Football Books

I picked up this book to read while waiting for an oil change, and I laughed out loud. You wouldn't peg me for a person who would get such a "kick" out of a book on football--I'm a female English teacher. But the author does a great job of describing how he felt when he joined a semi-pro team made up of people who don't run in his usual social circles. I have given copies of the book as gifts to a wide range of people (a lawyer, a college coach, my mother, my aunt, and a friend who also played semi-pro football, for example), and all of them have called to tell me how funny the book is. They each recount a scene or two, laughing as they describe events from memory in great detail.

This book would also make a great birthday gift for any guy who fears he's headed over the hill.

This is a funny, inspiring, wonderfully readable book. It's about love, sports, human nature, team, and one person's growth. Highly recommended.

Anyone who enjoyed the movies Rudy, Invicible, The Rookie & Hoosiers will want to read this book by Mark St. Amant. Once again the ordinary guy succeeds when he fufills his dream with hard work & determination. That's how a 37 year old author was able to become a place kicker for a minor league football team, even though he never played a game of organized football on any level. Mark accepted an unexpected invitation to place kick for the Boston Panthers of the EFL. You'll enjoy his journey from a struggling doubting Thomas to a league all-star his second season. His insight to human nature & racial tensions is worth the read as well.

This is just a terric book--exciting, well-written, and smart. It gives hope to all armchair athletes, besides being a really detailed and wise study of human hature with sports as the backdrop. This is the kind of memoir everyone can relate to--an "everyday, normal" person doing something out of the ordinary and writing about it with depth and insight. This book would make a great gift for the thinking sportsperson.

"Just Kick It" is an excellent follow-up to Mark St. Amant's first book "Committed". I found myself laughing out loud on the train ride home from work. But it is more than just a funny story of an ex-soccer player becoming a place kicker for a semi-pro football team. Mark St. Amant does a wonderful job bringing the reader close to his teammates, each taking a different path to semi-pro football. In describing their stories, I felt closer to the team. "Just Kick It" is about much more than just a football season. And the members of the Boston Panthers are much more than just football players. It is about decisions, priorities, and looking at life from the perspective of others. Keep writing mark, you have a unique talent.

This book not only accurately depicts the life of Curly Lambeau, but also the start of professional football. David Zimmerman reveals many interesting facts about the game, the players and the era in this timeless masterpiece.

In the interest of accentuating the positive (and I did enjoy this book) I will say that it was purchased from my wish list by my mother, who ended up buying a copy for my cheddarheaded sister as well. My mother grew up in Green Bay (one block from Curly's birthplace! she exclaimed) and said that it brought back her childhood in the 30s and 40s quite vividly. With every mention of every store or venue she recalled stories of old Green Bay. She would tell me of the Packers practicing in leather helmets just outside of the old East High School. She would tell me of going around the corner to the modest home of Mike Michalske (an oft-mentioned Packer in the book) to play with his newborn. She loved it.

To me (and she admitted as much) the book read at times like a low-scoring football game. By this I mean that it appeared the author had several anecdotes which he strung together into chapters, not paying great amounts of attention as to whether or not he had already introduced a trainer here, or used a turn of phrase there. The reader, therefore, is left going over the same phrases repeatedly, with their repetition distracting from the overall telling of the story of Lambeau. You read one account, skip back several years for another account, and then read the first account as a natrual terminus of the second. Like a low scoring football game, on each play you main gain a few yards or lose a few, and find yourself forced recover the same yardage.

That said, the author seems to both idolize Lambeau as the patriarch of the team, and find little for which to do so. He repeatedly shows players that did not much like the guy, nor respect his actual abilities as a football coach. Players would have to explain where plays wouldn't work, and though his dependency on the forward pass was innovative in 1919, he was unable to modify his game as football evolved in the 30's and 40's. He's portrayed as a vain, egotistical salesman who (quoted some three times in the book ver batim) "did more for his hometown than anyone else" and founded a great tradition in professional sports.

