Football Books

Conquest,traveler,the thundering herd,student body left,student body right,the rose bowl,"Fight On!" depicts the history and tradition of USC football from the early Howard Jones years to the Pete Carrol era through the guys who covered it and the players who lived it.It shows you USC football's golden era of the 1930s to its low point of the late 90s,and to its resurgences as college footballs dominant dynasties of today's era.Not just as a USC fan,but as college fan period,"Fight On!" is a great book and shows you what college football is truly about on and off the field.

This is a great book by an even greater author Steve Bisheff. I have purchased and enjoyed all his sports books. I'm not a USC fan, but it made a great gift for all my friends that are.

Good book that captures the Trojan football history. The author has covered Trojan football for newspapers for years. I have always enjoyed his newspaper articles. The book captures a lot of those stories and USC history.
USC is a very interesting football program for many years. They have had many ups and downs over the years and the author does a good job telling the stories. It is always understood that once a Trojan you are a Trojan for life. It is a great University that shines in many thing besides football. Book is a good read.

"Fight On" is the rare sports book about a particular university that any football fan can enjoy, rather or not you have a relationship with that school. USC football came alive for me as a result of reading this book. Talk about history! It doesn't get any better than USC vs. Notre Dame. The entire history of the football program is here and the authors are to be commended for giving the casual fan, as well as USC alums and supporters, the ultimate read on USC football.

Greg Borowski is truly one of America's great young writers. After reading "First and Long," I felt I had been in the locker room and on the practice field all season long. It's a fascinating and poignant account of two Milwaukee schools close in proximity but worlds apart as players and coaches struggle and grow and struggle some more. Borowski has an amazing eye for detail and a gift for sharing it with the reader. "First and Long" is a terrific story for anyone who loves Friday Night football or who wants insights into American cities today. Can't wait for his next book.

Featuring a Foreword by Vince Lombardi Jr., First And Long: A Black School, A White School And Their Season Of Dreams by Greg Borowski is the inherently fascinating and superbly told story of the first year of the combined Messmer High School/Shorewood High School football team. These two southern Wisconsin schools were almost exact opposites of each other with one being black, private and urban, while the other was white, public, and suburban. First And Long is a story about football, but even more, it is the story of contemporary life and the modern issues of cultural adjustment, racial harmony, and the ideals and idealism of youth as mentored by their imaginative and persevering mentors. Unique and highly recommended reading for sports enthusiasts in general, and Wisconsin highschool football fans in particular!

I really enjoyed First and Long, even though I have to say I am not a sports fan. The author is known for his attention to detail, his ability to put a story in context, and his engaging style. All of these really come through in his account of a landmark season for the country's first high school football team formed from a partnership of a central-city Catholic and a suburban public school. Although the two schools are located merely 2 miles from each other, the author shows us how far apart the schools really in so many other ways.

Clearly, countless hours of interviews and observation went into this book. The players really come to life in its pages -- First and Long allowed me to get to know them, and the coaches as well. The glimpses of their lives off the field were every bit as intriguing as the accounts of their work on the field. Intriguing because they didn't fit squarely into one's expectations formed from Hollywood stories of underdog teams facing adversity. This team displayed a different kind of courage, and by the end of the season I wanted to continue following the players beyond the book's final page.

This book reminded me a good deal of "My Losing Season" by Pat Conroy (a excellent look at the author's challenging season playing basketball for The Citadel). I heartily recommend First and Long.

"First and Long" is a must-read for everyone who loves high school football. Greg Borowski gets as close to the gridiron as George Plimpton did. But his story tells so much more: How boys not only from different schools but from such disparate backgrounds forged a team and refused to fail against seemingly insurmountable odds. What's more, this is a story told with a perceptive eye and exquisite detail. See if it doesn't inspire you, too.

What more could parents ask for than a book which combines healthy snacking, family bonding and learning? This is the most original book on the shelves. The illustrations are entertaining and make me laugh, I can't put this book away!

Clever way to mix together entertainment and education.
Excellent book. Outstanding illustrations.

What a wonderful book to help children learn the alphabet. A very clever use of food and football - all children love pretzels. The introduction is very poignant and heartwarming and its nice to know the young man is healthy and well.

A fun, clever and entertaining book that will bring kids and their parents closer together. The diagrams showing exactly where to bite the pretzels make all the difference. Be sure to read the author's introduction. It's a poignant and heartwarming account of how she and her son came up with the original idea.

