Football Books

When it comes right down to it there is just nothing better than Saturdays in the Fall and settling in to watch a day full of college football. The spectacle...the tradition...it is unlike any other sport. One university that just screams tradition is Oklahoma. The Sooners have been one of those perennial powerhouses for decades and Triumph Books gives them their just tribute in Game Day: Oklahoma Football, another in their fantastic line of books spotlighting college footballs most famous programs. The book highlights OU's rich tradition and pageantry, it's great games, coaches, players, and moments, not to mention the Sooner Schooner, first introduced in 1964. Read all the lyrics to"Boomer Sooner" and "Oklahoma"!

Oklahoma boasts four Heisman Trophy winners and over a hundred and forty All-Americans, OU has been blessed with some of college footballs greatest players including Brian Bosworth, Keith Jackson, Steve Owens, Greg Pruitt, Lee Roy Selmon, Billy Sims, and my favorite Sooner Joe Washington. It was Washington who inspired me to spray paint my cleats purple when I was in high school as he had painted his silver.

When you talk OU coaches you have to start with the great Bud Wilkinson who won over 80% of his games and amassed an NCAA 47 game winning streak and three national championships. Barry Switzer would equal Wilkinson with three championships of his own in 1974, 1975, and 1985. The OU program struggled in the 1990's until Bob Stoops arrive and restored the glory in 1999, winning the national title in 2000. The book takes you on a journey through all of Oklahoma's championship seasons.

Relive some of the Sooners' greatest games including the 1971 "game of the century" against archrival Nebraska, the 1993 thrashing of Texas, the 25 - 10 pasting of Penn State in the 1986 Orange Bowl, and the 1977 last second win over Ohio State in 1977.

This beautiful hardcover book features stunning phtography that puts you right on the field of play! The great rivalries against Nebraska, Tesas, and Oklahoma State and comments from former players round out another enjoyable edition from Triumph Books. A true testament to the greatness that is Oklahoma football!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Excellent perspective on Tennessee football. I bought this for my brother-in-law, who is a big UT fan. He was really jacked up when he opened it Christmas morning. It's a quality book.

College football season is my favorite time of the year. I can sit down and watch games between teams that I have absolutely no rooting interest in whatsoever and become completely caught up in the action whether it's a major conference like the Big Ten or SEC, or even a game featuring schools from the MAC conference. It's just a wonderful time of year! No one covers the college football scene like Triumph Books and Athlon Sports with one great edition after another in their Game Day series. These beautifully produced hardcover books shine the spotlight on the greatest teams in college football.

USC certainly qualifies as one of the most prestigious schools with a rich tradition of great teams, great players, and national championships. While down a bit in the 90's, USC has once again become one of the top powerhouse programs under the guidance of head coach Pete Carroll and a host of fantastic players like Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush, and Matt Leinart. USC's fantastic tradition of playing in the LA Coliseum, filled with fans, their Trojan mascots, and California Girl cheerleaders is one of the boldest in all of sports, pro or college.

The book introduces fans to the teams greatest players including Heisman trophy winners Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979), Marcus Allen (1981), Carson Palmer (2002), Matt Leinart (2004), and Reggie Bush (2005). The fact that one school has captured the Heisman trophy three out of the past four years is an astounding feat! In addition to these players the book spotlights other greats like Ricky Bell, Anthony Davis, Frank Gifford, Ronnie Lott, Junior Seau, KeyshawnJohnson, and Lynn Swann.

USC boasts an equally impressive lineup of great coaches beginning with Howard Jones who won five national championships from 1925 to 1940. John Mckay is the first USC coach I recall as he resided over the fantastic era of the 60's and 70's, churning out one great tailback after another and winning three national championships. John Robinson had two stints as head coach of the Trojans from 1976 - 1982 and 1993 - 1997. While his run in the 90's is pretty forgettable, he captured two national titles in 1978 and 1979. Finally there is Carroll who restored the program to greatness winning two championships in five years as his teams lost only four games from 2002 through 2005.

The book runs down each of USC's national championships and then moves into its greatest games including the victory over Ohio State in the 1975 Rose Bowl, the defeat of Bear Bryant's #1 ranked Alabama team in 1978, and the pasting of Oklahoma in the 2005 Orange Bowl. USC's great rivalries are also covered. There's their legendary games with Notre Dame, one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, and of course their battles with neighboring UCLA.

The book is filled from beginning to end with dynamic black & white and full color photography that truly epitomizes the awesome spectacle and pageantry of USC football. A great book for any Trojan fan and a perfect Christmas gift for the season.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Newspaper reporter and editor Steve Greenberg and practiced legal expert Laura Lanese present Game of My Life: Ohio State Memorable Stories of Buckeye Football, a collection of true stories and vignettes about the individuals who gave their all to Ohio State football. Each of the thirty-six chapters relates the perspective of a different twentieth-century football player, recounting the game that was most unforgettable to him - and not necessarily because it ended in victory! Black-and-white photographs enhance this perfect holiday gift for Buckeye Football fans.

I was fortunate to get one of the last copies of Bob Gordon's book about the 1960 Eagles NFL Championship seaosn. It's out of print now.