A recurring theme in Packers History seems to be frustration with intervention by the executive committees governing the franchise causing the head coach to leave. Lambeau cited this when he left the Packers (and later the Cardinals). Lombardi warned against interference when he stepped up to the plate, and of course as Packer fans of this era remember, Holmgren went to Seattle largely to enjoy the general managership denied him at Green Bay. Ironically, Sherman has the dual role today, and Holmgren has been stripped of the same in Seattle.

Anyway, the book provides a light and interesting look at an era I've not seen well covered elsewhere. It covers the first 31 seasons relatively well, and Green Bay at the time as well. It identifies the times this unlikely team faced dissolution early in their institutional life, and how the means by which it was saved sets the team apart from every other team in professional sports. It covers the Packer-Bear rivalry through the years (although showing Halas as quite the protagonist and Packer Backer by the end) and provides a cursory look at Lambeau's Post-Packer life.

I'm glad I read it, but it's not exactly 5-star material.

The first chapter draws you in so completely, you feel like
you are there with Curly and makes you want to read more.
This book has so much information on Curly's professional and
personal life. Never before has a book covered so much on the
history of Curly Lambeau and the beginning of Packer football.
A book to be shared by everyone who wants a piece of Wisconsin's great local sports history. David Zimmerman is a thorough writer with a personal touch.

As a life-long Green Bay Packer fan (since 1960), I was amazed to learn that nobody had ever written a biography on Curly Lambeau until now. After all, he's been gone since 1965. It's incredible to think that two generations of fans have been going to Packer games in Green Bay and seeing the name "Lambeau Field" emblazoned on the stadium but possessing little or no knowledge about the man who founded the team, coached it for 31 years, nurtured it financially and emotionally through thick and thin, and brought home six NFL Championships! David Zimmerman truly fills a stadium bowl-sized void with this book! It's packed with intriguing information about how the Packers - and the league - were formed. Lambeau's larger-than-life aura shines through, both in his football success and his human failures. But you don't have to be a football fan to enjoy this book. No doubt, women will be intrigued with Lambeau the ladies man. Colorful characters like Johnny "Blood" McNally will make you laugh and scratch your head in amazement. You'll meet other NFL Hall of Fame legends like Don Hutson, Clarke Hinkle and "Iron Mike" Michalske. This book is a must-read for any Packer fan, football fan, history buff or anyone who just enjoys a good, colorful collection of all-too-human stories. Plus, the pictures, many of which have never before been published, are outstanding. I loved it!

I heard the author David Zimmerman on a local sports radio program. I was impressed with his historical knowledge of the Green Bay Packers and Curly Lambeau. So much so I bought the book. In it he has given us special access into the colorful life of a football pioneer and icon Curly Lambeau. Packed with insights, great photo's, bigger than life characters and legends of the game. I found the book well researched, carefully compiled and absorbing, a welcome addition to my football library. If you have an interest in the Green Bay Packers or the NFL, you will want to read LAMBEAU-The Man Behind The Mystique.

"...an interesting foray into the world of fantasy football and the high stakes of gambling." The OHIOana Quarterly, Volume XLIX, No.3, Fall 2006, p. 148

A fast paced story line that takes a fresh approach to sports nonfiction. Turns a fantasy football league into a nightmare.

I'll admit that I've read only a dozen, or so, novels. Most of them are time consuming and have too many dead spots.

After reading this book, I was completely blown away! This is right on the money. There's never a dull moment. Anyone will love this novel.

Mark Barnes is an author on the rise. I can't wait to see what's next!

I am a fantasy football fan ( makes my wife nuts ). I also enjoy a good mystery. These two elements are brought toghther in fine fashion in this book. I enjoyed the tempo and the depth of the characters. While no threat to the great works of our time, this is a fun book.
I always measure how much I like a book by if I am happy I bought it or if I wish I had taken it out of the library. I am happy I bought this book.