I like this book because it shows you how to deal with problems

This is a great book and is helpfull for beginers and buyers

This book tells you how to buy a horse how to groom a horse, feeding a horse, bridling, saddling and much more

This is a great book and is helpfull for people who want to buy things

Great Book!
Saw Beswick at the SMU coaching clinic and he was absolute spot on in his presentation on the role of the coach and the development of the player in the modern game of soccer.

As a thirteen year veteran of coaching high school and club soccer, it is hard for me not to view any book with a bit of skepticism. So upon purchasing this book I was intrigued to see what Beswick had to say and not positive he could teach me anything new. I was dead wrong, he is fantastic and much of what he writes about can be transferred to sports other than soccer. I was especially impressed with his ideas and examples of assessment tools for coaches and for player self-reflection. I have already begun to create my own versions of them in order to use them with my side this fall. A highly recommended read for players and coaches alike.

Bill Beswick, one of the world's premier sports psychologists (currently employed by England and Manchester United) and an accomplished coach in his own right, has written a book that is destined to take a place on the priority reading list of all aspiring soccer coaches. In it, he describes the mental, emotional, psychological, and lifestyle aspects of a complete player. The book is full of tables, checklists, and charts for self and team assessment, and the book has been beautifully tailored so as to be applicable for both coaches and players. The main strength of this book, though, is its practical recommendations for every topic it addresses (visualization, self-control, team cohesion, confidence, and mental toughness to name a handful). For example, Beswick gives the example of a striker who is not scoring goals in the chapter on confidence. How does the coach, in cooperation with the player, address the situation to help him regain confidence? Beswick asserts that other components of his job description should be brought to his attention (by asking the player), and that he should be encouraged to self-evaluate his performance based on how well he completed all of the aspects of his job description, not just scoring goals. This may sound like a "feel good" tactic at first glance, but Beswick also provides case studies of specific players at the highest levels who were positively affected by this approach (In this case, Dean Sturridge of Derby County). The book encourages a holistic approach to both coaching and playing, and discusses the benefits and potential pitfalls along the way to creating that holistic balance within a team and its players. Indeed, this is the kind of coaching and type of player that must prevail in the future if soccer is to continue to grow and develop, and Bill Beswick has done the sport of soccer and those who love it a distinct service by writing this book.

Bill Beswick is the world's leading sports psychologist for soccer. He works with leading European clubs. In this book, he not only tells you what you need to know, he shows you how to put it to work! He shares real-world examples from his work with the European clubs to show you how it works. I was at the NSCAA Convention this year and last year and his sessions were standing-room-only.

This is the ultimate coffee table book. I got lost in it. Hey, if you love the SEC like I do, check out "A Tailgater's Guide To SEC Football". It rocks! I highly recommend both books! Go Vols!

This is a book you will pick up for years to come. It is the first book I have read which shows the story of American football and how it touches each portion of our culture and lifestyle. Starting from the earliest days of "mud ball" to the collegiate and professional ranks, this journal tells the complete story though words and pictures. The photography will take anyone who has ever played even sandlot football, back to the action! Once you pick it up, be ready to sit for hours of enjoyment!

Any sports fan must remember "75 Seasons" or Ken Burns' "Baseball," books that came out two years ago. Those were great, and this is just as good, if not better! I got three copies. One for my son, my dad and me

Football America has a lot of terrific football photography featuring college, pro, pee-wee, high school and even prison football shots. Also, the stories are interesting and fun. Overall, it's a nice presentation that would appeal to all different kinds of sports fans

This is by far the best football book I have ever read. It goes into such technical detail as to leave almost no stone unturned in installing, coaching, and adjusting the 2 Level Defense.

I paid half what this book is currently going for originally, and I will never ever sell it. It has a permanent spot on my book case, which is tough to do since my wife fills it with murder-comedy-mysteries and leaves me space for only one book. And I chose this one.

Do yourself a favor and get a copy of this book if you are a defensive coach. Do not let go of it, it is out of print and tough to find.

John Thomson's "Football Defense of the Future: The 2-Level Model" is the single most scholarly football text I have ever read. Dr. Thomson's voluminous research underpins a superb book, one which presents a radical defensive concept that offers solutions to any offensive system imaginable.

These are large claims, but I am confident readers will agree with me once they take the time to dive into Dr. Thomson's giant of a book. The 5-5-1 "2-Level" defense (2LD) has been the only defense I have used since this book first appeared in 1988.

The 2LD's key feature is a deep safety aligned some 28 yards from the ball. This innovation allows the 2LD to attack offenses with 10 players while cutting off the field vertically at about +18 yards with the deep safety. This in turn completely eliminates the cheap, breakaway touchdown, both on the ground and through the air.

