    3. Personal Memoirs    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Sports - Football    7. Sports - General    8. Biography & Autobiography / Sports    9. Biography & Autobiography/Personal Memoirs