This is a great book whose time has come. The topic in question is high stakes fantasy football, a "sport" which is peaking to new heights every year. What kind of madness could possibly go on behind the scenes? Find out in this thriller.

The League keeps the pages moving with nonstop action and plot movement. Easy to read, but contemplation is required. The crescendo of mystery and suspense culminates in the final pages: lives hang in the balance during a flurry of heart-pounding insanity.

A must-read for both suspense readers and fantasy players.

Warning: you'll have a hard time putting it down.

This is the best collection of short stories I've read in years. I would suggest it as required reading in high school or early college years. It is as pertinent for ladies as it is for me.
Aloha,
Don

This book appealed to me for a Father's Day gift, but before I sent it along, I had to read it. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! The stories were so varied and so human that my curiosity was piqued for each character. My Dad said he enjoyed it too and my Mom read it in one day!

Alex Mindt's believable characters come from all over the land, giving insights into their own dilemmas through their relationships with that male of the species, the father. To this non North-American, the stories also present a vibrant collage of the country its characters call home. A rewarding read which merits rereading.

This is a stunning collection of stories. Unlike most authors who have a standard setting for their writing, Mindt is amazingly facile. Each story is set in an entirely different locale--not just geographic locale but psychological locale. He writes as convincingly in the voice of a Vietnamese immigrant who does Elvis impersonations in Vegas as he does in the voice of the son of hospitalized schizophrenic encyclopedia author as he does in the voice of the wife of the nerdy science teacher who flunks the high school football star. Every story offers the unexpected. This author is someone to follow....

A copy of this was given to me as a gift, and since then I have passed on the favor, purchasing a half-dozen and giving them to my friends who enjoy well written and powerful short stories. There is not a weak story in this collection.

Terrific, and highly recommended.

The book "Miracle in the Making" is an inspirational story about Adam Taliaferro, a former Penn State football player who was paralyzed in a game. He was told he would never walk again and this books lets you travel with Adam in his personal story of his road back after being completely paralyzed. This boo is a truly motivational book in which i recommend anyone, not just Penn State fans, to read.

This truley is an excellent book. I grew up in the same neighborhood with Adam, attended the same HS (graduate a year after) and every bit of information (names, dates, etc) are all correct. All the information about his character is completely true, he really is an inspirational person. Growing up in a huge suburban high school with him, it really was a very competitive atmosphere. Everyone seemed to love him because he was one of the brightest (one of the highest GPAs of his class, scholar athlete and best athlete in the school) along with being one of the most modest, down to early people ever. If someone had the will to succeed it is him. I recommend this book to anyone overcoming obstacles, down on their luck,athletes and basically anyone because it is the type of book that you can not put down.

After finding out that Adam Taliaferro couldnt walk again ever. His father and mother urged him to push on. His spirits were high always no matter what. This is a triumphant story about courage and self-determination and a little help from some up above

This book is good for anyone whether you are a football fan or not. I personally am a football fan, and I would especially recommend this book for those football fans out there. This book is inspirational and well documented. It is also at a good price now, and it is a quick read.

All too often in today's world of youth sports; parents, coaches and players miss the meaning of sportsmanship. Having been involved in youth sports for 14 years, I have witnessed over bearing parents and tenacious coaches. I suggest they keep a copy of "Miracle in the Making" in their equipment bags. This book highlights the true meaning of a parent/child relationship and a coach/player relationship. Adam is the definition of courage, kindness and strength. His family's support during his recovery is awe-inspiring. The writers did a terrific job of bringing me along on Adam's journey to recovery. I will be on the sidelines cheering; watching as Adam wins the biggest game of his life!

"I'm currently using the book 'No Quitters Here' as a requirement for a psychology class that I'm teaching at Northwood University. My students are enjoying the story and the chapter titles generate interesting discussion points about life skills (Respect, Belief, Effort, Perseverance, Courage, Integrity, Preparation and Obstacles). The student feedback is wonderful! I use the quotes in each chapter to begin every class period. It's a very inspiring story."