Coaches looking for a system that will serve them from goal line to goal line with only minor modifications, and which adapts itself automatically to any offense from the Don Markham Double Wing to the 5-wide spread shotgun, should look no further than Dr. Thomson's epochal defensive text.

I own over 200 football coaching texts, and have probably read as many again over the years. I can say with utter certainty that this is the finest football coaching manual ever written.

Highest possible rating.

In my opinion one of the greatest technical manuals written for football. This is how all football coaching books should be written. Authored by coaching legends from both Canada and the US, this book reviews the evolution of modern defensive football theory and then explores a radical new concept of football defense and unvails a complete and thorough plan for implementation of the ideas presented. Excellent diagrams and stop action photographs help the authors illustrate each of their key points. The authors also present gameplans and drills for defensing today's modern offenses. Anyone interested in an "attacking defensive philosophy" should grab a hold of this book and read it religously. Rare and Hard to find but well worth it!!!!

After 26 years of coaching the slant defense and the multiple stunt packages associated with it, our team needed more variety with less predictability. The "2-Level Defense" not only gives us the method or means for implementation, but it goes further than any text that I have read in regards to sharing "KEYS". It is critical, when analyzing a new defensive scheme, that all that you have done in the past is not lost. This book bridges this issue with clear and concise communication and practice organization. When you purchase this book, you will get MORE than enough straight forward data to implement as much or as little of this defense into your current scheme for your 'force unit' and your 'cover unit'. If you can't teach it, you can't coach it... You cannot implement defense's that are so foreign to your young men that they cannot grasp it quickly. Everything you do on the field must be done as efficiently as possible so that maximum learning occurs. This text gives you everything you need to implement as much or as little of the defensive concepts into your current scheme as you choose.

Without question the best defensive book on the market. This book contains the elusive answers that are so difficult to find. Ron teaches his philosophy and principles of successful defense and does it in an easy to understand format. This is a great resource, and should be included in every coach's library. My entire staff has a copy and it has been an instrumental tool in implementing a new defensive system at Helix High School. The secrets are in this book!!!!

Troy Starr
Head Football Coach
Helix High School
San Diego, CA

This book is the best, most informative book for any football coach that I have ever read, and I have been studying the game for thirty years.

This book is a great reference tool for any high school or college football coach. The explanation of scheme is clear and concise. The level of detail is awesome and will allow any reader to truly and completely understand the material. The coaching points are invaluable (I wore out 2 Hi-Liters and an ink pen marking up the text). Whether you are just starting out and trying to learn defensive football, or are an experienced defensive coach, you are going to want this book in your library.

All football coaches and fans would enjoy reading Coach Vanderlinden's new book Football's Eagle & Stack Defenses. Whether as a head coach or assistant coach, Ron Vanderlinden has worked with some of the best football coaches in the profession.

In the book, Coach Vanderlinden really shares his knowledge of defensive football. I was impressed with his attention to detail as he describes every nuance concerning the fronts, coverages, blitzes and adjustments. While reading, I gained valuable insight into each position's fundamentals that Ron explains in detail so well. The knowledge he shares in Part Five of the book, covering the fundamentals of each position would help any defensive coach, regardless of what scheme they may run.

One of my favorite points Ron makes in the book that holds very true is that as a coach you should see the daily drills you do with your players show up on the game film. Perhaps the most insightful part of the book to me was Chapter 17, concerning how Coach Vanderlinden does the defensive game plan. I always find it interesting to see how each staff game plans a little differently.

This book is basic enough for a first year coach to understand and comprehensive enough for a veteran coach to gain new concepts from. He really covers the Eagle & Stack defensive schemes from A to Z.

Kevin Emberton
Portland State University
Outside Linebacker Coach

As a former varsity coach now coaching the lower levels, this book contained good insights for building an offense that works without either being too simplistic or unneccesarily complicated. Especially helpful was the section on goal line offense. I wish there were more detailed diagrams, and more on practice organization, but this is a solid read nevertheless. If I were a head coach, it would be required reading for the Freshman and Sophomore staffs.

If your a football coach looking for the holly grail of coaching Don Schnake breaks it down to what is most important. There is more how-to and common sense in this one book than in my entire coaching library.

The title "Simple Six" refers to six base plays the author recommends as the foundation for your offense. He gives examples, but it is up to the reader to decide on what their focus will be. From the base plays he goes on to discuss counters and play action passes that stem from the base. He also discusses goal line packages.