But in "Game of My Life", Bob gets us inside the minds of some truly great Eagles players, some of whom played on that 1960 team. We get to read about Tommy McDonald's recollections of playing in Philly, and you may be surprised by the game he picks as the "Game" of his life.

Bob also captured the thoughts of Andre Waters just before he tragically died. With that in mind, reading his account of the game of his life is poignant in retrospect.

There's Vince Papale telling his own story, and we hear from old timers like Bill Bradley, Chuck Bednarik, Vic Sears and Ernie Steele, tha latter two of the early days in Eagles football. Remember the Steegles? The Frankford Yellow Jackets?

Then there's a recollection of that tremendous game in 1991, which has become Eagles folklore, and which has been called the "House of Pain" game. Remember, Eagles vs. Houston. Wes Hopkins nailing Ernest Givens over the middle! Andre Waters policing the whole field such that no Oiler receiver would go near the center of the field. Were we ever prouder of that defense then in that game? It's all here as told by ? (don't want to spoil the fun!).

We hear from Brian Dawkins, Frank Lemaster, Bill Bergey, Keith Jackson, Mike Quick, Timmy Brown and more. Dick Vermail weighs in as do Bill Campbell, Merrill Reese, Brian Baldinger and Dave Spadaro.

What makes each chapter so special is Bob's ability to interweave the history of the game selected by each player with the memories and images from the player's mind. Having that context makes the moment more enjoyable and special.

Each chapter also tests our knowledge of Eagles trivia. These questions are treats in themselves and will enhance your stature the next time you're at Lincoln Financial Field, grilling the hot dogs and drinking the beer hours before the next game, challenging your buddies to a delightful one-on-one about Iggles heroes from the past. And if you're an Eagles fan dislocated from the Philly area, well read a chapter, close your eyes, and you'll be back there at the Vet too.

You know, we all remember where we were when JFK was shot or when the Challenger blew up. For us diehard, ever-faithful Eagle fans, our lives are marked by the moments we share from Eagle games, won or lost. As certain songs make up the soundtrack of our lives, so too do certain special moments watching the Eagles on those small black and white TVs (or listening to a transistor radio) or today with the 50" flat screens, or maybe screaming your tonsils out, or crying our eyes out at the Vet or the Linc, or maybe Franklin field, all those special moments describe and define our lives just as much those songs or the history we witnessed. We were there, watching, listening, whatever. Bob captures those moments and lets us live them again. He provides focus on those fuzzy details in our minds, the ones we tell our kids and grandkids, and maybe great-grandkids about, you know "Billy, I was sitting there in 30-degree weather under a blue sky when Timmy Brown ran that kickoff back....," or "Suzie, I was walking through the bird house at the Philly zoo listening to my radio when so and so intercepted that pass...."

If you cried when they blew up the Vet, or raised your fist too when they carried Jeff Kemp off the field, or stood in near-silence at the Linc when the clock wound down and the Iggles beat the Falcons to get to the Super Bowl, you are the type who will pick up Bob's book and then call in sick at work, till you get to the end. Better yet, as the heroine said in the movie, "You had me at hello....", "Game of My Life" will have you at the Preface.

Bob is no novice writing about Philly teams. I've read all his books about the Eagles, Phillies, Villanova (my alma mater). But "Game of My Life" is his best, by far. You can't be a TRUE Eagles fan without owning this book on your shelf. I've read some chapters several times. I just can't put it down. I just plain enjoy the memories so much I want to re-live them again and again. You will too.

Rick Schaeffer grew up in Oklahoma, but he grew up a Razorbacks fan. He's said several times that the hog on the helmet was a main attraction.

Schaeffer loves the Razorbacks. As a long timer in and around the program, he made many relationships. His ability to do so serves him well in this case.

Rick sets the scene, and wraps it up but in the middle of each chapter, a host of Arkansas football players tell their own story of "The Game of My Life".

Razorback fans NEED this book. Especially compelling to me was the story told by Matt Jones (QB in the longest game in NCAA Div I history and now a receiver for the Jaguars) about how it seemed HIS "Game of My Life" would never end.

Schaeffer does something it's hard for writers to do. He let's someone else speak.

This is a great coffee table or waiting room book. Most of the chapters can be read in 7 minutes or less but, if you put it out for others to read, put a rope on it.

Mark Murphy probably knows more about Auburn football than any other writer in the country. In this book, he interviews 28 former players about their career at Auburn and what they have done with their lives after football. The format reminded me of "The Boys of Summer" by Roger Kahn. For those who love Auburn and especially Auburn Football, this book is a must.

I got this for my Dad on Christmas and all my brothers kept passing it around all day reading different entries. All the player's stories are only a few pages long so this makes for a great short story book that can be read for 10 or 15 minutes then put down, and revisited. All the Bears fans in my life loved it! I guess some of the people in it are pretty rare interviews and my Dad and brothers were so interested to see which games the different players would choose to discuss in this book. They all would guess which game they were going to talk about before they checked that section.

I really enjoyed this book! I've read the Packers' history books and the players' autobiographies, but this book is unique in that it asks various players what was their most memorable game as a Packer. It is well organized and written. My 10 year-old son is reading it now!

Gave this book to my Father for Christmas. He is a big gamecock fan and loved it. I know several others who have this book and they also enjoyed it.