As a Montrose graduate and a follower of the Montrose Football program, this book filled in stories that only people on the inside could appreciate until this book came out. Being a Friday night football fan and a saturday morning sports reader you really never understand what goes into a program like Montrose to make it so successful. This book not only tells the stories of a generation of success, but gets to the hearts of players, coaches and a town. Even if you are not from Montrose or the area I think people will enjoy this book, because there are thousands of small towns like Montrose that every friday in the fall come together as a community to route on their own champions dreaming for that quest of being called state champions.

I have read a few books about high school athletics before like "Friday Night Lights" about the football team from Odessa, Texas and "The Last Shot" about the basketball team from Coney Island, NY which included future NBA star Stephon Marbury. In my opinion "No Quitters Here" offers just as much insight into the high school athletic experience as those books. What I like more about "No Quitters Here" is that each season is its own chapter with its own stars and cast of characters, yet each chapter is undeniably linked.

this was a great book, using the seasons to show how this amazing program was able to use hard work and dedication to turn intself into a championship team.

This book describes in detail the feelings of young men that strive for a goal. They, like in adult life, are frustrated by the pitfalls that we all face. Bad luck, bad timing, the unexpected and the unexplained. Yet, they push on to achieve a goal that has seemed so unatainable. Ten years later, after which time many who started the quest are grown men, the goal is achieved.
This is a story of boys growing into men, and a community who were always there for them. It is about families who witnessed failure time and time again and saw their sons never give up. It is a story of Team and the way it is spelled. Without the "I."

As a career educator, I could relate to the disappointments and the success. I enjoyed this book so very much that I had to see this town, this school and this High School Football team for myself. I drove from Florence, Kentucky to Montrose, Michigan to watch The Montrose Rams play a Friday night football game in the rain. I was not disappointed. The Town, school and team were everything the book said it was. They had pride, tradition and a spirit that I wish could be bottled.
It was the best book about sports I have ever read.

Ms. Woodward has truely captured the pride and spirit that should make up a winning tradition. Here is a story of a group of young men who achieve a goal through hard work and dedication. Yes, it is about football, but the lessons taught in the book, mainly hard work and dedication are what education and life are about. That is indeed what really builds self esteem.

Insightful reading for every Gator fan to appreciate the players and coaches who left their mark and influences on the Gator football program. Even some of the unflattering moments in history makes you appreciate where the program is today. The Wilbur Marshall chapter is a must read.

As a UF Alumni, I have kept track of Peter Kerasotis columns in the FL Today paper over the years. Now he has written a great book that is full of wonderful Gator stories and tradition.

It is a great book for any Gator Fan--young or old!

As a co-worker of Kerasotis for many years, I have long admired Pete's eloquent prose in Florida Today's sports section. He has a gift for spotting stories others miss and presenting them simply and surely.

When I first heard that Pete was writing this book, I told him I wanted to get a copy as soon as it was released, even though I have no connection to UF and am in fact an bigtime Ohio State fan. Having enjoyed Pete's writing for years, I was sure that I would enjoy the book even though I have never set foot in the Swamp.

I wasn't disappointed. Pete's substantial knowledge of Gator football was evident on every page. And one needn't be a Gator fan to enjoy the stories here. The tale of Mr. Two-Bits will resonate with the reader who feels that the fan loyalty and pageantry of the college game make it so much better than the NFL product. And the look at UF legend Wilber Marshall is one of the best profiles I've ever read of an athlete.

I highly recommend this book to anybody who loves college football. It is a must-have for any Gator fan's bookshelf.

I have had the honor and privilege of knowing Pete for many years and the pleasure of being able to ready his columns in Florida TODAY for many years.
His wit and writing style make for an easy and fun read and this collection provides anecdotes and inside Gator tales many of us have never read before.
Pete's book offers the insight of a beat reporter, which he has been, and the prose of a seasoned author, which he is.
It's a wonderful read for Gator fans everywhere! Thanks, Pete!