This is a good place to begin if you are just starting out to develop your own offensive style/philosophy. I've been coaching high school football (both JV and Varsity) for 8 years now, and it reinforced my belief that offenses at this level should limit the number of plays they run. Master a few plays, run them to perfection, and only add when you are comfortable that your players can handle something new.

I would say the author also believes in the K.I.S.S. principle. It's not a very long book, but it is easy to read as the author uses a conversational style.

Coach Don Schnake's newest book "Football Simple Six" is an excellent read. His solution to running a high-school offensive to day is to limit the amount of plays so you can maximize the reps in practice of those six plays. The six plays will fit into anyone's offense.

Coach Schnake is an excellent author and coach. Try and get his earlier book on his father in law, prep basketball great Arhur Trout of Centralia, Illinois,

Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay to any author, or any literary work, is not being able to get enough of it. I simply didn't want the book to end -- so I am reading it again.

The post cold-war world is seeming chilly to the Russians, and the only way to save face is to beat the American's at their own game, American football. The (former?) KGB is involved as well with its "arsenal" of secret weapons and programs -- including my favorite secret-agents Bimbova and Bendova. The Americans also have their secret weapons and programs, including a reverse-engineered prototype of an inter-galactic hover craft that crash-landed near Roswell in the 1940's.

This is a hilarious work of creative genius. Kroll is great! The multi-faceted and multidimensional plot kept my interest throughout the book. And since a sequel is technically impossible, I would like see a prequel, with Bimbova and Bendova of course.

An exciting adventure of the day after tomorrow, "Fourth & Gogol" is incredibly detailed, impossible to predict, subversively funny and yet deeply emotional. The scenes, from loading a Makarov automatic to the unique agony of football camp (called a "FULAG," insanely enough) to a horrifying rape of a teenager to a hysterically funny encounter with a cross-dressing ex-president aboard Air Force One to an evil Stalinist eugenics program, one is moved to believe Kroll has been overexposed to Kubrick, Clancy, P. J. O'Rourke and maybe even Voltaire. It's hilariously sick stuff with characters you'll never forget. It's the utter unporedictability of it that makes it such a worthwhile adventure.

Mix one part "The Longest Yard" in with one part "Dr. Strangelove," a helping of "The Hunt for Red October," any Stanislaw Lem you've got at hand and then pour in some marinated (and I do mean marinated) Russian masters, hit "LIQUEFY," and you come up with "Fourth & Gogol: The True Story of Russia's Top-Secret American Football Program."

Who knew that an atom-bio confrontation, eugenics, genetic engineering, Area 51 and a wholesale invasion of the West by Russia could be humorous? I guess Alex Kroll did. And it is.

The Russians are stinging. Licking their wounds for losing the Cold War. So they set their sights on humiliating the Americans by beating them at their very own, most American game. Payback for the 1980 Olympic Hockey upset. They blackmail the NFL's best coach (he's got a betting problem) and arrest some of Russia's best athletes to form a team at football GULAG out in Russian Central Asia. They will take on the Americans at the coming Olympic Games, where football is to be the demonstration sport. The coolest part, possibly, is Russia's secret weapon: A special, central-computer controlled "Head-Up" football helmet system with visor displays showing formations, blocking assignments, pass routes etc.

Meanwhile, Russian dictator Hrapchenko decides to spring west and south -- seeking the direct route to the Persian Gulf and brie in Paris. Not that I'd blame him for it!

It's an insane, well-written read. That's all I'll say.

If you love international intrigue, and football -- the kind where a certain female entertainer has not only one, but several wardrobe mishaps, and then goes on to play stellar cornerback through the second half -- look no further than Kroll's droll stroll through 60s-style one-upmanship between US and THEM (read Rooskies).

While I, myself, am not an expert on the genre, I recognize expertise when I read it. Kroll's handle on things technological, espionage-related and how to kill a guy with your bare hands -- on and off the football field -- is firm, baby.

The larger picture is not left un-splattered upon, either. Sure, times have changed since we pointed so many ICBMs at each other, but I sense a subtle bit of finger pointing going on between the pages here. Check the latest polls and you'll find a US citizenry that doesn't necessarily feel it's at war, strangely enough. Could Iraq and Afghanistan be this century's version of the Cold War? If so, what the heck do we call it? GWOT? Pshaw! Warm War? Well, getting warmer.

Anyhow, no matter what you make of "Fourth & Gogol" by the time you get to the pseudo-apocalyptic ending, you'll likely be viewing Mr. Tom Clancy's deadwood thrillers through the space dust in the rear-view mirror of your own literal stealth spaceship -- made in the USA, I might add.

Comrade Kroll, you have written a funny, funny novel. Now, about the film rights...