This is a great book for all Gators - easy to read and full of information about our football program.

My favorite chapters were on Steve Spurrier the player and Mr. Two Bits. Peter spells out why and how we got onto probation in the 1980s which I found very informative.

I found it to be a book I didn't want to put down. I would highly recommend all Florida Gators read this book!

Go Gators!

I'm a UW grad and a big Badger fan. This book had some great stories about things that happened when I was a student that let me relive those college years all over again. I really enjoyed it!

I have long been a fan of Mr. Doherty's work. His latest collaboration does not disappoint. Justin never seizes to amaze. Nine out of 10 dentists agree, "Tales from the Wisconsin Badgers" is a must-read.

This book is a must have for Badger fans. It is a fantastic way to relive Badger football memories - well written and entertaining!

I've been a lifelong Wisconsin football fan and so has everyone in my family. This book is interesting because of the different stories it tells about Badger football. It's a pretty easy read and you can open to any point in the book to find something good.

Tales From The Wisconsin Badgers by Justin Doherty (Director of Athletic communications, University of Wisconsin) is a compilation of anecdotes, personal recollections, and original research that provides the reader with glimpses of what makes Wisconsin Badgers football both unique and inherently interesting. Doherty surveys the entire history of the Badger football program from its humble beginnings through the glory years of head coach Barry Alvarez. Along the way readers are treated to the bizarre tale of "Kangaroo Kicker" Pat O'Dea, the mysterious discovery of a long-forgotten trophy of one of college football's longest rivalries in a Camp Randall storeroom nearly 50 years after its disappearance, a 23-game winless streak finally broken with a victory over archrival Iowa in 1969, and dozens of other humorous, poignant, and memorable stories about the Wisconsin Badgers. Drawing upon personal interviews with more than two dozen players, coaches, and staff members, Tales From The Wisconsin Badgers is a "must read" sports team history for all Badger fans and an essential acquisition for Wisconsin's community libraries for future generations of Badger football enthusiasts!

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT FORMER NFL HEAD COACH OF DALLAS AND MIAMI JIMMY JOHNSON. HE TELLS THE READER MOSTLY ABOUT HIS CAREER COACHING A BIT ABOUT HIS LIFE OFF THE FIELD. I TOTALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK AS HE TELLS US HOW HE WON A NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND A SUPER BOWL. HE GIVES HIS HONEST AND INTERESTING INSIGHTS ON MANY PLAYERS AND COACHES. I FOUND THE MOST INTERESTING TO BE HOW HE MADE THE COWBOYS INTO A POWER HOUSE DURING THE 1990'S. EVEN AFTER 15 YEARS, THIS IS STILL A GREAT BOOK. NOW JIMMY STILL USES THE HAIRSPRAY AND IS A COMMENTATOR ALONG WITH TERRY BRADSHAW AND HOWIE LONG ON THE PRE GAME AND POST GAME WRAP UP ON FOX AND ARE QUITE GOOD AND ENTERTAINING. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.

Straight forward, no nonsense book about everything from Johnson's college coaching days to the Cowboy's first super bowl under his staff. He spends several pages scattered through the book almost whining about certain calls of the official in certain games, but what coach doesn't (even I'm guilty). However, I read the book in one day because I just couldn't put it down. He does give insight into how he became (in my mind) the master motivator of NFL football. Recommened to any football coach or player who loves the game and loves learning pychological aspects of the game.

Jimmy Johnson's life is a great story, this book tells that story with great detail from Johnson's boyhood in Port Arthur, Texas all the way through his days of restoring glory in Dallas. This book is not just for Cowboy fans, it's for anyone who loves a good book.

I read this book when I was 12 years old and the Cowboys had won their first of 3 Super Bowls in the 90's. I loved it but, then again, I would have loved a bottle of poison if it had a Cowboys star on it.

I picked it up again about a year ago when I was thinking about what made that team (and champion teams in general) tick. The psychological edge those teams enjoyed is probably what made the difference, to which Jimmy Johnson deserves the ultimate credit.

His approach to the mental side of football is evident in this book. For example, instead of telling a kicker "don't miss" before a good field goal, Jimmy will always say "make this." The difference is the seed, either positive or negative, that is planted in that kicker's mind.

But the book goes beyond coaching philosophy to chronicle the interesting, if not a little whacky, life of an extremely sucessful football coach.

If you are a Jimmy Johnson fan or a fan of good football autobiographies, then check this book out. It starts with Jimmy living in Port Arthur and takes you all the way through to his days with the Cowboys. The best part of the book in my opinion was the behind the scenes of the different colleges he coached at.

If you ever lived in Denver, loved the Broncos, stomped your feet until they hurt and the stadium swayed, sat in freezing weather through winless seasons, but never gave up hope...this is the read for you! Terry Frei nailed it. The 70's in Denver after graduating from CSU were amazing, and nothing was better than the Orange Crush. We all looked terrible in orange, but we wore it all and often. I still have some Crush t-shirts and wear them proudly down here in Cowboys country. All the memories of Elitch's (the old, real one), greyhound races, and more came flooding back in time. I have read the book twice from front to back and especially like the chapter about "where they are now." I guarantee you it's worth the money. Go Broncos!!!

I was 10 years old at the time and my family lived in the heart of Denver. Benton street was filled with kids growing up knowing only 1 thing. The Denver Broncos were for real and Craig Morton was the real deal. If you have had any exposer to the lure of Bronco-mania you have got to check out this book. As I was humming through the pages I could almost smell the smog and feel the hope of a Superbowl victory for our mighty underdog team. Looking back I do believe everything I owned was Orange and it's a fact that Orange Crush pop was invented in honor of the team. About every trip to the mall meant meeting another team member and it was nuts how accessible these athletes were.

...and this book has allowed me to re-live the memories in more detail than I ever had access to. It was a wonderful romp down memory lane and reminded me that as a young boy living in Denver was truly special. If your from Denver or have ever seen it on the map and like the Broncos this is a must read! Totally enjoyable and complete this book delivered. For me this nugget of time and how the authors captured it struck pure gold in the heart of a great city.

This a great book about the 1977 Denver Bronco's. The book gives a history of the season from training camp to the Super Bowl and profiles the players that made it all happen. It also provides information about what was going on in Denver during this time and how the town was caught up in Broncomania and the Orange crush defense.
There are some black and white photos in the middle of the book and there are stats at the end which summaries the season. The book gives a behind the scenes look at what happened in the 1977 season from the prospectives of the players and coaches. There is much detail including a nice description of the player revolt that let to John Ralston's firing and Red Miller's hiring.
At the end of the book there is a summary of each player that tells what they did after 1977 and where they are now. Overall, this a very well written book. If you are a football fan of the 1970's, or the Denver Bronco's in general, this is a must read.

When I first heard about Mr Frei's upcoming book and the subject, I knew I had to have it. I received the book for Christmas and couldn't put it down! I have been recommending it to friends and family alike.

This newest book is a must for Broncos fans everywhere! Reading this book took me back to '77 and the excitement that the Broncos generated across the entire state, but it's not just for those who lived through that glorious season. This book will give current Broncos, and football fans in general, a fascinating look at the moment the Broncos became a "big league" team and the City of Denver evolved into a "big league" city.

Having been a Broncos fan for years and years, I was captivated by the the manner in which Mr Frei wrote about the backgrounds and histories of the players and coaches of that team and then filled us in on what those players and coaches are doing with their lives today. He also provides an inside look at the sports scene in Denver as seen through his eyes as a young reporter.

Mr Frei helped me re-live the moment and also catch up with the lives of those players who gave Broncos fans thrills for years and years!

A definite read for football fans everywhere.

If you are a Denver Broncos fan, this is a very fun read, and if you lived in Denver in 1977, then you have to have this. It brought back so many memories of that time, and the special feeling of the city that year.

Highly recommended.